Sam Darnold’s struggle. (Image via Gety Images)
The Seahawks trailed 14-3 before fighting back in the fourth quarter. Jason Myers then kicked a 34-yard field goal with four seconds left to force overtime. Wil Lutz converted a 53-yard field goal to end the game. Darnold finished with 278 passing yards and two interceptions. Denver sacked him five times and recorded 17 quarterback hits. Seattle managed just 74 rushing yards on 25 carries against Denver.
“I just think it’s B.S. for me to keep turning the ball over,” he said, acknowledging the damage his mistakes had done to his teammates. George Holani scored a rushing touchdown, and Rashid Shaheed caught the two-point conversion. After all that work, Seattle had another chance to take control. Those numbers tell only part of the story. He had also thrown two interceptions in the previous week’s loss to San Francisco, making ball security a growing concern rather than a one-game problem. The quarterback accepted responsibility after the defeat. Still, putting all the blame on Darnold would miss a major part of Seattle’s offensive struggles. The Seahawks’ offensive line has struggled to keep pressure away, and the running game has offered little help. Without a reliable ground attack, opponents can focus on pressuring Darnold and disrupting the passing game. The absence of injured right guard Anthony Bradford has also made it harder to find stability inside the line.
Darnold should get another opportunity, but his margin for error has shrunk. Seattle’s defense is giving the team a chance to win. The offense must stop throwing those chances away.