Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 31-Point Throttling vs. Saints

Imposing their will from the opening kickoff in all three phases, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t give the New Orleans Saints a chance to hang around in Week 3, building a 35-point lead in the first half on the way to a commanding 44-13 blowout win at Lumen Field.

Improving to 2-1 on the season and snapping a three-game home losing streak dating back to November 2024, who shined brightest in Seattle’s lopsided victory? Here are my top five grades and other noteworthy performances in Week 3:

Sam Darnold

Overall Grade: 90.0 (Passing 90)

Locked in and slinging the pigskin with confidence, Darnold opened Sunday’s contest grilling the Saints’ defense with gas. On the second snap from scrimmage, he evaded defensive tackle Bryan Bresee’s instant pressure and scrambled to his left, keeping his eyes downfield before lofting a perfect pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 29 yards. A few plays later, he hit Smith-Njigba again, this time rolling out to his left on a designed play action bootleg before firing a strike to the receiver for a 12-yard touchdown to start the rout. He later showcased elite accuracy on a 12-yard fade route to Tory Horton for six points and added a 45-yard bomb to Smith-Njigba to beat triple coverage while taking a roughing the passer penalty.

Buying himself time dodging rushers when he could and releasing the ball on average in a quick 2.71 seconds per drop back, Darnold nearly played the quarterback position to perfection, completing 10 of his first 11 passes before missing on his last two before exiting early in a blowout, finishing with north of a 77 percent completion rate, 218 yards, 12.1 yards per attempt, two touchdowns, no sacks taken, no turnovers, and a sterling 154.2 rating. He linked up with three different receivers on 20-plus yard completions, continuing to improve his proficiency inside and outside the pocket in Klint Kubiak’s offense in one of the finest performances of his NFL career.

Tory Horton

Overall Grade: 89.0 (Receiving 88, Punt Return 95, Run Blocking 70*)

*Weighted for 12 plays

Emerging as one of the most electrifying rookies in his class, Horton starred as an engineer for Seattle’s first half beatdown on offense and special teams. Igniting a sellout crowd, he made what some would see as a questionable decision to field a punt from the five-yard line rather than a fair catch or letting it bounce into the end zone for a touchback, only to instantly make that choice look like a wise one as he turned on his afterburners to explode through New Orleans’ porous coverage, leaving several oncoming tacklers in his wake before being sprung to the end zone for a record-setting 95-yard return by linebacker Chazz Surratt’s devastating block on the punter.

Early in the second quarter, with the Seahawks already up 28-3, Horton struck again, this time in a one-on-one matchup in the red zone. With Darnold knowing he wanted to go to his trusted target before the snap, the quarterback couldn’t have thrown a better fade ball as the rookie demonstrated soft hands with tight coverage on him and got both feet down inbounds for six. He finished with three catches for 32 yards and three punt returns for 112 yards, quickly making a name for himself as a weapon opponents will have to account for in more ways than one.

Derion Kendrick

Overall Grade: 88.0 (Coverage 92, Run Defense 86, Tackling 86)

Thrust into the lineup for a second straight week in place of an injured Devon Witherspoon in the slot, Kendrick drew a playful jab from coach Mike Macdonald after the game for dropping a potential interception in the first quarter. But the ex-Rams castoff’s performance since arriving in town three weeks ago has been anything but laughable, as he has provided the Seahawks with another ball hawk on the back end who always seems to position himself for opportunities to create turnovers, even if his hands have betrayed him a few times. He produced a pair of pass breakups on Sunday, narrowly missing out on the aforementioned would-be-pick as it slipped through his grasp and later adding an excellent deflection at full extension down the seam on a pass intended for speedy receiver Brandin Cooks.

Another pick for Derion Kendrick! pic.twitter.com/YQCeWpx3TL— SleeperSeahawks (@SleeperSeahawks) September 21, 2025

As he did in Pittsburgh one week earlier, Kendrick amended for his previous dropped interception, reading quarterback Spencer Rattler like a book, shooting out of his zone drop to make a diving pick in the fourth quarter. Targeted four times, he allowed two receptions for just 10 yards and a 16.7 passer rating while getting his hands on three passes. In addition, he played sound against the run, tallying four tackles with one run stop with no missed tackles on the afternoon, looking like a natural for the slot in Macdonald’s system.

