The Seattle Seahawks scored six points in the first half Sunday. They managed 111 total yards, 40 fewer than the 4-9 Atlanta Falcons. Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold conceded his 11th interception of the season, tied for third-most in the NFL, and completed 9 of 15 passes for just 67 yards. Seattle surrendered five tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble out of bounds, and went 2 for 7 on third down.
All of which highlighted the lingering questions surrounding the Seahawks.
Before the second-half kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, FOX TV announcers Daryl Johnston and Kevin Kugler amended their introduction.
“We came on the air saying, ‘Hey, Seattle is still the most complete team, or one of the most complete teams, in the NFL,’ ” Johnston noted, with the Seahawks and Falcons tangled in a 6-6 tie.
“Well, don’t listen to us!” Kugler, FOX’s play-by-play man, jokingly interjected.
“But offensively, there are some questions, and I think there are more questions now after the first half,” Johnston concluded. “It’s their opportunity to come out here in the second half and start to eliminate the reasons why there’s concern over this offense.”
It didn’t take the Seahawks long to eliminate concern.
Before Johnston finished speaking, Seattle kickoff returner Rashid Shaheed was already running, bolting between blocks for a 100-yard touchdown. It took him 12 seconds to enter the end zone.
From there, Seattle coasted — like Shaheed — to a 37-9 win, outscoring the Falcons 31-3 in an electric second half. The Seahawks scored on six consecutive possessions, before finally punting with 21 seconds left. Their defense and special teams, unsurprisingly, outmatched Atlanta’s. They showed why this team is capable of running the table.
That second half provided a road map to the top of the NFC.
If you were concerned about Darnold’s decision-making and efficiency, Seattle’s signal caller doused those worries with a dynamic second half. He completed 11 of 15 passes and threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns in the final 30 minutes, while ably protecting the football.
If you were concerned about Shaheed’s chemistry with Darnold after a midseason trade, the 27-year-old speedster seemed to make strides Sunday, snatching four passes for 67 yards. As Seattle searches for reliable options to complement Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp added his second touchdown of the season.
If you were concerned about an offensive line that had allowed six sacks in its past four quarters, that’s certainly understandable. But Atlanta was limited to two tackles for loss and zero sacks in the second half, and the Seahawks rushed for 129 yards and five yards per carry Sunday.
If you were concerned that Smith-Njigba might be slowing down, the NFL’s top receiver convincingly stiff-armed that assertion. After managing just two catches for 23 yards last week against Minnesota, the 23-year-old totaled seven catches (on 10 targets) for 92 yards and two touchdowns Sunday.
If you were concerned about Seattle’s defense … well, why would you be? The Seahawks dominated that area against Atlanta, as quarterback Kirk Cousins completed just 15 of 30 passes for 162 yards and two interceptions. The Falcons went an abysmal 1 for 13 on third down. In their past two wins against Atlanta and Minnesota, the Seahawks forced eight turnovers and allowed nine total points.
Through 13 games, Seattle ranks first in the NFL in opponent yards per pass attempt (6.0), tied for first in opponent yards per play (4.5), second in scoring defense (17.4 points allowed per game), second in third-down defense (32.6% conversions) and tied for second in opponent yards per carry (3.8).
The Seahawks defense is a concern only for offenses standing on the other side.
“Our defense has been playing well all year. We know how good they are on that side of the ball,” Darnold said Sunday. “But as an offense we’ve got to continue to sustain drives. We’ve got to sustain our success throughout the season and throughout the game. If we continue to do that, I feel like we’ll be in a good spot as a team.”
With four games left, the Seahawks could hardly be in a better spot, in control of their destiny. Should they beat the Colts (8-5), Rams (10-3), Panthers (7-6) and 49ers (9-4), the Seahawks would enter the playoffs as the top seed in the NFC.
But which half is more representative of who the Seahawks are about to be?
Though Sunday’s second half helped, there still are concerns to consider. The Seahawks have started slow in recent weeks — trailing the Rams 14-3 after the first quarter, then taking ties into the second quarter against the Titans (3-3) and Vikings (0-0), before the offense sputtered again early Sunday. Let’s also acknowledge that the Titans (2-11), Vikings (5-8) and Falcons (4-9) hardly qualify as top competition, and both Minnesota and Atlanta started backup quarterbacks.
Point being: Sunday’s second half showed who the Seahawks can be. But they need to be that team consistently to run the table.
“Is Seattle the team to beat right now in the NFC?” Kugler said in the fourth quarter, changing his halftime tune. “It’s an argument you could certainly make from what we’ve seen from Seattle.”