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 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.

While New Orleans drew 11 flags for 77 yards, several in key spots, the Seahawks hurt themselves with eight penalties for 70 yards. So the Seahawks need improvement, as Macdonald doesn’t want his team to struggle.

As far as extended drives are concerned, Seattle did allow a 16-play, 65-yard drive in the second quarter that led to a 27-yard Blake Grupe field goal that opened the scoring for the Saints. Other than that, however, there was hardly anything wrong with what Mcdonald’s men did. There was another 11-play, 42-yard drive, too. However, that didn’t end in a score as Grupe missed the field goal from 52 yards.

These were but blips in what was a game in which Mcdonald’s men hardly put a foot wrong.

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.

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.

“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 of a warning. Despite a blowout win against New Orleans, the team knows they’re still hungry for more. But now let’s explore what happened in the game.

Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks dominate Saints in Week 3

From the first minute, Mike Macdonald’s team started performing, scoring on their opening drive for the second straight week. Sam Darnold connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba to put Seattle up 7-0, breaking the Saints’ confidence early. It’s no surprise as they were already building connections. However, when New Orleans tried to answer, their drive fizzled out with a punt. And things turned ugly for the visitors.

Because on the return, rookie Tory Horton electrified the 12s with a stunning 95-yard sprint to the end zone. The Saints barely had time to breathe before punting again, and this time, too, it cost them dearly. Safety D’Anthony Bell, fresh off the practice squad, blocked the attempt and set Seattle up inside the 11. Two plays later, Kenneth Walker III punched it in. Suddenly, it was 21-0.

New Orleans scraped together a field goal, but it hardly mattered. The Seahawks answered with back-to-back touchdown drives and finished the half up 38-6. By then, the Saints had no chance.

Seattle tacked on two more field goals in the third before Spencer Rattler finally tossed a late touchdown. But the damage was already done. With the 44-13 blowout sealed, the city of rain now shifts focus to a battle in the Valley of the Sun against the Cardinals.