The Seahawks broke open a sluggish, 6–6 first half with a dominant final two quarters, rolling past the Falcons 37–9 in Seattle.
The turning point came immediately after halftime when Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the longest scoring play in the NFL this season. From there, Seattle poured on 31 unanswered points, fueled by efficient offense and a smothering defense.
Sam Darnold threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, two to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and another to Cooper Kupp, while Shaheed added four catches for 67 yards as he continued to settle into his new role after being acquired from New Orleans.
Seattle’s defense, finally at full strength with the returns of Julian Love and Jarran Reed, forced three turnovers, including interceptions by Nick Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon and a fumble recovery after DeMarcus Lawrence knocked the ball loose from Bijan Robinson. Special teams also came up big with Emmanwori blocking a 50-yard field goal attempt during another rough outing for Atlanta’s kicking units.
The loss dropped the Falcons to 4–9, eliminated them from playoff contention, and cemented their eighth straight losing season. Their lone near-breakthrough — a near-touchdown grab by Darnell Mooney — was overturned when officials ruled he stepped out of bounds before re-entering the field, forcing Atlanta to settle for a field goal.
Injuries
Seahawks: TE Elijah Arroyo (knee) left in the first half and may face a more serious evaluation; NT Brandon Pili (knee) is expected to be OK.
Falcons: WR Drake London (knee) missed his third straight game; DL Brandon Dorlus (groin) was inactive; Edge Jalon Walker (quad) was injured in the first half.
Up next:
Seahawks: Host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
Falcons: Travel to Tampa Bay for a Thursday night matchup with the Buccaneers.
