By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Dominant defense leads Seahawks to 37 to 9 win over Falcons

The return of Julian Love paid immediate dividends for the Seahawks’ defense.  On the Falcons’ first drive of the game, Love knocked down a pass on third-and-7. Jarran Reed also contributed with a forced fumble that Devon Witherspoon recovered.

We had a bit of a pitch count for Julian, and he felt really good. I felt like he executed well, looked like he was confident, and we were fortunate the way the game played out,” said Macdonald.  “ It was great to get Jarran Reed back. He is a phenomenal football player and a great human. You really felt him out there today,’ added Macdonald.

 In a defense-dominated first half, the Seahawks’ defense held the Falcons to two field goals despite   Sam Darnold’s 11th interception of the season. In fairness, the interception was a deflected pass intended for Elijah Arroyo, who tried to make the play but was battered by the Falcons’ A.J. Terrell Jr and brought down by Mike Hughes.

“  I feel like I left that one high for him. Elijah is a big body, and if I get it lower, he can box out the defender,”  said Sam Darnold. We have to finish our drives once we get down in the red zone and stay positive on first and second down. We are in a good spot.”

A GOOD WAY TO FINISH THE FIRST HALF

Despite the early offensive struggles, Donald led the offense on a seven-play 45-yard drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal to end the first half with a 6-6 tie.  It was a dream start to the second half when Rashid Shaheed returned the kickoff 100 yards to extend the Seahawks’ lead to 13-6.  The electrifying play ignited the Seahawks’ offense and defense.

 DEFENSIVE TURNOVERS CHANGE THE GAME

Jarran Reed showed why he is so vital to the Seahawks’ defense when he forced a fumble that Witherspoon recovered.  After speaking to the offense at halftime, Darnold led the Seahawks on another impressive drive. This one was an eight-play 88-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard pass to Jaxson Smith-Njgba, who strolled into the endzone for the 20-6 lead. Nick Emmanwori added an interception to his stats line when he intercepted  Kirk Cousins’ intended pass for Kyle Pitts.  Emmanwori blocked a Falcons field goal attempt in the second quarter.

 While the drive ended with a Jason Myers 37-yard field goal rather than a touchdown, the three points gave the Seahawks a commanding 23-6 lead.  The Falcons scored their last points of the game on 27 27-yard field goal by Zan Gonzales.

DARNOLD FINDS HIS RHYTHM

A kickoff penalty on the Falcons gave Darnold and the Seahawks offense favorable field position. The Hawks’ drive started at their own 40-yard line, and five plays later, Darnold connected with Cooper Kupp for an 11-yard touchdown pass and catch combo.  The touchdown gave the Seahawks a commanding 30-6 lead with 12:13 left in the game.    Devon Witherspoon hauled down the Seahawks’ second interception of the day on the Falcons’ next offensive possession.

 “ I mean, it feels good, but as I said, we really don’t pay attention to the statute for real. Like, we just go out there and do our job. And like I said, that’s what makes us good,” said Witherspoon.” 
Like, we don’t really care about the stats. Who made the plays? We all celebrate, ’cause we all out to play as one”. 

Feeling good can be described as how Darnold thought in the second half after Witherspoon’s interception. Darnold connected with Smith-Njiba for his third touchdown pass of the game and extended the Seahawks’ lead to an insurmountable 37-6 scoreline. The drive was the last for  Darnold, who was replaced by backup Drew Lock.  As for the offenses first half inconsistencies  Cooper Kupp believes the minor mistakes can be easily corrected.

“I mean, all the things are, it’s just small things, small, little mistakes, little things here, there, that are just killing us, and things that put Sam in tough positions as well, where he’s having to, you know, try to make things right for us,’ said Cupp. “ You know, the second half, we just found a little bit of a rhythm there. Sam got things going and made some big-time throws. Obviously, converting the red zone’s a big deal.”

BIG TAKEAWAY

 McDonald has the Seahawks playing complementary football, built on the idea that each play in practice and the game is essential. When players buy into that mentality, it does not matter whether you are a starter or not. What becomes important is the process of self-accountability that leads to playing as a collective.  The return of Julian Love and Jarran had a dramatic impact on the defense. Both are leaders of their respective units. The offense finished with 129  rushing yards spread out between Zach Charbonnet (46), Velus Jones  Jr. ( 32), Ken Walker ( 29 yards), Darnold (  23), and  Drew Lock ( -1) . The total number of yards is good, but the team had just 26 rushing attempts. The offense had  58 total plays.

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