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Rapid Reactions: Seahawks Dominate In Second Half On Their Way To Big Win Over Falcons

The Seahawks defense dominated once again, and the offense exploded in the second half as the Seahawks improved to 10-3.

Dec 07, 2025 at 03:17 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

The Seahawks and Falcons were locked in a low-scoring battle at halftime, but then Rashid Shaheed gave Seattle a spark to start the second half, and from there, the Seahawks took over and rolled to a 37-9 victory over the Falcons. With Shaheed's 100-yard kick return touchdown getting things started, the Seahawks outscored the Falcons 31-3 in the second half, and the defense that has been great all season, kept its opponent out of the end zone for the second week in a row and forced three more turnovers.

Here are six rapid reactions to Sunday's win, which improved Seattle's record to 10-3:

1. Nick Emmanwori is making a case for defensive rookie of the year.

Nick Emmanwori received a ton of praise from teammates and from Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald in the days leading up to Sunday's game. Macdonald noted that “We've never really had a player like him,” while safety Julian Love said, "Nick can be the best of all of us."

On Sunday, Emmanwori backed up those comments with what might have been his best game yet. The second-round pick's first splash play of the game actually came on special teams, when he came flying off the edge to block a field goal attempt, allowing the Seahawks to survive a turnover in their own territory without allowing a score for the second straight week.

Not long after that, Emmanwori blew up a run play for a tackle for loss, his fifth of the season, then in a third quarter that saw the Seahawks take control of the game, he snagged his first interception of the season, corralling a ball tipped by Devon Witherspoon. And if all of that wasn't enough, Emmanwori added a fourth-quarter sack, the first full sack of his career.

2. Rashid Shaheed had his first big game as a Seahawk.

The Seahawks added receiver Rashid Shaheed in a midseason trade to add a big-play threat to their offense and special teams. And while Shaheed has earned plenty of praise from coaches for the work he has put in so far, prior to Sunday he had not been able to make the big plays he was known for in New Orleans.

That changed in a big way on Sunday, with Shaheed returning the opening kick of the second half 100 yards for a touchdown that started a big third quarter for the Seahawks. Shaheed also had his best day as a receiver since coming to Seattle, catching four passes for 67 yards, including a 33-yard gain that helped set up a touchdown.

3. Devon Witherspoon had a huge game.

On Friday, Macdonald called Devon Witherspoon "the sparkplug" of the Seahawks defense, noting how well the third-year cornerback is playing, even if the stats don't always show it. On Sunday, the stats showed it.

Witherspoon, a two-time Pro-Bowler, created one turnover by breaking up a pass that Emmanwori intercepted, he recovered a fumble that was forced by DeMarcus Lawrence, and he created his own chaos to earn his first interception of the season, getting off a block to break up a screen pass with a hard hit, then after the ball was tipped by multiple players, he hauled the loose ball. Witherspoon also had several nice open field tackles and finished with seven in the game.

4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba got back to making big plays.

A week after a quiet game in a big win over the Vikings, Jaxon Smithj-Njigba was back to his usual, dominant self.

The NFL's leading receiver came up just short of his ninth 100-yard game of the season, finishing with 92 yards on seven catches, and he added two more touchdowns, giving him nine this season.

5. Jarran Reed and Julian Love both made their presences felt in their returns from injured reserve.

Two key pieces of Seattle's defense returned from injured reserve this week, and Jarran Reed and Julian Love both found ways to affect the game in their first game back. Love split time at safety with Ty Okada, and had a third-down pass breakup on a deep pass on Atlanta's first drive of the game.

Reed, meanwhile, forced a fumble to end a Falcons drive in the red zone, with Witherspoon recovering.

Update: A stat correction was made after the game, crediting the forced fumble to DeMarcus Lawrence. Reed was still in involved in the tackle on the play, however.

6. Sam Darnold and the offense looked great in the second half.

After a slow first half that saw Seattle's usually explosive offense held to just a pair of field goals, the Seahawks got rolling in the second half.

Leading the way was quarterback Sam Darnold, who after going 9 for 15 for 67 yards and an interception in the first half, was 11 for 15 for 182 yards and three touchdowns in the second half.

With the win, Darnold has won 24 games over his past two seasons, passing Tom Brady for the most wins by a quarterback in two seasons with two different teams.