Ah, the Seattle Seahawks! You know they say in sports that winning is a habit, much like a good pair of pants that just won’t stretch with you anymore. Well, after three consecutive losses, it seemed the Seahawks were trapped in the wrong suit—one that crammed them into a corner, making them ask “Does this make me look bad?” with every press conference. But fear not! Coach Mike McDonald, channeling his inner motivational speaker (though perhaps not as inspirational as a cat meme), led the squad to a well-deserved 34-14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons—finally smashing that broken record of doom.
As the game unfolded, the Seahawks switched from a dirge-like melody of mistakes to a chorus of triumphant voicemails, much like a catchy pop song you can’t get out of your head—only this time, it wasn’t about heartbreak but about hard hits and touchdowns. The Hawks defended like they were auditioning for the next superhero film, turning Cousins’ third-down dilemmas into fumbles and interceptions that left us shouting, “Take that! No soup for you!”
Now, let’s set the stage. Seattle practically danced through the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they maintained a double-digit lead throughout the game, leaving the Falcons feeling like a deer in the headlights coupled with an existential crisis. Kirk Cousins, bless his confused soul, found himself attempting to rally a team that had seemingly forgotten how to run and catch the ball—awkward, wasn’t it? It was like watching someone try to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions. Spoiler alert: it didn’t go well!
But this wasn’t just a victory; it was a “team victory.” McDonald made that crystal clear, much like how your gym buddy reminds you they’ve been training hard, just before they eat ten slices of pizza. Wide receiver Jackson Smith-Njigba summed it up beautifully when he exclaimed, “It’s good for us to come together and really kick ass as a team.” Well, that’s a line that could confound even the most seasoned motivational speaker!
Speaking of teamwork, let’s spotlight the defense, which decided to take a cue from its glorious past—the Legion of Boom. Suddenly, the defensive players looked rejuvenated, producing a staggering plus-3 turnover margin. Who knew they could remember how to intercept passes? Did they find a treasure map that led to the fountain of interception-tastic youth? I’m not sure, but it made for a dazzling show reminiscent of defensive legends of yore.
Among the highlights, Boy Maffe’s impressive sack and subsequent fumble recovery from Derrick Hall set the field on fire, leading to a belly laugh from teammate Jarran Reed, who quipped that Hall finally showed some speed. This boy can run?! You would think he’s actually built for an NFL career or at least for a groovy TikTok dance-off.
Let’s not forget about young defensive star Kobe Bryant, who snagged his first career interception—not in shop class or his dorm room, but at a critical moment of the game. Proudly holding onto his new title, he declared his friends and family must be his “luck”—and judging by the cheers, I’d say they were more than just good luck charms; they might just get management’s attention for the next recruitment drive!
Now, if you were being pessimistic (you know, the type of person that buys a ticket to the circus just to complain?), you might point out how Seattle was almost subject to a great deal of running dysfunction from the Falcons. But rest assured, after halftime adjustments, the defense switched gears and muffled Atlanta’s hopes of success faster than a bad joke at a comedy club.
Ken Walker III, bless him, had a particularly memorable game—one that can only be described as the “Kenneth Walker flu game,” bringing back shades of Michael Jordan’s historic performance with a temperature. Not bad for a player who might have been feeling under the weather! The Seahawks officially know how to adapt, rolling with the punches (or sicknesses) like seasoned pros.
The Seahawks’ execution was tighter than my pants after a buffet outing, showcasing offensive and defensive cohesion that had been missing for weeks. With every successful play and defensive stand, you could practically hear the sighs of relief from the Seattle faithful, who had been more entertaining on social media than their own team was on the field.
So, as Seattle leaves this game with their heads high, Coach Mike McDonald could finally turn off that annoying broken record within him. The Seahawks have proven they’re not just a team, but one that can remind fans how thrilling NFL football can be—even if it sometimes resembles a circus clown act attempting tightrope walking without a net. Cheers to Seattle; here’s hoping they don’t lose themselves in a routine of mediocrity again!
