Despite their impressive start, the Seattle Seahawks have spent the first two months of the season flying under the national radar.
That probably won’t be the case any longer.
The Seahawks delivered an emphatic statement in front of a national primetime audience Sunday night, racing to a 28-0 first-half lead on their way to a 38-14 road thrashing of the Washington Commanders.
Seattle Seahawks win: Instant reaction | Stacy Rost | Recap | Box score
With the victory, the Seahawks improved to 6-2 and kept pace with the Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West. Seattle is now tied with the Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the best record in the NFC.
Here’s a look at what stood out from the Seahawks’ blowout win, which could end up being the team’s coming-out party on the national stage.
Darnold’s perfect half
Sam Darnold, quite literally, was perfect in the first half. Seattle’s new QB1 went a perfect 16-of-16 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns during a sensational first-half performance, as he continued to showcase that last year’s breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings was no one-hit wonder.
SAM DARNOLD FOUR TD PASSES IN THE FIRST HALF.
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Darnold was in complete control over those first 30 minutes, carving up Washington’s defense while expertly working through his progressions with precision and decisiveness. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, via ESPN Research, Darnold is just the second player since at least 1978 to throw at least four TD passes and no incompletions in a single half.
The result was a nearly flawless showing by Seattle’s offense, which racked up 31 points and 330 yards before the break.
JSN watch
NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his torrid season with another monster performance, hauling in eight receptions for 129 yards – including seven catches for 119 yards in the first half alone.
It was Smith-Njigba’s fourth consecutive game with 120-plus receiving yards, making him just the ninth player since the 1970 NFL merger to achieve that feat, according to Stathead. It increased his season total to a league-leading 948 receiving yards, which is the 13th-most in NFL history through the first eight games of a season. And it kept him on pace to break the NFL’s single-season receiving yardage record, set by Detroit’s Calvin Johnson in 2012.
Sam Darnold
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For good measure, Smith-Njigba also had an 11-yard carry and drew a combined 38 penalty yards on a pair of pass-interference flags. And he continued to do it all with a smoothness and repeatability that makes his sheer dominance look almost effortless.
No Kupp, no problem
The Seahawks were missing their No. 2 receiver in Cooper Kupp, who was sidelined with a pair of injuries. They also were without their fourth and fifth wideouts, with Jake Bobo and Dareke Young also sidelined by injuries.
But the offense didn’t miss a beat. In addition to another sensational night from Smith-Njigba, several other players rose to the occasion with big plays.
TORY HORTON AGAIN.
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Rookie wideout Tory Horton had pair of touchdown catches, including a 25-yarder where he raced past cornerback Mike Sainristil with an excellent release off the line of scrimmage. Horton now has five TD receptions through the first eight games of his career.
Rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo hauled in a 26-yard scoring grab for his first career touchdown. And wide receiver Cody White, who was elevated off the practice squad, also found the end zone for the first time in his career, scoring on a 60-yard catch-and-run that gave Seattle a 28-0 first-half lead.
Defense and special teams do their part
Darnold, JSN & Co. understandably received the bulk of the attention Sunday night. But Seattle’s defense and special teams certainly did their part as well.
The Seahawks turned in another stellar defensive showing, limiting the Commanders to just seven points through the first three quarters and just 290 total yards for the game. Their pass rush recorded four sacks and provided constant pressure on Daniels.
And they came up with a key takeaway in the second quarter, when Devon Witherspoon shot through a gap on a cornerback blitz and forced an off-balanced throw by Daniels, whose pass was picked off by safety Ty Okada on a spectacular leaping sideline interception.
Ty Okada picks off Daniels on 3rd & 17
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Not to be outdone, the Seahawks’ kick coverage unit delivered a key play in the second quarter, when Brandon Pili forced a fumble and Connor O’Toole recovered it at the Washington 26-yard line to give Seattle’s offense a short field. Darnold and Arroyo then connected for a TD pass on the very next play to make it 21-0, and the rout was on.
Seattle Seahawks Inactives: WR Cooper Kupp out vs Commanders