SEATTLE – Here are three instant impressions from the Seahawks’ 44-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Lumen Field.
Special teams were very special
Three huge plays in the first half by the Seahawks’ special teams put them on the road to victory.
Perhaps the biggest play of the game was Tory Horton’s 95-yard punt return for a touchdown that gave the Seahawks a 14-0 lead. Horton electrified the crowd with his team-record return, one yard longer than the previous long of 94 yards set by Charlie Rogers (1999) and Nate Burleson (2007).
The Saints’ next punt did not go much better for them. Kai Kroeger’s kick was blocked by D’Anthony Bell, who was activated off the practice squad before the game. That set the Seahawks up at the New Orleans 11 and two plays later they scored a touchdown.
Then, after the Saints scored on a field goal, receiver Dareke Young returned a kickoff 63 yards, setting up a 35-yard touchdown drive that gave the Seahawks a 28-3 lead.
Jason Myers made a 56-yard field goal late in the first half to give Seattle a 38-3 lead, capping an incredible half for the Seahawks’ special teams.
Darnold looked great
It might get a lost a bit because of the great day from the Seahawks special teams, but quarterback Sam Darnold had an outstanding game.
Darnold, coming off a solid performance in a victory over Pittsburgh, was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 10 of 11 passes for 169 yard and two touchdowns.
He made good decisions, and his accuracy helped compensate for little first-half production from the run game (eight yards on nine carries).
Darnold led two drives that ended with field goals in the third quarter, then got the rest of the afternoon off. He earned it.
Great win, but how much does it mean?
The Seahawks have plenty of reason to celebrate after thoroughly thrashing the New Orleans Saints, but unfortunately for them, they can’t carry any of the surplus points into Thursday’s game at Arizona.
The Saints were widely regarded as one of the NFL’s worst teams to start the season and they sure played like that Sunday. They were going to need some breaks to win this game, and instead, everything seemed to go wrong and the next thing you know, they’re trailing 38-3 late in the first half.
On this day, it didn’t matter for the Seahawks that their running game struggled or that the Saints had some success moving the ball in the first half (206 yards) But those issues could matter soon.