SEATTLE -- DeMarcus Lawrence scooped up the loose ball in stride with his right hand and never touched it with his left on his way to the end zone for a 22-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
If it looked like the veteran outside linebacker had done it before, it's because he had -- only minutes earlier, and on an almost identical play.
Among the many highlights for the Seattle Seahawks in their 44-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lumen Field were two return touchdowns by Lawrence in the first half, both of which came on fumbles forced by blitzing inside linebacker Tyrice Knight.
Per ESPN Research, Lawrence became the fourth player in NFL history with multiple fumble return touchdowns in the same game, and the first since Jeremy Chinn had two for the Carolina Panthers in 2020. The Seahawks used those two scores to jump out to a 38-7 halftime lead on their way to their fourth straight win, which keeps Mike Macdonald's team tied atop the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams, their opponent next week at SoFi Stadium.
"You can't draw that up," said Lawrence, who had two defensive touchdowns in 12 NFL seasons entering Sunday. "T-Knight did a great job, running the play exactly how Coach Macdonald drew it up, and I was the lucky recipient of the two forced fumbles. I'll take it every day."
Lawrence's first touchdown came on a 34-yard return midway through the first quarter. As with the second one -- which came early in the second quarter -- officials reviewed the play and upheld the on-field ruling that the ball was not moving forward when Knight knocked it out of quarterback Jacoby Brissett's hand.
Adding to the strangeness of the plays was that the Seahawks entered Week 10 having yet to force a fumble on defense despite being tied for fourth in the league in fewest points allowed per game at 18.0.
"I couldn't believe that D-Law got the second one," Macdonald said. "I was like, 'Holy crap, it's him again.' But the way that he attacked the ball, T-Knight, is just awesome. We hadn't forced any fumbles yet all this year on defense and we got two today. It's awareness. Just taking advantage of those opportunities was awesome."
The Seahawks had the NFL's third-lowest blitz rate over the first nine weeks, as Macdonald mostly has relied on his front four to get pressure lest he further tax a secondary that has been forced to play backups at several spots because of injuries. The two blitzes on which Knight forced Brissett to fumble had been in Seattle's playbook, but Macdonald had yet to call them this season before Sunday.
"That was like déjà vu," said receiver Cooper Kupp. "It was crazy."
Kupp (two catches, 74 yards) and Lawrence were the Seahawks' two big veteran additions amid what was otherwise an offseason youth movement. Seattle signed the longtime Dallas Cowboys defensive end to a three-year, $32.5 million contract, and so far it has gotten its money's worth.
With a half sack against Arizona, Lawrence has 4.0 sacks and 11 QB hits in eight games (he missed one with a quad injury). His rugged edge-setting has been a factor in Seattle's stingy run defense, and Macdonald has raved about the tone he sets with younger players via his practice habits.
"I'm just thankful DeMarcus Lawrence is on my team, honestly," said receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a Dallas-area native. "I grew up watching him on the Cowboys, so to have him, it's an honor, and I still can't really believe that he's on my team. But just thankful for a lot of great players that we have."
Smith-Njigba, the NFL's leading receiver, caught five passes for 93 yards and a touchdown to surpass 1,000 receiving yards on the season. The Seahawks got their struggling run game going, too, topping 200 rushing yards before late kneel-downs dropped them to a season-high 198.
Macdonald gave game balls to Lawrence, Knight and running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu, a reflection of how the game was won by Seattle's defense and run game. The Cardinals' first two touchdowns both came after they took over with short fields following Seattle turnovers -- a botched exchange between Sam Darnold and fill-in center Olu Oluwatimi and a Darnold interception that deflected off a teammate's helmet. Darnold lost another fumble later in the game.
Lawrence, Knight and the defense picked up the slack.
Knight started at middle linebacker in place of Ernest Jones IV, who was out with a knee injury he sustained last week in a win over the Washington Commanders. Knight replaced him in that game and led the team with 10 tackles. He made eight more Sunday to go along with his two strip sacks.
"You've got to stay ready ... and he's playing great football," Macdonald said. "Obviously we want Ernest back as soon as possible, but he's showing that he can go in and play great ball for us and execute. Both of those were pressures that we haven't ran before, so to be able to go in and execute those things having not gotten all the reps was some high-powered stuff."
The Seahawks sacked Brissett five times, who again started in place of Kyler Murray. They had 10 QB hits, including a team-high three by Lawrence.
"We knew he wasn't going to get out the pocket that much," Lawrence said of Brissett, "so we could pin our ears back and go hunt."
According to ESPN Research, the Seahawks finished with 22 quarterback pressures against Arizona. They now have 146, the most by a team through nine games since ESPN began tracking duress in 2009.
The Seahawks on Saturday put veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed on injured reserve because of a wrist fracture. Macdonald said he's expected to return, but Seattle will have to overcome the absence of another key defensive player for at least the next three games.
"I believe it's a testament of what we built in training camp," Lawrence said. "We've been going at this for a while, and our young guys are stepping up, playing good ball. ... We've got a good thing going."