The Seattle Seahawks head into halftime with a 14–6 lead over the Houston Texans in Monday Night Football’s late game, capitalizing on an explosive first quarter before a series of miscues kept the Texans within reach.
Seattle’s early momentum came from a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. Running back Zach Charbonnet opened the scoring with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, followed by quarterback Sam Darnold connecting with Jaxon Smith-Njigba on an 11-yard strike to make it 14–0.
However, Houston clawed back in the second quarter after a risky Seahawks trick play went wrong. On first-and-10 from the Texans’ 21-yard line, Darnold handed off to Cooper Kupp, who attempted a surprise pass toward Smith-Njigba. The throw sailed off target and was intercepted by safety Calen Bullock, setting up Houston in favorable field position.
The Texans converted that turnover into a 36-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn, trimming the deficit to 14–3.
Houston’s special teams then came up big again, blocking a 53-yard field goal attempt by Seattle with 23 seconds left in the half. That set the stage for another Fairbairn field goal — this one from 46 yards out — as time expired, bringing the Texans within one score.
Defensive Highlights and Missed Opportunities
Seattle’s defense nearly produced two touchdowns in the first half. Early in the game, C.J. Stroud was sacked at the 1-yard line after nearly stepping out of the end zone. Later, a backward pass from Stroud was recovered by Seattle near the goal line, but the ball was fumbled into the end zone and recovered by Braxton Berrios for a touchback, erasing the scoring chance.
Despite the near misses, Seattle’s defense limited Houston to just 103 total yards in the half. Stroud completed 11 of 18 passes for 106 yards, while Darnold went 9 of 15 for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Smith-Njigba led all receivers with five catches for 60 yards and one score, continuing his breakout season.
Second Half Outlook
The Texans will receive the second-half kickoff, giving them a chance to build on their late-half momentum. Head coach DeMeco Ryans will look for more consistency from Stroud and the offense, while Seattle’s Pete Carroll will aim to reestablish the ground game and protect the football after the costly turnover.
With both teams showing flashes of potential, the second half promises to test Seattle’s ability to maintain control — and Houston’s resilience to rally back under pressure.