He’s still putting up yards and points, but quarterback Sam Darnold is also chancing his luck with increasingly “errant” performances for the Seattle Seahawks. The problem didn’t cost the Seahawks against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12, but Darnold was more fortunate than effective during a 30-24 win on the road.
That’s according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, who pointed out Darnold “wasn’t shy about letting it rip after throwing four interceptions last week, but he was too aggressive on two throws that could have been intercepted. He was also hit while throwing deep on one play, causing the ball to hang dangerously in the air. Darnold’s ledger was clean — 16-of-26 for 244 yards and two touchdowns — but he got away with a few errant passes.”
The warning implicit in Henderson’s words is necessary after Darnold threw four interceptions during a costly defeat to NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams a week earlier. Darnold knows he needs to do better, but he’s not yet reining in his more aggressive tendencies.
His continued gung-ho playing style highlights the dilemma facing the Seahawks and head coach Mike Macdonald. The latter wants Darnold to stay bold about attacking coverage, but the 28-year-old signal-caller’s career-long habit for self-destruction risks costing the Seahawks again in a pivotal moment of the season.
Seahawks Facing Sam Darnold Dilemma
They don’t want to restrict what’s made Darnold an instant hit this season, but the Seahawks have to be wary about his growing number of turnover-level plays. Particularly when those errors are combined with opponents noticing Darnold is buckling under pressure.
A nervy passer who still has no reservations about forcing the ball into a crowd is a damaging combination the Seahawks don’t need. What they need is for Darnold to marry his flair for the big play, summed up by this 63-yard touchdown thrown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba against the Titans, with greater efficiency.
Continuing to throw to record-breaking wide receiver Smith-Njigba will help, but there are other things the Seahawks can do for Darnold. Things like getting a dynamic recent trade acquisition more involved after a no-catch outing at Nissan Stadium.
Spreading the ball around more evenly among his other receivers can help Darnold avoid riskier throws, but he’ll also need greater support from a different area of the offense.
Adjustments Can Help Seahawks
Getting running back Kenneth Walker III more involved will help Darnold, and the Seahawks have ample motivation to do just that after Walker reached another level in Tennessee. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak can lean more heavily into a running game underpinned by Walker and Zach Charbonnet to ease the pressure on Darnold.
Creating additional play-action passing windows can limit the pressure Darnold experiences in the pocket. Finding ways to slow the rush will be crucial when the Seahawks face Darnold’s old team the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13.
The Vikings lead the NFL in blitz percentage, sending extra rushers after quarterbacks 41 percent of the time, according to Pro Football Reference. This is exactly the kind of defense able to bring out the worst in Darnold, so the Seahawks should adjust their plan before November 30.
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