Jalen Sundell is returning.
To play what position?
Coach Mike Macdonald said Monday his Seahawks are going to designate Sundell to return to practice this week off injured reserve. The starting center has missed the minimum four weeks he must on IR, with a knee injury he got in Seattle’s win over Arizona last month.
The News Tribune again asked, as last week, whether Sundell will be practicing at center or guard. He’s played both in his two NFL seasons for the Seahawks.
“We’ll see,” Macdonald said.
The coach grinned, knowing but not saying. No reason to give the Indianapolis Colts (8-5) or the division-rival Los Angeles Rams (10-3) any more information for the next two games than they’ve earned.
Macdonald said that Monday about 10 minutes after he said right guard Anthony Bradford, the starter most derided by fans fearful of the team’s last decade of offensive-line play, was the coaches’ highest-graded O-lineman Sunday in the Seahawks’ 37-9 run away from the Falcons in Atlanta. Many have seen Sundell’s return as an opportunity for him to replace Bradford at right guard.
Last week, Macdonald was praising Olu Oluwatimi for how well he’s played in the last four games starting at center with Sundell out, particularly in run blocking.
“He’s definitely been an asset for us,” Macdonald said Dec. 1, coming out of Seattle’s 26-0 win over Minnesota. “He’s playing physical. He’s playing decisive, and he’s getting us to the right targets. He’s doing a lot of good things. It has to be a cohesive effort, the run game. Everyone’s got to be on the same page, and it starts with him. He’s definitely a driving force behind how we’re playing.”
Macdonald sees Oluwatimi as particularly sharp in communicating line and pass-protection calls to his four other linemen while in formation immediately before the snap.
This is often what happens with 10-3 teams competing to win a division title and on a beeline into the NFL playoffs, as Seattle is with four games left in the regular season: A starter gets hurt. His replacements play well, or at least their coaches describe them as playing well, as the team keeps winning.
“A.B. graded out as our highest offensive lineman (Sunday). He’s playing hard, and he’s got a great punch (at defenders in pass blocking),” Macdonald said.
“I think his overall confidence, that is probably at a high point in his career, at this point. Practicing really well, practices hard. Doing all those steps that it takes to end up putting good football on the field.”
That doesn’t sound like a guy the coach is going to bench after he’s started all 13 games so far and the team has won 10 of them.
That could signal Oluwatimi goes back to what he was in training camp: Passed by Sundell, back to being a backup center and guard. Anthony Bradford at Atlanta
Bradford’s high marks in Atlanta came against a Falcons team that, like Minnesota the week befor,e blitzed quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks. A lot. The Falcons and Vikings defenses are second and first in the NFL in blitz frequency this season.
The Vikings’ blitzes, then fake blitze,s sacked Darnold a season-high four times — in the first half. The Falcons’ blitzing? Darnold and his blockers mostly beat it in the decisive second half.
Atlanta, third in the NFL with 41 sacks entering the game, did sack Darnold three times Sunday. Seahawks stud rookie left guard Grey Zabel got beat early in the game for the first sack he’s allowed all season. The game was a 6-6 slog at halftime.
But NFL NextGen Stats said Darnold was 6 for 8 passing for 75 yards, with all three of his touchdowns after halftime plus one interception, against man blitzes in Atlanta. Darnold generated +8.3 EPA (expected points added) on his blitz throws. That was his highest single-game EPA against man blitzes this season. It was the ninth-best by an NFL QB in 2025.
On Darnold’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a crossing route in the third quarter that put Seattle ahead 20-6, Bradford stonewalled Falcons defensive tackle Kentavius Street, charging at him one-on-one to allow Darnold to wait for Smith-Njigba to run away from cornerback A.J. Terrell from left to right. That was the first passing touchdown Terrell had allowed all season.
On Darnold’s second touchdown pass in Atlanta, Bradford joined with Oluwatimi to his left to double-team block lineman LaCale London. That left Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss a free path to blitz in on Darnold. Darnold deftly moved to his right and found his “hot,” outlet receiver Cooper Kupp alone outside right at the 5-yard line. Kupp caught the easy flip and walked in for an 11-yard touchdown that put Seattle ahead 30-9.
“I know there’s some plays that are minuses, or plays that are not up to par,” Macdonald said of Bradford, not about that play in particular. “But there are a lot of great plays, as well.”
On Darnold’s third TD pass of the second half, 4 yards to Smith-Njigba to end the scoring, Bradford easily pushed cornerback Dee Alford away on his inside blitz. Darnold stepped up in the pocket and threw the ball near the line of scrimmage for the score.
“I thought he had a great game (Sunday),” Macdonald said of Bradford.
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