The Seahawks have played well in the first half of Monday’s nightcap with the Texans.
But Houston has been able to hang around, with a key special teams play setting the team up to get points just before halftime.
Still, Seattle leads 14-6 at the break.
The Seahawks scored each of their two touchdowns in the first quarter, with Zach Charbonnet running in a 1-yard score and Jaxon Smith-Njigba catching an 11-yard TD.
Then in the second quarter, the Seahawks were rolling but an ill-advised trick play helped get the Texans back in it.
On first-and-10 from the Houston 21, quarterback Sam Darnold flipped the ball in the backfield to receiver Cooper Kupp, who then cocked his arm in a throwing motion. But instead of the ball going to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kupp’s pass was well off target and went right to safety Calen Bullock, who picked it off.
An 11-yard return to the Houston 23 gave the Texans the ball.
The club could only manage a field goal out of it, though, with Ka’imi Fairbairn putting it though the uprights for a successful 36-yard attempt.
The Texans then blocked a 53-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the second quarter. Fairbairn converted on a 46-yard field goal as time expired to cut Seattle’s lead to eight points at the break.
The Seahawks could have had two defensive scores. On Houston’s first drive, quarterback C.J. Stroud drifted toward the end zone and barely was in the field of play when he was taken down for a sack at the 1-yard line. Then in the second quarter, Stroud was hit and threw a backward pass. Seattle recovered the ball, but it was fumbled just before the goal line and recovered in the end zone by Braxton Berrios for a touchback.
Houston finished the first half with 103 yards, reaching triple digits just before the break. Stroud is 11-of-18 for 106 yards.
On the other side, Darnold is 9-of-15 for 134 yards with a touchdown. Smith-Njigba has five receptions for 60 yards with a TD.
The Texans will have a chance to double up, as they’ll receive the second-half kickoff.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has done it again.
The third-year receiver continued his torrid pace in 2025 with an 11-yard touchdown reception to end the first quarter, giving the Seahawks a 14-0 lead.
The Seahawks likely would’ve had to settle for a field goal on the drive if not for a bad penalty by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. On third-and-11 from the Houston 25, quarterback Sam Darnold scrambled to his left and was going out of bounds. But when he had already reached the white of the sideline, Al-Shaair tackled Darnold and drove him into the ground. The clear foul gave Seattle a free first down at the Houston 11.
On the next play, Darnold hit Smith-Njigba in the middle of the end zone for the score.
Smith-Njigba did his best Jimmy Graham impression, dunking the ball over the crossbar. Of course, that’s now a 15-yard penalty, which was enforced on the PAT try. But that was no matter for Jason Myers, who sent the ball through the uprights to give Seattle a 14-point lead.
The Seahawks have not fared particularly well at home under head coach Mike Macdonald.
They’re off to a fast start in the Week 7 nightcap.
Zach Charbonnet powered his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, giving Seattle a 7-0 lead.
Charbonnet’s touchdown capped a short five-play, 44-yard drive.
The Seahawks had such a short field in large part because Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud nearly made a catastrophic mistake drifting back toward his own end zone. On third-and-13 from the Houston 19, Stroud drifted backward until it looked like he was taken down into the end zone for a safety. But the officials ruled Stroud’s forward progress had him stopped at the 1-yard line.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was clearly unhappy about that ruling on the sideline, particularly because it was not a reviewable play.
After the punt, the Seahawks started with the ball at the Houston 44.
From there, quarterback Sam Darnold hit tight end Elijah Arroyo down the right side for a 27-yard gain, putting the Seahawks in scoring position at the 12-yard line.
Then Darnold hit Arroyo again for an 8-yard gain down to the Houston 1-yard line.
That’s when Charbonnet made his way across the goal line for his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.
The 49ers have another defensive injury.
Defensive end Bryce Huff suffered a hamstring injury late in Sunday night’s win over the Falcons.
Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Huff will possibly miss a couple of weeks. Shanahan said that Huff began to feel it on the final two defensive plays of the game.
Shanahan was asked whether the injury increases the possibility of potentially trading for help at the position, before the deadline arrives in 15 days.
“I don’t think it changes the urgency of it,” Shanahan said. “It definitely sucks losing Huff, but it is a hamstring and hopefully it won’t be longer than two weeks. You know that he is coming back and sooner than later, but those guys have been looking into that stuff all the time for the last few weeks, and I’m sure they’ll continue over the next couple weeks.”
Huff played for 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh during Saleh’s time as head coach of the Jets. Huff signed with the Eagles in 2024 as a free agent. He was traded to the 49ers in the offseason.
In seven games (zero starts) in San Francisco, Huff has 4.0 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Over the next two weekends, the 49ers face the Texans in Houston and the Giants in New York.
The Seahawks added a pair of defensive backs to the roster for Monday night’s game against the Texans.
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin and safety Jerrick Reed have both been elevated from the practice squad on a temporary basis. It’s the second straight week that both players have been called up to help out an injury-riddled secondary.
The Seahawks are getting cornerback Riq Woolen back on Monday, but safety Julian Love (hamstring) and cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee) are listed as questionable to play.
Griffin had seven tackles in last week’s win over the Jaguars and he also appeared in the team’s Week 2 win over the Steelers. Reed also made a September appearance and has two tackles in his time on the field this season.
