ATLANTA (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks had something to prove on defense after three dismal performances.
They sure stepped up against the Atlanta Falcons.
Derick Hall returned a fumble 36 yards for a clinching score as the Seahawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-14 victory Sunday.
Geno Smith passed for two touchdowns, but this victory belonged to a defense that came up with turnovers on three straight Atlanta possessions in the fourth quarter, including Hall’s scoop-and-score down the sideline.
Hall said it was his first touchdown since high school.
“Just playing ball,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to have those opportunities.”
The Seahawks (4-3) ended Atlanta’s run of three straight victories, shutting down a Falcons offense that averaged 37 points the two previous weeks.
Smith completed 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards, his second-lowest output of the season but more than enough to down the Falcons. He connected with Kenneth Walker on a 17-yard touchdown and a huge 31-yard scoring play to DK Metcalf just before halftime.
After Walker’s TD catch made it 24-14 late in the third quarter, Seattle’s defense clinched the victory.
Kirk Cousins was hit by Boye Mafe as he attempted to throw, the ball squirting away from the Falcons quarterback before his arm went forward. Hall scooped it up in front of the Atlanta bench and rumbled all the way to the end zone with 12:46 remaining.
Hall gave all the credit to Mafe.
“As soon as he got off, he was like, ‘You’re welcome,’” Hall said. “He plays with an effort that nobody can match. I feel like that’s where everybody on the team can get to. I mean, that guy flies around every single play.”
Cousins closed out a miserable day with interceptions on his final two possessions, to go along with three sacks. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. finished up for the Falcons, marking his NFL debut.
Atlanta struggled to get much going against the beleaguered Seahawks defense, which gave up an average of nearly 36 points a game during the losing streak.
“A tough day at the office,” Cousins said. “Pro football has a way of testing you like that.”
The Seahawks’ victory was marred by Metcalf being carted to the locker room with a knee injury after an awkward landing while attempting to make an acrobatic catch late in the third quarter.
“We’re optimistic at this point,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “It doesn’t look too bad.”
Shaking off a flu-like illness that made him a late addition to the injury report, Walker also had a 20-yard touchdown run that staked the Seahawks to a 10-0 lead. Jason Myers booted field goals of 38 and 59 yards.
The Falcons cut the Seattle lead to 10-7 with a 70-yard drive powered by their running game. Cousins threw only one pass, relying on Bijan Robinson to carry seven times for 55 yards, capped by a 5-yard TD.
But Seattle restored some breathing room on its final possession of the first half. Smith completed four straight passes before an intentional grounding penalty forced the Seahawks to burn their final timeout with 10 seconds remaining.
Rather than send on the field-goal unit, the Seahawks decided to run one more play from the 31. That decision sure paid off.
Smith found Metcalf breaking free on a slant toward the middle of the end zone, delivering a scoring strike with just 4 seconds to go that sent the Seahawks to the locker room up 17-7.
“Great defenses step up and get stops in that situation,” said Falcons safety Jessie Bates, who wasn’t able to get to Metcalf after the receiver blew by cornerback A.J. Terrell.
Cousins connected with Drake London on a 5-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, but that fourth-down score turned out to be Atlanta’s last gasp.
Penix debut
Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, spent his first six NFL games watching from the sideline.
With the game out of reach, he finally got a chance to make his pro debut on Atlanta’s final possession. He completed his lone pass for 14 yards to Casey Washington.
“It was kind of a surreal moment,” Penix said. “Obviously not the best situation, with us being down, but to be able to go in and just operate at this level, it was definitely good.”
Injury report
Seahawks: Metcalf’s injury was the big news for Seattle on what was an otherwise clean day for the battered team. … Rookie DT Byron Murphy II (hamstring) returned to the field after missing the past three games, bolstering a defensive unit that has lost five players to injuries the past couple of weeks.