Mike Morris

Overall Grade: 87.0 (Run Defense 92, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 82)

Coaches often say players make the biggest jump from year one to year two in the NFL, and while Morris is in the midst of his third year with the Seahawks, he missed almost the entirety of his rookie season. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the former fifth round pick out of Michigan has started to come into his own the past few weeks in what amounts to his sophomore season, and after playing well in Pittsburgh, he turned in the best game of his young career against the Saints. Mostly playing off tackle as an edge, the 6-6, 295-pound defender finished with three run stops of two yards or less, including blowing up an oncoming pulling guard and fighting through the engaged block to wrap up Alvin Kamara for two yards.

Among his other signature plays that drew praise from Macdonald on Monday, Morris flashed underrated athleticism chasing Kamara down from the backside in pursuit for a one-yard tackle for loss and also blasted Rattler as a rusher, getting his hand on the football as the quarterback released it for a pass defensed. Capping off a strong all-around performance, he added a tackle on kick coverage early in the game, making his presence felt on special teams for a second straight week as he continues to earn a bigger role.

Leonard Williams

Overall Grade: 85.5 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 82, Pass Rush 85)

A disruptive force of nature every week, Williams’ excellence can sometimes be overlooked because of the lofty expectations he has set for himself, and he did make a few mistakes on Sunday with a roughing the passer penalty on a partial sack of Rattler, a separate unnecessary roughness penalty, and a bad missed tackle on Kamara when he had a chance at another tackle for loss. But even with those three plays standing out as negatives, the Saints’ injury-marred interior offensive line didn’t have an answer for "Big Cat,” who racked up three run stops netting one or fewer yards. On New Orleans’ second series, he quickly split the B-gap on a third and short run play and devoured Kamara at the line of scrimmage, eventually leading to a punt. He later showed off his elite strength dragging down the elusive back with one arm while being actively blocked for a four-yard loss.

As a pass rusher, Williams generated a trio of pressures from the interior on Rattler, hitting the quarterback after he unloaded the ball on a 15-yard completion in the second quarter and later joining forces with safety Ty Okada for a split sack that unfortunately culminated with a roughing penalty. Mistakes withstanding, he continues to be an absolute game wrecker and the driving engine of Seattle’s talented defense.

Other Notable Performances

In almost any other game, Jaxon Smith-Njigba would have been a top-five graded performer (85.0) as he nearly hit the 100-yard mark for a third straight game and caught his first touchdown of the season. Charles Cross held his own in pass protection, allowing one pressure all afternoon to lead Seattle’s offensive line with an 82.0 overall score. Despite having shoddy blocking most of the day, Ken Walker III elevated his grade with two bruising touchdown runs and some hard-nosed third quarter running when he actually had space to operate, notching a 79.0 grade. Rookie guard Grey Zabel may have had his best all-around game so far, getting to the second level in the run game a couple times for blocks and allowing just a single pressure in pass pro for a 78.0 score.

Playing winning football in place of Julian Love, D’Anthony Bell (84.0) and Ty Okada (80.0) turned in strong performances with the former blocking a punt and recording a tackle for loss, while the latter had the first partial sack of his career to go with nine tackles. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II continued his sophomore surge with his third sack in two weeks and five total pressures to earn an 81.0 score. Flying all over the field, linebacker Ernest Jones racked up four tackles as a run defender with a 0.0 average depth, living around the line of scrimmage and in the backfield for an 80.0 grade. Demarcus Lawrence didn’t get to Rattler for a quarterback hit, but he had four pressures and regularly turned up the heat on him while adding two run stops of two or fewer yards for a 77.0 grade. A pair of penalties hurt Josh Jobe’s overall grade, but the cornerback had a pass breakup in the end zone and two run stops at the line of scrimmage to notch a 76.0 mark.