The Seahawks were looking for a spark coming out of halftime-and Rasheed Shaheed lit the fuse.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, the former All-Pro return man showed exactly why Seattle made the move to acquire him at the trade deadline. Shaheed fielded the ball deep in his own end zone and exploded for a 100-yard touchdown return, giving the Seahawks their first lead of the game in dramatic fashion. It was the kind of electric moment Seattle had been waiting for from him-and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Up until that point, the game had been a defensive slugfest, with neither team able to find much rhythm. But Shaheed’s score broke the deadlock in an instant, and from there, the Seahawks seized momentum in all three phases.
Just a few plays later, the defense stepped up with a crucial forced fumble, swinging possession back to Seattle. The offense capitalized quickly, punching in their first touchdown of the game and suddenly turning a tight contest into a two-score advantage.
In the span of just nine minutes to open the third quarter, Seattle delivered game-changing plays on special teams, defense, and offense. That’s the kind of complementary football coaches dream about-and it’s exactly what the Seahawks needed to take control.
With a 20-6 lead over the Falcons midway through the third, Seattle is showing signs of a team that’s starting to click at the right time.