Last time out, Sam Darnold faced the blitz-iest team in the league.
And he got thumped.
Last weekend at Lumen Field, the Minnesota Vikings blitzed and then fake-blitzed the Seahawks quarterback. They sacked him four times — in the first half. It was the most Darnold had been sacked all season.
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“For me, personally, I’ve got to get the ball out in certain situations,” he said after Seattle’s 26-0 win fueled, again, by its dominating defense.
“We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and see how we can be better,” Darnold said. His offensive coordinator didn’t put it all on his QB.
“We had some communication errors, technique errors — and bad play calls,” Klint Kubiak said. “So, a lot of things…”
That was against the defense with the league’s highest blitz rate.
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Now Darnold, Kubiak and their offense are in Atlanta. That’s where the Seahawks (9-3) will attempt to stay tied atop the NFC West against the Falcons (4-8) on Sunday (10 a.m., FOX television, channel 13 locally).
The Falcons defense blitzes at the league’s second-highest rate.
There’s been much talk across the Pacific Northwest about the Seahawks’ 40 sacks in 12 games. It’s the fourth-most in the NFL. Seattle is on pace for 57 for the entire season. That would be second-most in team history.
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Atlanta has more sacks, third in the league with 41.
“Again, another really well-coached unit. Obviously, they know how to attack protections,” Kubiak said. “They’ve got some really good rushers at, obviously, the defensive-line position, but linebackers, as well.
“It’s another week of a team that we’ve got to get ready for their pressures.”
That’s the first key to the Seahawks leaving Georgia Sunday evening at 10-3.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) walks out before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
Darnold got dumped by the Vikings last weekend early in the game by linebackers blitzing inside, up the middle, while defensive linemen feigned charges and dropped off the line into pass coverage. That fooled right guard Anthony Bradford and Seahawks linemates multiple times into standing around staring at retreating defenders in front of them, blocking no one, as free rushers swarmed in on Darnold.
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In the second quarter, as Seattle’s linemen and blocking schemes adjusted to that, Minnesota faked blitzes. Edge rushers using spin moves beat Seahawks pass protectors one on one.
It was startling for the Seahawks. Darnold had been sacked just 11 times in 11 games, fewest in the league entering last week. But Minnesota mauled him.
And it wasn’t just the sacks. The Vikings batted down six of Darnold’s passes at the line. That extraordinary number contributed to Darnold’s season-low of 128 yards passing.
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What’s the key to Darnold and the Seahawks not repeating that Sunday against the Falcons’ blitzes — or against the Colts next week, the Rams at Lumen Field in an NFC West battle royale Dec. 18 plus the rest of the season, as defenses attempt to copy what the Vikings did?
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) nearly loses the ball during the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Seattle. He was ruled down. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
“Overall communication is the biggest thing,” Darnold said. “Making sure we’re all on the same page, especially in a loud environment being on the road.”
That starts with the quarterback with center Olu Oluwatimi, filling in for the fourth consecutive game for injured starter Jalen Sundell, being in synch on protection calls and changes to them before the snap.
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Veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp offered after the Vikings game another way the Seahawks could mitigate blitzers disrupting the passing game: Move Darnold away from them.
“You have to be able to adapt, move, and understand that there’s going to be some looks that we haven’t practiced. There’s going to be some things out there that you just have to know your rules and be able to go make it happen,” Kupp said. “Players have to make plays.
“I thought, specifically for us at receiver, you’ve got to find ways to get the ball in your hands and make some explosives off the ball. Getting out quick, knowing you have to run and make some explosive plays, and give ‘Koobs’ (Kubiak) and the offensive coaches a chance to be able to jump the ball to regulate some of the pressures that we were seeing.
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“And other stuff, little things, the amount of balls that were bad down the line of scrimmage, so, how do we find ways to get those out of the pocket? How do we find ways to make those positives?
“And again, there’s not one person that’s responsible for that. It’s everyone finding ways, like, ‘Hey how do we make that happen?’” Kubiak said it’s not always that easy. He said Minnesota plays a particularly wide scheme that makes quarterback rollouts more difficult. And he inferred he will try to roll out Darnold more against Atlanta.
