The havoc expected when the Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald showed up in a big way Sunday in Atlanta.
The Seahawks caused turnovers on three consecutive drives in the second half to cruise to a 34-14 win in a battle of the birds. Seattle ended a three-game losing streak to improve to 4-3.
“Our guys are determined, and we grew as a football team this week,” Macdonald said. “Now we have to keep it going.”
“Guys made their opportunities when the ball came their way. It was great to see.”
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith completed 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns for the Seahawks. Meanwhile Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins fumbled and threw two interceptions before giving way to Michael Penix Jr., a first round pick out of Washington, late in the fourth quarter.
“Geno was able to move and groove in the pocket when they were able to get pressure,” Macdonald said.
Kenneth Walker II, who entered today questionable with an illness, looked just fine with two touchdowns, including a nice catch in the end zone to for a 24-14 lead with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter. Walker finished with 14 carries for 69 yards and two receptions for 24 yards.
“Two touchdowns on his birthday — that was sick,” said Smith, using a more modern parlance of the word. “I thought he did a great job. Obviously he was under the weather — a little bit of a flu game on his birthday.”
DK Metcalf added four catches for 99 yards and a TD, but left the sideline on a cart with a knee injury of unknown severity.
“We’re optimistic at this time,” Macdonald said. “It doesn’t look too bad.”
The greatest moment of defensive havoc came early in the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks put the game away with a defensive touchdown.
Linebacker Boye Mafe hit Cousins just before he started to throw, jarring the ball loose. Fellow linebacker Derick Hall scooped it up and ran 64 yards to the end zone and a Seahawks 31-14 advantage with 12:46 to go in the game.
Seattle’s secondary, missing a starting safety and three cornerbacks also made game-changing plays.
Coby Bryant, who previously played mostly cornerback at the University of Cincinnati and with the Seahawks, stepped in for starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins and had the best game of his career, finishing with a essentially a game-clinching interception to go along with a team-high 11 tackles.
“Each time he takes the field, he takes another step,” said Seahawks safety Julian Love, who intercepted a Kirk Cousins pass one drive before Bryant’s pick. “It’s tough sometimes — I know because I did it — going from corner primarily to safety, but as you can see he’s just catching his stride.”
The Seahawks, who previously led the league in pass attempts and had the highest pass-to-run ratio, used 26 running plays and 29 passes to keep the Falcons off balance. Some aggressive play calls, however — including a 35-yard pass from receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — helped keep Seattle in front for the game’s entirety.
The scoring started slowly, but the first half ended with a quick strike from Seattle.
Leading 10-7 late in the first half, Smith completed four straight passes to get to the Atlanta 21 with 17 seconds left before halftime. He then threw the ball away before being sacked, and was called for intentional grounding.
With just 10 seconds remaining and facing third-and-10 at the 31, it seemed Seattle might just look for a quick completion to set up a shorter field goal for kicker Jason Myers. Perhaps that’s what Atlanta expected as well, but Smith found Metcalf in the end zone for a 31-yard yard touchdown and a 17-7 halftime lead.
“We’ve shown that we’re going to take that shot if it’s available,” Smith said. “Obviously (offensive coordinator Ryan) Grubb has to put that trust in me to understand the situation and the clock, and to get the ball out on time.
“We had an opportunity. I though the protection was great. DK ran a great route, and we were able to get it in the end zone.”
Categorized:Seahawks
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