First things first. This headline is wrong. It didn’t take Sam Darnold an entire half to erase fears of a late-season collapse. It took him 25 minutes. He was pulled with five minutes left in Seattle’s 37-9 demolition of Atlanta. The Seahawks outscored the Falcons 31-3 in the second half to blow the game open.
It certainly wasn’t all Darnold. The Seahawks began turning momentum when Rashid Shaheed returned to second half kickoff 100 yards to break the tie. It was one of countless plays made by both the special teams and defense. Those plays were essential in the first half when the offense was sputtering.