The Seahawks struggled early but turned the game around with a commanding second half performance. Sponsored by Muckleshoot Casino Resort.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks improved to 10–3 on the season with a commanding 37–9 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, a game defined by momentum shifts, standout performances, and a defense that continues to impress.
The turning point came early in the second half when Rashid Shaheed electrified the stadium with a 100-yard kickoff return.
“This guy was incredible,” analyst Terry Hollimon said. “Matter of fact, the only 100-yard kickoff return in the NFL this year. This kid is explosive, quick, fast. And he’s the reason why we brought him here.”
Hollimon emphasized the intangible impact of the play: “One of the things people don’t take into consideration when it comes to football is momentum. Big Mo. That momentum the Seahawks got in the second half really switched the trajectory of this game.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold overcame a sluggish start by making key adjustments.
“Their goal coming into this game was to get JSN off to a good start quickly,” Hollimon said. “Second half they said, nah, we’re going to adjust, dump the ball down to some other players, use our run game, and that ended up freeing JSN to have some spectacular catches.”
This season Seattle’s defense has become a force.
“This is the best defense we’ve had in Seattle since the Legion of Boom,” Hollimon said. “They’re opportunistic, they take the ball away, they get after the quarterback. And for the second week in a row, they kept the opposing offense out of the end zone. No touchdowns two weeks in a row.”
Nick Emmanwori earned Hollimon’s nod as player of the game.
“This guy was all over the field on defense. He blocked the field goal, he had a sack, two tackles for loss, and an interception. The only thing he didn’t do was throw a touchdown pass to himself,” Hollimon joked.
The Seahawks now face a tough stretch with four games against teams with winning records, starting with the Indianapolis Colts.
“They’ve lost four out of the last five games and they lost their franchise quarterback to a season-ending Achilles injury,” Hollimon said. “They’re going to have to play a rookie sixth-round draft pick at quarterback.”
Despite that, Hollimon predicted another strong showing from Seattle: “I think the Seahawks are going to win by 14 points. I feel like the defense is going to be opportunistic… I think they’re going to get three turnovers again this weekend.”
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