Sam Darnold’s recent performance, with four interceptions, marked his worst game in what has been a standout season with the Seattle Seahawks. However, it also continued a worrying trend for the team and their star quarterback. Despite being in sixth place in scoring, with 26.6 points per game, Seattle’s offense has turned the ball over 12 times in the last four weeks. The Seahawks lead the NFL in turnovers, with a total of 20. It’s unacceptable. As an offense, we must improve, and I also must improve in protecting the ball. We are doing everything we can in training and in games to take better care of the ball.
One of the Seahawks’ 20 turnovers occurred on defense, when safety Coby Bryant lost the ball after an interception. Of the other 19, 14 have been attributed to Darnold, who has thrown 10 interceptions and 17 touchdown passes, in addition to losing four fumbles.
Some of Darnold’s turnovers were not entirely his fault, including an interception that bounced off a teammate’s helmet and a fumble on a bad snap from the backup center. However, there was no luck in the four interceptions he threw last week in the Seahawks’ 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. When asked about what he noticed upon rewatching that performance, Darnold said he needed to better recognize the Rams’ coverage and advance his progressions instead of focusing on one or two receivers. He acknowledged that Los Angeles disguised certain defenses.Simply having a better understanding of what the coverage is when the ball is snapped and when a player will be open and when they won’t. When I say “getting stuck on a progression,” I mean seeing only one side of the field and feeling like there’s a chance someone will get open over there instead of just moving on and clicking through my progression like I normally do.
Sam Darnold
This was the third game of four interceptions in Darnold’s eight-year career, and the first since 2019 with the New York Jets. After Seattle’s defeat to the Rams, receiver Cooper Kupp praised Darnold for standing firm despite the interceptions and leading a late drive that gave the Seahawks a chance at a game-winning 61-yard field goal.