In summary, this was about as delightful as finding out your favorite food truck is back in the neighborhood. The Seahawks, as McDonald emphasized, played as a *team*—the only kind of winning worth celebrating. Now, onto the next battle; let’s hope they bring the same energy and upgrade their record to match their ambitions!
ATLANTA – Seahawks coach Mike McDonald hates the sound of a broken record, but that’s the situation he’s been dealing with the past few weeks as he answers questions about his team’s shortcomings during a losing streak.
Whether explaining his team’s lack of forced turnovers, the defense’s inability to stop the run, or some foul play on his part, McDonald repeats the phrase “that’s a team statistic,” which the singer repeats in a catchy recording.
The way the Seahawks beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday confirmed his message.
GO DEEPER
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Seattle led almost the entire game and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter. Kirk Cousins and the Falcons ultimately had to give up a successful running game. As a result, Seattle’s defense, which entered Week 7 as one of the worst in passing production in the NFL, looked like the Legion of Boom for a moment when it came time to close the door.
And that’s what the Seahawks did: emphatically. Their defense backed Cousins on all three of their fourth-down drives (Rocky Michael Penix Jr. replaced John Cousins on the final possession) and their offense turned one of those leads into a touchdown, winning 34 -14. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium breaks a streak of three consecutive defeats.
A team victory, just as Macdonald hoped.
“It’s good for us to come together and really kick ass as a team,” Seattle wide receiver Jackson Smith-Njigba said.
Seattle (4-3) entered the game with one of the lowest points in the league. The defense nearly matched that number over the final 15 minutes Sunday.
For one of those touchdowns, outside linebacker Boy Maffe sacked Cousins on third-and-9 early in the fourth quarter, and outside linebacker Derrick Hall returned a fumble 64 yards to give Seattle a 31-14 lead. . It was Mafe’s fourth sack, and Seattle’s second-highest defensive score, of the season.
“We always talk about (Hall) being slow, but he seemed pretty fast there,” Jarran Reed said, laughing at his young teammate.
IT’S A DEFENSIVE TD!!! pic.twitter.com/O3atYPnaM7
– Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2024
On the next possession, Cousins tackled receiver Drake London and the ball floated into the hands of safety Julian Love. His return set up Seattle’s offense for a quick field goal and a 34-14 lead with 7:10 left. Five plays into the next series, Cousins removed tight end Kyle Pitts and was selected by safety Kobe Bryant to start in place of the injured Rayshawn Jenkins (hand).
Bryant finished his first career start at safety, in front of friends and family who had traveled from his Ohio hometown, with the win and the first interception of his career.
“They could be my luck,” Bryant said with a smile.
Bryant was among the few starters in Seattle’s second game on Sunday because of a series of injuries. In addition to placing Jenkins on injured reserve, Seattle is without cornerbacks Tre Brown (knee), Rick Woolen (ankle) and Artie Burns, who are on injured reserve with finger problems. Cornerbacks Fayon Hicks and Josh Jobe were recalled from the practice squad to make their season debuts. Jobe started opposite rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, another first-time starter.
Despite all the new pieces on defense, Seattle’s focus coming into this game was creating turnovers, knowing that a positive turnover margin was the key to an offense. They finished the day plus-3, thanks in large part to the offense playing a clean game.
“Boy, they come in groups,” linebacker Tyrell Dodson said of the three turnovers. “However, they should come frequently. “We need them like air.”
GO DEEPER
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All three of Atlanta’s turnovers came in obvious passing situations, something Seattle hasn’t forced many in its three-game losing streak. And the Seahawks were able to put the Falcons in catching mode by playing extra football for the first time since Week 3.
Seattle scored the game’s first 10 points on a Ken Walker III run and a field goal before the Falcons (4-3) cut the deficit to three on a Bijan Robinson run. The Seahawks regained their double-digit lead and took a 17-7 halftime lead thanks to Geno Smith’s 31-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on third-and-15 with 10 seconds left. Instead of throwing short and calling a timeout to play a field goal, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb opted to be aggressive, and the offense rewarded his faith.
