The Seahawks just crushed the Saints 44-13 at Lumen Field, a game where special teams lit the fuse and the offense buried New Orleans early. Fans in the 12s saw a show worth shouting about. Still, the new head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t walk away thinking all was perfect.
The offense clicked from the start, and special teams kept the Saints gasping for air. But when it came to defense, he didn’t sugarcoat it. “I also think, especially on defense, there’s room for growth, where we can learn from some of those extended drives. We’ll look at the penalties to see what went wrong there, and if it was cost doing business, or if it was on the other end of the spectrum. But overall, just a great, great team effort, man,” he said post-game.
The Seahawks, now sitting at 2-1, piled up 38 points before halftime. The defense completely smothered the Saints until the fourth quarter, when Macdonald pulled his starters and let the backups take reps. Seattle’s 44 points marked the most they’ve posted since that wild 48-45 shootout over the Lions back in 2022. It wasn’t just a win, it was a statement.
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Interestingly, Sam Darnold stepped up after the game with his own thoughts. The veteran quarterback was happy but honest. “I feel like, you know, offense, defense, special teams, we’ve really played a whole entire game, all facets. I feel like everyone came out to play, and you know, we played a good game.” Yet just like Macdonald, he admitted the group can still sharpen up.
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“There’s still so much that we can get better at, but we’re just gonna keep our heads down, and obviously we got a quick turnaround playing Thursday night, so get ready for that,” he said. That was less a celebration and more a warning. Despite a blowout win against New Orleans, the team knows they’re still hungry for more.