Rashid Shaheed provided the game’s signature highlight, showcasing his blazing speed while racing the length of the field for a 100-yard kick return touchdown.

But from a big-picture perspective, it was Shaheed’s breakout receiving performance that may have been the most important development from the Seattle Seahawks’ 37-9 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

What Seahawks are doing is ‘exceedingly rare’ in the NFL

Shaheed hauled in four catches for 67 yards – including a pair of key third-down conversions – in his best game since the Seahawks acquired him from the New Orleans Saints in a Nov. 4 trade deadline deal.

Prior to Sunday, the speedy fourth-year wideout had totaled just four receptions for 34 yards over his first four games with Seattle.

“He makes plays all the time at practice,” Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold said. “… He’s been executing at a high level throughout these games ever since he’s gotten here, (but) he just hasn’t had necessarily the opportunities that other guys have had. The fact that he finally got his today was special to see.”

As the Seahawks make a push for their first NFC West title since 2020, one of the big questions is whether they have enough firepower behind NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba, who has piled up a franchise-record 1,428 receiving yards through 13 games, has accounted for a whopping 44.9% of Seattle’s receiving yardage. Veteran Cooper Kupp is the team’s No. 2 receiver at 473 yards, while tight end AJ Barner is the third pass-catching option at 386 yards.

The Seahawks added Shaheed with the hope that his game-breaking speed could give Darnold another bona fide receiving threat and keep defenses from zeroing in on Smith-Njigba.

On Sunday, Shaheed showed he’s capable of doing just that.

Shaheed’s biggest reception came early in the fourth quarter, when he got open over the intermediate middle of the field for a 33-yard gain on third-and-6 that extended a touchdown drive.

Shaheed also had a key third-down conversion early in the third quarter, when he motioned across the line of scrimmage and hauled in a short sideline pass to move the chains. Later in that drive, Smith-Njigba sprung free for a 30-yard reception and a 28-yard catch-and-run TD.

“(Rashid) can run every single route and his speed is dangerous, so teams have got to respect that, especially if you’ve got eyes on me or whoever,” Smith-Njigba said of his new teammate. “He’s going to spring open, and when hard work meets opportunity, I know he’s going to shine.

“You saw a little bit of that today, so the future is bright for him in this offense.”

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