Seahawks looking to build on 1st victory of Sam Darnold era; Saints still looking for a win

New Orleans (0-2) at Seattle (1-1)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS.

Against the spread: Saints 0-2; Seahawks 1-1

Series record: Saints lead 10-8.

Last meeting: Saints beat Seahawks 39-32 on Oct. 9, 2022, in New Orleans.

Last week: Seahawks beat the Steelers 31-17; Saints lost to the 49ers 26-21

Saints offense: overall (20), rush (13t), pass (22), scoring (26).

Saints defense: overall (14), rush (17t), pass (13t), scoring (17t).

Seahawks offense: overall (19), rush (19), pass (16), scoring (16).

Seahawks defense: overall (18), rush (11), pass (21), scoring (7).

Turnover differential: Seahawks even; Saints even.

RB Alvin Kamara remains a versatile and viable option out of the backfield, even in his ninth NFL season. He had 120 scrimmage yards last week on 21 carries for 99 yards and six receptions for 21 yards.

WR Cooper Kupp may have been limited to just two catches for 15 yards in his Seahawks debut, but the 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year broke out with seven catches for 90 yards last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to impress, Kupp’s opportunities figure to only increase.

The Seahawks’ rush defense has been perhaps its greatest strength in the early stages of the season, and limited the Steelers to just 72 rushing yards in last Sunday’s win. The Saints, meanwhile, have rushed for at least 100 yards each game this season.

Saints: Right tackle Taliese Fuaga was held out of practice this week with back and knee ailments. Defensive end Chase Young, who sat out the season’s first two games with a calf injury, continued to miss practice this week. Saints left guard Trevor Penning, who injured a key ligament in his foot in the preseason opener more than a month ago, returned to practice for the first time since the injury this week, but his availability for this Sunday remained unclear.

Seahawks: Running back Zach Charbonnet, safety Nick Emmanwori, safety Julian Love and cornerback Devon Witherspoon did not practice because of injuries. Emmanwori and Witherspoon are dealing with knee injuries while Charbonnet and Love have been limited because of foot and hamstring issues, respectively. Linebacker Derick Hall, wide receiver Tory Horton, cornerback Josh Jobe, linebacker Ernest Jones IV and tackle Abe Lucas were limited participants on Wednesday, but full participants on Thursday.

The Saints have won six of the past seven meetings with the Seahawks, including four straight victories going back to the 2016 season. However, Seattle has won both playoff meetings, including in the 2010 season when Marshawn Lynch rushed for a key 67-yard touchdown. The Seahawks are 4-5 at home against the Saints and have lost their past two matchups at home.

Saints QB Spencer Rattler completed a career-high 73.5% of his passes last week for 207 yards and a career-high three TDs without an interception for a 118.1 passer rating. … Rattler is one of two NFL QBs (along with Joe Flacco) with at least 25 completions in each of the first two weeks of this season. … RB Alvin Kamara has 581 receptions and with six more catches would surpass Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (587) for fifth most by a running back in NFL history. … Kamara had 781 scrimmage yards and five TDs in six road games last season. Kamara has 25 receptions, 534 scrimmage yards and three TDs in three games against Seattle, gaining at least 160 scrimmage yards in each game. … WR Chris Olave had six catches for team-high 54 yards last week, his second straight game with at least five catches and at least 50 yards receiving. … WR Rashid Shaheed had 52 yards receiving and his first TD catch of the season last week. … WR Devaughn Vele had his first TD receiving with the Saints last week. … TE Juwan Johnson had his 19th career TD receiving last week and is one of five TEs with at least five catches in each of the first two weeks of this season. … DE Carl Granderson had seven tackles and tied his career highs with 3 TFL and two sacks in Week 2. He is one of two players (along with Myles Garrett) with at least 1 1/2 sacks in each of this season’s first two weeks. … DE Chris Rumph had fourth career sack last week, his first since Dec. 26, 2022, with the Los Angeles Chargers. … LB Demario Davis led the Saints with 11 tackles and had his ninth career fumble recovery last week. LB Pete Werner had a career-high two passes defensed and his 15th career tackle for loss last week. … CB Alontae Taylor had two passes defensed and a tackle for loss last week. He also had a sack in Week 1. … The Seahawks are seeking to win at least two of their first three games for the third season in a row. … The Seahawks went 6-3 in games after a win last season under coach Mike Macdonald. … Seattle went 10-7 last season and hasn’t had a losing season since 2021 under Pete Carroll ... The Seahawks went 6-6 against NFC foes in 2024. ... Seahawks QB Sam Darnold’s two interceptions during last Sunday’s win against the Steelers were his most in a start since Nov. 10, 2024, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. … Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the Seahawks in receiving yards in 2024, is second in the NFL in that category. He’s had at least 100 yards in back-to-back games. … Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II had a career-high 1 1/2 sacks on Sunday against the Steelers. … Safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Derion Kendrick each intercepted Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. The Seahawks have four interceptions as a team this season, tied for second most in the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars have five interceptions. … Seahawks kicker Jason Myers converted 1 of 2 field-goal attempts on Sunday, including a 36-yard miss. It was Myers’ first miss of the season.

Tight end Juwan Johnson has the fifth-most receiving yards of any player at his position through the first two games of the season, and has been targeted at least nine times in both games. Considering Rattler’s insistence on turning to Johnson eight starts into his NFL career, there’s little reason to expect that to change in start No. 9.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL