Humbling loss to the Seahawks shows just how far the Cardinals have to go to compete in NFC West

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — An impressive season-opening win over the Los Angeles Chargers showed that these Arizona Cardinals have potential to be a much-improved football team.

The subsequent lopsided loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday showed just how far they have to go to reach that potential and compete in the loaded NFC West.

Arizona's home losing streak is now at eight games and more than 360 days after a 31-7 loss to the Seahawks, who are the defending Super Bowl champions and look like one of the early favorites again this season.

There's certainly no shame in losing to Seattle, but the Seahawks' 24-0 advantage in the second half, including a 16-play, 70-yard drive to close out the game, didn't sit well with safety Andrew Wingard.

“The league will humble you quick,” Wingard said. “You think you've made it and then you go play the Seattle Seahawks and they give it to you. But I know we've got the right guys in the locker room. No one's going to panic.”

First-year coach Mike LaFleur's offense couldn't get much going, particularly in the second half, gaining just 151 total yards. Jacoby Brissett had just 95 passing yards, which was easily the lowest total among the 14 games he's started over the last two seasons.

Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love gained just 29 yards rushing on nine carries. All-Pro tight end Trey McBride was mostly contained with eight catches for 41 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown.

“It's like I told the guys, the sun did come up today, believe it or not,” LaFleur said. “We're not going to dwell on it and I'm not really concerned about us dwelling on it. I'm excited to see how we'll respond.”

Wingard said the Cardinals learned some valuable lessons during film study on Monday.

“You've got to battle, you've got to tackle, you've got to just find ways to win and create momentum. And we didn't," Wingard said. “But we're 1-1. There's no panic.”

The final result was ugly, but Wingard said it's important for the Cardinals to remember they played well during the first half against the defending Super Bowl champs.

The teams were tied at 7-all heading into halftime, and the Cardinals defense had an impressive goal-line stand near the end of the second quarter. McBride was a problem for the Seahawks' defense in the first half and his 2-yard touchdown catch tied the game.

Things obviously changed in the second half, but the Cardinals know they have the potential to hang with one of the league's best teams.

The Cardinals couldn't get anything going in the vertical passing game, with most of Brissett's completions being on short passes to McBride or Love.

There's certainly a time and place for a quarterback to use checkdown options, but without the threat of the deep ball, the Seahawks defense had one less thing to worry about.

Arizona's defense has been better than many expected.

Safety Budda Baker and linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. have been productive while newcomers like Wingard and linebacker Jack Gibbens look like solid additions. The Cardinals struggled to contain Seahawks star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but there's a reason he's the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year.

Marvin Harrison Jr. was the No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft and widely seen as a can't-miss prospect with a Hall of Fame bloodline and a stellar reel of highlights from his days at Ohio State.

But a disappointing start to his third season makes it easy to wonder if he'll ever live up to the expectations.

Harrison had no catches against the Seahawks and was targeted just one time Sunday. That comes after the opener against the Chargers, when he had just one catch for 33 yards.

LaFleur said the Cardinals might have lost cornerback Will Johnson for the rest of the season because of a neck injury against the Seahawks. Starling Thomas will likely see increased playing time in Johnson's absence. Another cornerback, Max Melton, is day-to-day with a toe injury.

10 — The Cardinals have a 10-game losing streak against the Seahawks dating to 2022.

The Cardinals have another tough NFC West game this weekend when they travel to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, left, scores a touchdown against Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, right, during the second half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) greets Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) after the Seahawks won an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Denzel Burke (29) and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15) shove each other during a play during the second half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur talks into his headset during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride walks off the field after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

MIAMI (AP) — A former Haitian government official and more than a dozen other people appeared Monday in federal court in Miami on charges related to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Joseph Badio, a former Haiti Ministry of Justice employee, was brought into the Florida court in a wheelchair. The hearing happened a day after he and 17 others described as Colombian mercenaries were flown to the United States from Haiti, where they had been in custody.

They're among 30 people charged in the indictment, including Christian Sanon, a Palm Beach County, Florida, resident and dual Haitian-American citizen who was already preparing to face trial next week. Authorities said he aspired to be Haiti's president.

Although the actual charges against Sanon remain the same, his attorney said details from the new indictment, which was filed Aug. 27 and unsealed this past weekend, could affect his case.

“We are evaluating our next steps given the surprising new indictment on the eve of our trial scheduled for Monday,” defense attorney Zeljka Bozanic said in an email.

South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing, U.S. authorities have alleged. At least nine people so far have been convicted at trial or through guilty pleas.

Moïse was “assassinated by individuals seeking to profit from illicit financial opportunities and business contracts,” U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said.

Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, attacked his home near Port-au-Prince.

In 2025, justice officials in Haiti asked the U.S. and Canada for help after a local court of appeals ordered a new investigation into Moïse’s killing, the third inquiry of its kind since he was shot 12 times at his private residence. His wife, Martine, also was injured in the attack.

The previous investigations were stalled because Haitian judges kept resigning from the case, fearing for their lives, and gangs seized control of the downtown Port-au-Prince courthouse where the judges were interrogating suspects.

Any proceedings in Haiti “continue to face significant difficulties,” the Ministry of Justice and Public Security said Sunday.

The indictment says Badio, who is charged with conspiracy, posed as a U.S. drug agent and participated in Moïse's killing. A lawyer appointed to temporarily represent him could not immediately be reached for comment.

Badio once worked in the government’s anti-corruption unit until he was fired for alleged ethics violations weeks before the assassination.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette Reid assigned lawyers and set additional court dates during a series of brief dialogues with each of the 18 defendants.

The scheme to kill Moïse included paying mercenaries with money obtained from U.S. government programs that were intended to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the indictment says.

Haiti has not had a president in the five years since Moïse's death. It has instead been overwhelmed by gang violence: More than 3,000 people were killed this year by June and about 1.5 million people were displaced, according to the U.N.

AP writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story.

FILE - Colombians and Haitians who are accused of involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise are escorted in handcuffs to their court hearing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph, File)

FILE - Haiti's President Jovenel Moise speaks during an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Feb. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)