Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t hold back after Seattle’s 37-9 demolition of the Atlanta Falcons, saying the Seahawks have “the best defense in the world” as the team improved to 10-3 and kept an opponent out of the end zone for the second straight week.
Sam Darnold Calls Seahawks Defense ‘Best in the World’ After Falcons Rout
Darnold’s praise came after a game where Seattle’s defense and special teams completely flipped a 6-6 halftime tie into a 37-9 blowout on the road.
“Yeah, like I said last week, we’ve got the best defense in the world,” Darnold said. “So we know we’re going to get opportunities — it’s just about maximizing them and executing at the end of the day on offense.”
On the first play of the second half, newcomer Rashid Shaheed housed the kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown, triggering a 31-3 second-half avalanche.
From there, the defense did the rest. Rookie playmaker Nick Emmanwori delivered a monster stat line with a blocked field goal, an interception and disruptive work on Seattle’s field goal block unit — production he and teammates credited to weeks of being “so close” on tape.
Devon Witherspoon piled on with an interception and a fumble recovery, flying around in zone and man looks that Mike Macdonald’s staff kept calling “high-level” and anticipation-based.
Atlanta finished with just nine points and zero touchdowns, making it back-to-back games where Seattle’s defense has kept opponents out of the end zone while piling up takeaways.
Darnold’s “best defense in the world” line fit the locker-room theme, with multiple teammates also framing this as a special, potentially historic unit in their postgame remarks.
Why Seattle’s Defense Looks Like the NFL’s Best Right Now
The Falcons game added another chapter to Seattle’s defensive surge.
The Seahawks forced three turnovers against Atlanta and repeatedly set Darnold up with short fields, helping the offense shake off a sluggish first half.
Across the last two weeks, Seattle has:
- Allowed 0 offensive touchdowns
- Stacked multiple takeaways in each game
- Controlled games with a front that creates pressure and a back seven loaded with versatile playmakers, including Witherspoon and Emmanwori.
Internally, players keep coming back to standard and depth. Defenders talk about “next man up,” full-starter health for the first time all year, and a culture where even the field-goal block unit is treated as a measuring stick for effort.
Offensively, Darnold threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns against Atlanta, including two scores to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and another to Cooper Kupp, but he kept deflecting credit back to the defense and special teams.
When the offense stalls — as it did in the red zone early — Darnold said the group takes comfort in knowing the defense will “hold it down” until the points start coming, a confidence that feeds into his “best in the world” label in back-to-back weeks.
Stats, Schedule & What’s Next for Seahawks
Key numbers from the Falcons win:
- Final score: Seahawks 37, Falcons 9
- Halftime score: 6–6 before Seattle’s 31–3 second-half burst
- Sam Darnold: 249 passing yards, 3 TDs
- Rashid Shaheed: 100-yard kick-return TD plus his best receiving day as a Seahawk (4 catches, 67 yards)
- Takeaways: 3 defensive turnovers (Emmanwori and Witherspoon headlining)
- Record: Seahawks 10-3, winners of 7 of their last 8 games
Next up, Seattle visits the Indianapolis Colts, who sit at 8-5 and are likely to be without their starting quarterback, with Riley Leonard expected to go.
If the Seahawks continue to pair Darnold’s efficient offense with a defense that’s not allowing touchdowns and a special teams unit capable of game-breaking returns, Darnold’s “best in the world” claim will only get louder — and harder to argue with — as the playoff race tightens.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks’ Sam Darnold Doesn’t Hold Back on ‘Best in the World’ Defense appeared first on Heavy Sports.