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          Seahawks' Kenneth Walker scores 2 TDs vs. Falcons

          • Brady Henderson, ESPNOct 20, 2024, 03:10 PM ET
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              Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Henderson covers the Seattle Seahawks. He joined ESPN in 2017 covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM. You can follow him via Twitter @BradyHenderson.

          ATLANTA -- Boye Mafe and Derick Hall teamed up to make the play of the Seattle Seahawks' season in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

          With Seattle up 24-14, Mafe got to Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins on a third-and-9 play, hitting him as he was throwing for a strip sack. Hall picked up the fumble and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown, getting a block from cornerback Devon Witherspoon on his way to the end zone. Hall's touchdown extended Seattle's lead to 31-14 with the extra point and gave the Seahawks only their second takeaway since Week 1.

          Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III had several memorable plays. Walker celebrated his 24th birthday by running for a 20-yard score in the second quarter and added a 17-yard TD reception in the third.

          The Seahawks caught a huge break when Atlanta was flagged for roughing the passer, giving Seattle 15 yards and a fresh set of downs after a third-down incompletion. Geno Smith took advantage, hitting Walker on a wheel route on the next play for the 17-yard score. Seattle extended its lead to 24-14.

          Walker scored the game's first TD with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. He now has seven touchdowns on the season despite missing two games with an oblique injury.

          Seattle receiver DK Metcalf's forgettable Week 6 in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers included a dropped pass and a poor route that led to a late Geno Smith interception. But his Week 7 game was much better as he caught a 31-yard TD just before the half.

          Metcalf gave Seattle a 17-7 lead heading into halftime by catching a 31-yard touchdown pass from Smith, hanging on despite taking a shot in the end zone.

          Metcalf had four catches for 99 yards through two quarters. He made another impressive catch on a trick play, hauling in an underthrown pass from Jaxon Smith-Njigba in traffic for a 35-yard gain.

          The touchdown was Metcalf's third receiving score this season of 30-plus air yards, tied with the New Orleans Saints' Rashid Shaheed for the most in the NFL, according to ESPN Research.