“I think that’s something that is part of our offense that we always like to get to,” the play caller said. “Sometimes we’re playing a scheme that has really wide edges where it’s not as possible.
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“As much as we can, that’s something that we’re always trying to do.”
Second key: Resume the JSN juggernaut
Kupp offered a second way to beat the Falcons’ blitzes Sunday.
As in receivers running shorter, quicker routes than the longer, breaking ones Jaxon Smith-Njigba feasted on to become the NFL’s leading receiver in yards through 12 games.
“You have to be able to adapt, move, and understand that there’s going to be some looks that we haven’t practiced. There’s going to be some things out there that you just have to know your rules and be able to go make it happen,” Kupp said. “Players have to make plays.
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Smith-Njigba still leads the league with 1,336 yards through 13 games. This week, coaches and teammates have praised the third-year veteran for how he handled zero catches until well into the third quarter last week, and season lows of two receptions for just 23 yards against Minnesota.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) during the third quarter of the game at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
Smith-Njigba’s reaction to that? Voice a togetherness theme Seahawks players say is their special sauce to being 10-3.
“I’m definitely happy with our guys. I’m proud of our guys,” Smith-Njigba said. “We went out there and won 26-0.
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“We’re entering championship football, and at this time, it’s about winning. I’m happy with the win. I know there’s things to get better on, as I say every week. So, just attacking that and making sure we win that’s, like I said, all that matters.”
But he also added of the receivers, the passing game and Seattle’s offense: “We have work to do.”
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) picks up yards after catch during the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
Third key: Slowing Bijan Robinson
The Falcons have lost six of their last seven games. Last weekend they allowed the 3-9 Jets to score twice in the final 2 minutes in New York’s 27-24 win.
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Atlanta has lost quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to season-ending injury. Veteran Kirk Cousins will start Sunday. His team-leading receiver Drake London won’t play against Seattle. London is hurt, too.
It’s Bijan Robinson or bust for Atlanta.
He entered this weekend fifth in the league with 995 yards rushing.
It’s well-known Kubiak has installed an outside-zone running game with the Seahawks. Yet Robinson runs more outside zone than anybody. He’s do it 115 times in his 195 carries this season. The next most frequent outside-zone runner is San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey — with 86.
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Robinson also led the NFL last season in outside-zone runs with 178. The next-closest such runner had 104.
Robinson is coming right at linebacker Ernest Jones plus Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Byron Murphy and Seattle’s defensive line that has been the standout unit of this Seahawks season.
Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) sacks Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12) during the fourth quarter of the game at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
Seattle is second in the league allowing just 88.8 yards rushing per game. They haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 21 games, the NFL’s longest active streak. Many foes have abandoned the run while falling behind, as the Seahawks have taken large leads early in games.
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Atlanta is unlikely to abandon Robinson running Sunday. He’s the best they’ve got. When the Seahawks beat the Falcons 34-14 last season in Atlanta, also with Cousins at quarterback, Robinson gained 103 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.
“I just remember that Bijan’s a great back. They’re going to get the ball in his hands. He’s going to make plays,” Williams, Seattle’s Pro Bowl defensive end, said.
“I think it’s on us as a defense to try to limit him as much as possible, hit him as much as possible. They have drive and want to, so just like every week, we’re never going to overlook the team.”
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Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) runs out ahead of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
The pick
Coach Mike Macdonald’s defense is swarming. And with the returns of safety Julian Love and tackle Jarran Reed off injured reserve, Sunday will be the first time this season all its starters will be healthy and available.
The Seahawks officially activated Love and Reed to the 53-man roster Saturday to play Sunday.
Decisive advantage: Seahawks. This is probably the last time this season they will be prohibitive favorites, with the 8-4 Colts, 9-3 Rams, 7-6 Panthers and 9-4 49ers next.
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They limit Robinson, lash out at Cousins and dominate another Seahawks road win — as the offense continues to sort out its pass protection.
Seahawks 27, Falcons 9
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (42) reacts to stuffing the run from Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) during the third quarter of the game at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes/bhayes@thenewstribune.com