Atlanta’s lead carried into the afternoon despite a good start on the field. The Seahawks have had one of the worst defenses in the league for six weeks, and the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s game looked like it. Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for 117 yards and 15 carries (7.8 yards per carry) over the first two quarters. But at halftime, Seattle’s defenders adjusted to avoid being hurt by Atlanta’s zone scheme.
“Just stop running sideways,” Leonard Williams said. “At one point in the game they tried to push our D-line to the side. We finally got to a point where we communicated with each other and said, “Let’s go vertical, let’s flip the blocks.” The backs (Atlanta) have been very good at trying to stay alive, so we’re always talking about that second, third and fourth man. “
In the second half, Robinson and Allgaier combined for just 22 yards on 11 carries.
When Atlanta cut Seattle’s lead to 16-14 on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to London, the Seahawks responded with a 63-yard drive of their own that ended with a 17-yard reception by Walker. The third-year running back was listed as questionable for the game due to illness, but he overcame it (on his 24th birthday, no less) and gained 69 rushing yards and 24 more. His teammates later called it the “Kenneth Walker flu game.”
“He was sick today, man,” Smith said. “Two contacts on his birthday, that was crazy.”
YES, HE IS KNOWN. pic.twitter.com/BNhmOXCBec
– Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2024
The Falcons began their next drive after a Walker touchdown, setting the stage for Seattle to open its pass rush to Cousins, who had committed just five turnovers in the game.
With Love suspended, Cousins felt pressure from rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who returned to the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury. Seattle had nine QB hits and three sacks on Cousins.
“We knew from film that Kirk doesn’t like pressure, so we knew if we put pressure on him there would be a lot of (opportunities): picks, turnovers, sacks, whatever,” Murphy said. “That’s what we did.”
The Falcons were one of the teams that passed over Murphy in the NFL draft, ultimately allowing Seattle to select him 16th overall. On Thursday, Murphy said he wants Atlanta to make its presence felt in this game. When asked if he had achieved that goal, Murphy responded: “Yes, sir. “They sure felt me.”
GO DEEPER
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Smith completed 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards and caught Metcalf, who led the team with 99 yards on four receptions. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Metcalf injured his knee on his seventh and final goal: a long pass thrown near the sideline in the third quarter. Metcalf was later ejected after an evaluation. MacDonald said the severity of the injury is unknown, but “we’re optimistic at this point, so it doesn’t seem that serious.”
Maintaining the lead throughout the game allowed Seattle to take some pressure off Smith, whose 32 tackles were his fewest since Week 1 (28). He had a season-low 10 tackles in the second half and attempted just two passes in the fourth quarter. Seattle wanted to do better than the 19 yards on seven carries it had in the fourth quarter, but the need to make plays was a nice change of pace for a team trying to right the ship offensively.
“We were able to pass the ball at the right time and we were able to run the ball at the right time and that’s complementary football,” Smith said. “That’s what’s needed in this league.”
Seattle began the balance with sixth-round pick Michael Jerrell at right tackle in place of the injured Stone Forsyth (hand), and Christian Haynes continued the rotation with Anthony Bradford at right guard. There were hiccups along the way, like when Jerrell gave up the Falcons’ only sack or when Haynes was flagged for a false start on the next play that essentially ruined the drive. But overall, the offensive line was better than in recent weeks.
On Walker’s 20-yard run in the second quarter, the Seattle running back got a punt block from Jerrell and another key block from Haynes, who hit linebacker Caden Ellis and allowed Walker to reach the second level. The breakthrough was the first year Haynes and Jerrell played together and led to a touchdown as the rookies led the way.
“The whole day, the defense was excellent,” Smith said.
The entire day was fantastic for the Seahawks. Or, as McDonald later said, it was a “team victory.”
