Seattle’s Defense Puts the League on Notice with Dominant Shutout Win
On Dec. 22, 2024, Sam Darnold was the starting quarterback for a Super Bowl contender. Trailing the Seahawks 24-20 with 3:58 left, he faked a handoff, climbed a disappearing pocket and ripped a 39-yard rope to Justin Jefferson for the deciding score. The Vikings left Lumen Field with a 27-24 win.
At the time, it was the Vikings’ eighth straight victory in a 13-2 start. Darnold was the league’s latest comeback quarterback, with 16 touchdowns and a single interception in his last six games. The loss punctured the Seahawks’ playoff hopes and sunk their home record to 3-6.
Eleven months later, Darnold is the starting quarterback for a different Super Bowl contender.
But not because of Darnold.
Because the Seahawks’ defense is good enough to beat anybody.
Not that
It was bad.
And then it got worse.
Trailing 3-0 with 3:13 left in the first half, Brosmer took a snap on fourth-and-1 from the Seahawks’ 4-yard line. He faked a handoff, rolled right and was immediately met by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who chased Brosmer back to the 23-yard line. As Lawrence yanked his left arm and Brosmer began to tumble to the turf, he whipped the ball like a grenade that was about to go off.
Right to Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV.
“When you catch these interceptions, everything kind of slows down,” said Jones, who led the Seahawks with 12 tackles and a pair of picks. “So I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way he’s about to throw this.’ He let it go. Then I catch it and I’m like, ‘There’s nobody in front of me.’”
Jones returned the interception 85 yards for a game-turning touchdown as the Seahawks coasted (like Jones) to a 26-0 win. It was the first of four interceptions on the day for Brosmer, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 126 yards. Minnesota also lost a fumble and went 2 for 10 on third down.
Jefferson, one of the NFL’s premier receivers, registered two catches for just 4 yards — the lowest output of his six-year career. The Seahawks secured their first shutout since blanking the Bears 26-0 back in 2015.
After last week’s 30-24 win over the lowly 1-11 Titans, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon said: “I don’t think we played to our standard.”
On Sunday, the Seahawks’ standard was on dominant display.
“From the front line to linebackers to the DBs, they played a great game. They led us,” Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. “We were super happy to have the best defense in the world.”
If the Seahawks become the best team in the world, their defense will be the biggest reason why.
Because offensively, Sunday’s performance wasn’t pretty. Seattle’s offensive line — which surrendered just 11 sacks in its first 11 games, tops in the NFL — allowed four sacks on Sunday as Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores sent unrelenting pressure.
Darnold completed 14 of 26 passes and threw for just 128 yards while coughing up a fumble that preceded Jones’ pick-six. Smith-Njigba, who entered the day averaging a league-leading 119.4 receiving yards per game, mustered two catches for 23 yards. Jason Myers connected on four field goals as the Seahawks struggled to find the end zone.
Per wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who contributed three catches for 24 yards: “There’s a lot of stuff offensively that we’re going to want to tune up, a lot of stuff that just wasn’t up to our standard.”
There are those words again.
Offensively, there are causes for concern — like Darnold’s return to Earth after a scintillating start, or the reliance on Smith-Njigba to maintain a record-setting pace, or the inconsistent running game, or Sunday’s red zone and protection issues. It’s unclear if this offense can deliver against elite defenses in the playoffs.
But this defense’s standard may ultimately separate the Seahawks.
When asked if this is the best defense he’s been a part of, Lawrence — a 12-year veteran — said: “Yes. I mean that wholeheartedly. But I feel like there’s another level we can reach. Y’all haven’t seen the best of us. We’re going to capitalize on our opportunities.”
Admittedly, Brosmer offered more opportunities than most. Minnesota’s 26 turnovers this season also lead the league.
But don’t blame the Seahawks for punishing inferior opponents, something they didn’t always do in 2024. This defense has also impressed regardless of opponent — entering the day ranked tied for first in opponent yards per pass attempt (6.2), tied for second in opponent yards per play (4.6), tied for third in opponent yards per carry (3.8) and fourth in sacks (36).
Put plainly: The Seahawks’ defense, which is still getting healthy, can beat anybody.
Lawrence — who tallied two tackles with a sack, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss — shared the same sentiment, plus a profanity unsuitable for print.
“They line up — excuse my language — they get [expletive] up,” he said with a smile, before exiting the room.
Want to know the difference 11 months make?
On Sunday, Jones bounded into the same end zone Jefferson scored in the year before.
Falcons Face Harsh Reality After Special Teams Disaster Against Jets
What was supposed to be a winnable game for the Atlanta Falcons turned into a painful blow after a sequence of special-teams mistakes handed the victory to the New York Jets. With a 27-24 loss in Week 13, the Falcons’ season continues to spiral downward — and once again, the special teams unit emerges as the culprit.
From a muffed punt to a disastrous kickoff return, and a missed field goal that could have tied the game, this wasn’t just a bad day — it was a stark reminder of how fragile a team’s success can be when its fundamentals crumble.
The problems mounted early. A muffed punt by the Falcons gave the Jets a short field — and they turned it into points. Later, a kickoff return allowed New York to flip field position and keep the momentum in their favor. On top of that, kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a makeable field goal in a weather-soaked MetLife Stadium, a miss that loomed large as time expired.
As the dust settled, head coach Raheem Morris didn’t mince words when assessing the collapse. “We played well in two phases, didn’t play well in the other phase. You have to play well in all phases of the football game, and we certainly did not today,”
That kind of brutal honesty reflects just how dire the situation is for Atlanta’s special-teams unit — and how deeply those failures are affecting the team’s ability to win close games.
After the final whistle, one Falcons veteran — linebacker Brandon Dorlus — spoke for many inside the locker room when he addressed the breakdown bluntly: “There are three phases in the game. You got to play clean football on offense, defense, and special teams. I’m not going to put that on special teams. It happens. It’s football. We got to be better as a team.”
Dorlus’ words carry weight — they expose the frustration with recurring mistakes, but also signal a collective willingness to own them and move forward. For a roster trying to salvage pride (and perhaps a slim shot at the playoffs), that mindset might be as important as any schematic change.
With the loss, the Falcons fall to 4-8 on the season. Even a perfect finish gives them a slim mathematical shot at the postseason — but realistically, their margin for error is gone.
And if that isn’t enough pressure, the special-teams issues are no longer isolated — they’re systemic. Multiple games this year have slipped away due to poor coverage, missed kicks, or lost field position. The front office and coaching staff must decide: double down on personnel and coaching changes before it’s too late, or risk watching another season collapse under the weight of the same mistakes.
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Clean up fundamentals immediately — coverage, tackling, ball security on punts and kickoffs.
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Provide more competition at kicker and return spots to force accountability.
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Emphasize the importance of “three-phase football” in practice — offense, defense, special teams equally.
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Tap into veteran leadership to rally the locker room and rebuild confidence.
As Brandon Dorlus said, “We got to be better as a team.” Right now, that means tightening up every facet of play. Because in the NFL — and especially in tight games — mistakes don’t just cost yardage. They cost seasons.
