Saints Crushed 44-13 in Seattle Rout

The Saints marched into Seattle only for the Seahawks to soar above to 2-1, beating up the poor Saints, who are now 0-3. This win means a lot of different things for both teams. One team looks to be soaring to higher heights still, and the other looks to be marching into hell!

Seattle’s Special Teams Spark Domination

In what’s a bizarre feat for a team in the modern NFL, Seattle managed to score 40+ points while QB Sam Darnold threw less than 20 times. He was effective, throwing 14 for 18 and getting as many yards in 18 attempts as Saints QB Spencer Rattler did in 39, and Darnold averaged a 1st down for each throw, which is impressive, but he wasn’t the biggest factor for Seattle’s dominance. That was the special teams this weekend. Tory Horton, a Seattle receiver, was the player of the game, not only catching 1 of Darnold’s 2 TDs but also returning a punt 95 yards for a TD of his own.

“Once the ball’s in my hands, it’s reading blocks and going back to my youth self of just that little game of sharks and minnows,” Horton said. “That’s something that I kind of bring back.” That was only possible because Seattle special teamer Chazz Surratt pancaked the crap out of the Saints punter, clearing the way for Horton. “I feel like we did a really good job executing,” Darnold said. “I know that he’s continuing to get better,” Darnold said. “And I think that’s the biggest key as a young player: having that want to get better and understand the offense even that much more.”

Jason Meyers continued his great kicking for the blue and green as well. He was 3 for 3 on his field goals with a very impressive long of 56 yards while making all 5 of his extra points. Adding 14 points to the Seattle Seahawks’s 44 total. Seattle’s kick returner, another receiver by the name of Dareke Young, did his part too. Returning a kick for 60 yards, which put the Seattle Seahawks in scoring position. A lot of credit has to go to what has been Seattle’s star receiver in what could be his career-best performance!

Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was listed as questionable with an illness but before the game had put up back-to-back 100+ yard receiving games to open the year. Had five catches for 96 yards and a score in a game that Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald enthusiastically compared to Michael Jordan’s famous “Flu Game” in the 1997 NBA Finals. “Came back from the dead; it’s pretty cool,” Macdonald said. Smith-Njigba has 29 catches for 323 yards this season, with the TD he scored yesterday being his 1st of the year.

Saints Face Growing Questions at Quarterback

The Saints, like the Steelers, did against the same team last week. Had an offense that stalled all game, and all blame, fair or not, will go to the QB, Spencer Rattler. Not for no reason, though; this latest loss puts him at 0-9 for his record as a starter so far in the NFL. Although stats show he’s 1 of the most solid QBs in the NFL, that in and of itself is a problem. With him currently being 14th in passing yards so far this year and 13th in passing touchdowns, he’s yet to throw for over 220 yards in 2025.

This year, while he led the Saints to almost upsetting the 49ers, he’s been at best a game manager so far this year. Not making major screwups that cost the team but not raising the ceiling of the team either. Although it wasn’t his fault alone, it’s also a lack of discipline that contributed to the Saints’ loss today and all their losses this year. The Saints were penalized 11 times after committing 20 penalties through their first two games. “At this point, teams look at us as if we’re undisciplined,” star defensive end Cameron Jordan said. “If you’re a top-three most penalized team, that’s just a moniker they give you. We have to be able to be better.”

Thanks a bunch for reading!