Three instant impressions after the Seahawks ran away in the second half for a 37-9 win over the Falcons on Sunday to improve to 10-3:
All three phases
It’s a cliché thing that all coaches say and makes reporters — and sometimes fans — roll their eyes when it’s said. “All three phases are equally important,” or some variation of that statement has been uttered at some point by every football coach at every level. Even the youth level.
On occasion, those coach-speak comments prove to be correct. And a game like Sunday goes a long way to supporting those statements.
Seattle’s defense was gashed for some yards in the first half, but ended up forcing three turnovers and limited Atlanta to three points and 123 yards in the final 30 minutes. That included the first career interception for Nick Emmanwori, the first interception of the season for Devon Witherspoon and Jarran Reed using the club on his hand to force a fumble — although it was credited to DeMarcus Lawrence — that Witherspoon recovered.
Sam Darnold and Seattle’s offense was rather lackluster in the first half, managing just six points. But the second half was a different story with four straight possessions finishing with points — two of those helped by turnovers in Atlanta’s half of the field. Darnold looked more like the QB from early in the season and not the one that struggled at times in recent weeks.
And there were the special teams that came up with one big play after another, whether it was Emmanwori’s blocked field goal in the first half, Rasheed Shaheed’s kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half or Jason Myers hitting three field goals. Even Michael Dickson had a punt downed inside the 5 in the final minute when he was finally asked to get back on the field.
All three phases contributing wasn’t a cliché in this victory.
Nick of time
Remember during the 2011 season when Kam Chancellor went from this unique rookie who played only sparingly in his first season and became a force that was an anchor to what the Seahawks accomplished defensively over the next several seasons.
Kind of feels like we’re seeing the same evolution and emergence from Emmanwori.
The comparisons are always going to be there because they each have — or had — unique attributes of size and speed and athleticism while playing safety and wearing a Seahawks uniform.
But a game like the one Emmanwori had on Sunday is only going to amplify those expectations of what he could be. He blocked a field goal flying off the edge. He intercepted the first pass of his career. He came up with a sack. He finished with six tackles and outside of Witherspoon might have had the most impact of anyone on Seattle’s defense.
Chancellor was a fifth-round steal when he was drafted in 2010. It’s starting to feel like getting Emmanwori in the second round will eventually be viewed the same way.
10-win floor
During the last 20 years, getting to the 10-win mark for the Seahawks felt like an expectation. That’s what happens when Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll come in and create the level of success each achieved during their tenures in charge of the franchise.
But this is only the 15th time in franchise history reaching the 10-win mark. Coach Mike Macdonald is the first coach to reach 10 wins in his first two seasons as Seattle’s head coach.
It’s a level of that’s become the floor for what constitutes a successful season for the Seahawks. But it still shouldn’t be dismissed considering the history of the franchise and many seasons when getting to 10 wins was only a dream.