Seahawks' Darnold bounces back from trio of shaky games, stands out in 2nd half against Falcons

SEATTLE — Sam Darnold and Seattle’s offense didn’t get off to the start it wanted on Sunday, though the Seahawks quarterback certainly rounded into form in the second half.

Darnold threw three touchdown passes, all in the second half, of a 37-9 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. It was Darnold’s most touchdown passes in a game since Nov. 2, when the Seahawks (10-3) beat the Washington Commanders 38-14.

“We did a great job in the second half,” Darnold said, “of coming back and finishing the game strong.”

Seattle found itself deadlocked in a 6-6 tie at halftime because of the Seahawks’ inability to convert red zone chances into touchdowns. One of Jason Myers’ three field goals in the afternoon, a 22-yarder, came after Darnold tossed a pair of incompletions and a false start.

In the second half, Darnold more closely resembled the quarterback the Seahawks were used to before a three-game stretch in November in which he threw two touchdown passes against four interceptions.

Darnold passed for 182 of his 249 yards after halftime in addition to his three touchdown passes, the last of which required him to step up in the pocket before delivering a strike to the NFL’s leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, from 4 yards out. Darnold said he’s sought to become better at escaping up in the pocket, rather than up and out.

“I just felt like the other edge rushers were getting around a little bit, so I just tried to get up the middle and obviously made a play,” Darnold said. “And ‘Jax’ did a great job of getting open.”

So did plenty of other Seahawks receivers on Sunday. Five players had at least 20 yards receiving, including relative newcomer Rashid Shaheed, who had his most yards in a game (67) since the Seahawks acquired him from the New Orleans Saints ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

In Darnold’s opinion, the Seahawks’ offense, which ranks second in the NFL in points per game (29.3), is doing a fine job of moving up and down the field. That’s thanks in no small part to his play.

“I feel like we’re in a good spot,” Darnold. “We’ve just got to continue to harp on the details of everything. We know that in the locker room, and we’ll do a good job of that throughout the week.”

What’s working

All-pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon has been hampered by injuries in his third NFL season, and isn’t putting up eye-popping stats quite like he did in 2023. Witherspoon did have his first interception of the 2025 season on Sunday, though, as well as two of his five passes defended this year.

Fellow cornerback Riq Woolen commended Witherspoon for what was arguably his finest performance of the season.

“Having (Witherspoon) out there, you know he’s going to be there,” Woolen said. “He’s loud, but his play speaks for itself as well. Ball-knowers know, football players know and people around the league know that he’s a great player. When he’s out there, he’s a force multiplier.”

What needs help

Darnold has only been brought down 17 times through 13 games, but the Seahawks’ offensive line has shown some cracks as of late. He was sacked twice on Sunday after being brought down four times in a 26-0 win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Though Darnold emerged from the game relatively unscathed, keeping him upright will be paramount to the Seahawks’ prospects for the postseason in 2025.

Stock up

Not only did Shaheed have his most receiving yards in a game with the Seahawks on Sunday, but he also returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It took a few weeks, but trading for Shaheed is looking like a shrewd move with each passing week.

Stock down

Running back Kenneth Walker III was in a groove in November, rushing for at least 56 yards in four out of five games. The fourth-year tailback started December with a dud, though, galloping for just 29 yards on 10 carries. His 2.9 yards per carry were his fewest in a game since the season opener, when the 49ers’ defense limited Walker to 20 yards on 10 carries.

Injuries

TE Elijah Arroyo went down in the first half of Sunday’s game with a knee injury. Macdonald said this week is probably in jeopardy for Arroyo to play. C Jalen Sundell, who has been sidelined with a knee injury, should be back at practice this week, per Macdonald.

Key number

423 — Days in between Seahawks kickoff returns for touchdowns. Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. – who is currently a free agent – returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in a 36-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last year.

Next steps

The Seahawks host two games next week. The Colts come to town on Dec. 14, and the Rams will arrive in Seattle for a key matchup with NFC West title implications on Dec. 18.