The Seattle Seahawks improved to 2-1 on Sunday with a 44-13 blowout victory against the New Orleans Saints. While New Orleans could very well be the worst team in the NFL and Seattle entered as a -7 favorite, there are plenty of positives to take away anytime you win by 31 points.
Sam Darnold had, by far, his best showing of the season as he only threw four incompletions while finishing with 218 passing yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his strong season as he recorded 96 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions.
The defense also shone with a big all-around performance as the Saints struggled to get anything going both on the ground and in the air.
While there were many contributors to the blowout victory, a late-round rookie was labeled as the Seahawks' biggest winner in Week 3. Tory Horton earned the nod following a breakout performance that included touchdowns on offense and special teams.
Tory Horton named biggest winner following Seahawks Week 3 blowout victory
On a day when the Seahawks hardly needed to throw the ball due to the game getting out of hand early, Horton was able to shine. The fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft entered the day with two receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown -- along with three punt returns for 42 yards -- across Seattle's first two games.
He had the best game of his career in Week 3 as he finished with 32 receiving yards and a touchdown on three receptions, along with 114 yards and a touchdown on three punt returns. Bleacher Report's NFL Staff labeled him as the biggest winner of the day, writing:
"Many members of the Seattle Seahawks can consider themselves winners after Sunday's blowout win over the New Orleans Saints. However, no one raised their profile quite like rookie receiver Tory Horton. The fifth-round pick out of Colorado State broke the game open with a 95-yard punt return—the longest in Seahawks franchise history. He added a 14-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that gave Seattle a 25-point lead. Horton may not have been heavily hyped during the pre-draft process, but with three touchdowns in his last two games, he's emerging as a rookie star."
Horton has shown that he has a knack for the end zone, as two of his five career receptions have resulted in touchdowns. Meanwhile, through three games, Seattle has the look of an elite team as it ranks fifth in scoring offense and second in scoring defense.
The Seahawks will have a quick turnaround in Week 4 as they face the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. Their rookie wide receiver's stock is certainly on the rise, and he figures to see an increase in playing time after appearing in just 47.1% of the offensive snaps over the first three weeks of the season.