Falcons May Hold the Key to Slowing Down Seahawks Offense

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons will have a difficult test in Week 14 against a high-flying Seattle Seahawks team that sits at 9-3 and scoring nearly 30 points per game. To find a way to win, the Falcons will need to find a way to slow down that offense.

Stopping the Seahawks comes down to corralling the head of that snake, quarterback Sam Darnold. The Seahawks’ signal caller has replicated his breakout 2024 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings. He is completing 68.2% of his passes for 2,913 yards, with 19 touchdowns to interceptions.

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Darnold has developed a keen ability to play point guard for Klint Kubiak’s offense, and the vast array of weapons he has at his disposal.

“He is becoming one of these top-flight quarterbacks,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He is really finding himself. He has unbelievable confidence. He's got mobility. He's got accuracy. He's become a very good decision maker.”

Ulbrich matched up against Darnold while he was the defensive playcaller for the New York Jets last season, and the player he saw under center was unrecognizable.

After a few years of bouncing around the NFL, the former third overall pick has seemingly made the most of a fresh start to his career. In 2025, he has matched with a play-caller who feels like a natural fit for what he can do at quarterback.

“He's the perfect guy to run this offense,” Ulbrich explained. “He really reminds me of the Kubiaks of old, the Shanahans of old, where you had these guys that were elite problem solvers and processors. But at the same time, very good athletes too. Obviously, the keeper game, the boot game comes alive, but also his ability to play off schedule.”

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That off-schedule ability will be something that the Falcons have to test on Sunday. A pass rush that has thrived in recent weeks will need to make him uncomfortable in this matchup.

The Vikings were able to do that to him last week and found some success. The Seahawks won that game 26-0, but that scoreline was largely due to a strong defensive effort. Darnold was sacked four times in that game, finishing 14-of-26 passing for 128 yards. He fumbled twice, losing one.

Atlanta ranks third in the NFL in sacks, with 25 of their 43 coming in their last five games. They have managed a lot of that pressure with four-man looks, but still blitz at a very high rate – an area where Darnold has struggled.

Atlanta has, by far, the NFL's #1 blitz rate on 3rd down (50%)

NFL avg is just 29%

Sam Darnold vs 3rd down blitzes?

#23 EPA/att (-0.10)
#23 comp % (54%)
#26 YPA (6.0)

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— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 3, 2025

Get the pressure on Darnold, and it may help them expose another crucial weak spot of the Seahawks. Do that, and the Falcons may give themselves a chance to shock Seattle.