Midway through the second quarter, punter Blake Gillikin booted a 63-yard kick, tied for his longest of the season.
But as good as the punt was, Gillikin also stepped on Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas and injured his ankle.
That meant kicker Chad Ryland, who had been signed to replace the injured Matt Prater in October, was needed in an emergency second role.
"We're around the specialists all day," Ryland said. "I see Blake do it all the time, so just tried to find a way to give the guys a chance to go cover and give the team better field position."
It had been almost four years to the day that Ryland last punted in a game. That was on Dec. 12, 2020, when Ryland had punted for Eastern Michigan in a game against Northern Illinois.
Ryland had punts of 36, 44, and 37 yards in the Cardinals 30-18 defeat.
In between drives, Ryland was on the sidelines practicing punting into the net. Gillikin was talking with him throughout the process.
"The guys were all super positive, so that's always good," Ryland said.
Ryland's second year in the league has been anything but ordinary. After he was selected by the Patriots in the fourth-round of the 2023 draft, Ryland did not make the Patriots' 53-man roster to start this season. The Cardinals signed Ryland ahead of their Week 5 game against the 49ers.
In his Cardinals debut, Ryland nailed through a game-winning field goal, followed by two other game-winning kicks in the month of October. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month, and the Cardinals were on a roll.
But the Cardinals have struggled since the bye. Ryland has had mixed results, booting five field goals in Minnesota last week but also missing a field goal in each of the last three games.
"I just haven't striked it as clean as I should have," Ryland said. "Fundamentally and mentally, I need to knock everything down. If we want to have a chance to win games, I got to knock those kicks down, especially in the 40s like that. There's no excuse for that."
Standing in front of his locker postgame, Ryland was disappointed in his missed attempt and the defeat, saying he hoped to perform better. While Sunday's loss puts the Cardinals in a tricky position with four games left on the schedule, Ryland believes in the locker room.
"I can only speak for myself, but I think it's a really good group of guys in here that like to work hard and want to go win games," Ryland said. "Everyone wants to win at the end of the day."
