Mike Macdonald called on Rashid Shaheed to provide a spark for the Seahawks in Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
Shaheed delivered with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that broke open the game.
The Seahawks are leaning on complementary football while discovering different ways to win.
ATLANTA – With his Seattle Seahawks clearly sputtering for the first half of the game on Sunday, Mike Macdonald had a suggestion he was compelled to share in the locker room.
Or maybe it was a Nostradamus moment.
Let Devon Witherspoon, the heart-and-soul of Seattle’s big-play defense, fill in the details.
“He said, ‘Kickoff team, let’s take one to the house, ‘Shid. Do what you do, make a block and don’t let your guy make a tackle,’ ” said Witherspoon, the star cornerback, after the 37-9 romp against the Atlanta Falcons. “And then those guys went out and did that.
“Shout out to special teams.”
“‘Shid” would be Rahsid Shaheed, the electric receiver-returner, who followed the orders from the Seahawks coach and took the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown that broke open a 6-6 game – and then some.
Talk about speaking something into existence.
“Coach Macdonald, he called that for sure,” Witherspoon marveled.
The kick return ignited a magnificent second half for the Seahawks (10-3), who not only exploded for 31 points after halftime but produced what was likely their most complete game of the season.
How complete was it? On top of Shaheed’s momentum-seizing return, consider this: Sam Darnold passed for three TDs and the Seahawks rushed for 129 yards. Rookie phenom Nick Emmanwori blocked a field goal. The defense collected three turnovers – Witherspoon had a pick and a fumble recovery, Emmanwori had an interception – and a week after shutting out the Vikings ran its streak of quarters without a touchdown allowed to eight.
Sure, they pummeled the feeble Falcons (4-9), who clinched the franchise’s eighth consecutive season. But no matter. In notching a 10th victory before January for the first time since 2000, the Seahawks illustrated why they might be the team that no one wants to face in the playoffs next month.
“We feel really good,” said star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who rebounded from his least productive game of the season a week earlier with seven catches, 92 yards and two TDs. “We feel confident. This is a big stretch for us. We know that. Championship football, heading into the playoffs. Just trying to keep building this mojo and win out.”
At the moment, the Seahawks hold the NFC’s top wild-card spot and fifth seed overall for the playoffs. Yet challenges await. After hosting the battered Indianapolis Colts next weekend (after a 7-1 start, the Colts have lost four of their past five games, and it is feared that quarterback Daniel Jones could be done for the season due to an Achilles injury), Seattle gets a visit from the Los Angeles Rams to likely determine first place in the NFC West. Then they close the regular season with road games at the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers – two teams locked in intense playoff bids of their own.
Yet complementary football might be Seattle’s secret sauce. The defense has been outstanding all season, with playmakers on every level. Shaheed’s punch in the return game adds to a unit that includes one of the league best kickers, Jason Myers, who booted three field goals on Sunday.
Then there’s the explosiveness. The roll at Mercedes-Benz Stadium marked the fourth time this season that Seattle has scored at least 30 points in a half. The rest of the NFL produced six 30-point halves, heading into Sunday.
Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 1,428 receiving yards on 89 receptions, mentioned something else reflected with the latest triumph. He said, “We’re learning how to win different types of games.”
The sluggish start by Seattle’s offense against the Falcons should ensure that there will no complacency for coordinator Klint Kubiak’s unit. The Seahawks managed just two field goals from five first-half drives and, with a Darnold interception, were stung again by the turnover woes that have plagued them as they entered the game with the second-most giveaways (22) in the league. And another drive stalled deep in Falcons territory, leaving Darnold to lament a need to sharpen details.
“We’re able to go up and down the field,” Darnold said. “We’ve just got to finish our drives.”
Then again, when Darnold called it a “total team effort,” he was mindful of the support coming from the Seattle defense.
The past two games, the Seahawks have allowed 9 points and zero touchdowns while forcing eight turnovers.
“There are going to be opportunities that are representative of big plays made by defense, special teams and offense,” receiver Cooper Kupp said. “The opportunities to play complementary football. What that does in terms of momentum swings and being able to beat an opponent down….when you can do that, the psychological toll is a big deal.”
It’s a formula the Seahawks will be eager to try applying in the playoffs. Especially if they speak it into existence with undeniable action.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell