Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV did not hold back after Sam Darnold threw four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, a defeat that cost Seattle sole control of first place in the NFC West. Instead of piling on his quarterback, Jones fired off an explicit defense of Darnold, and a not-so-subtle message to anyone trying to pin the loss entirely on him.
GettyErnest Jones and the Seattle Seahawks defense held MVP-candidate Matthew Stafford to just 130 yards passing. Even then, he refused to let outsiders pile on to his quarterback, Sam Darnold, after he threw four costly interceptions.
Ernest Jones Drops F-Bomb Defending Sam Darnold After 4-INT Loss to Rams
Darnold had a nightmare afternoon in Inglewood, throwing four picks as the Seahawks fell to 7-3 and watched the Rams jump to 8-2 and grab the tiebreaker atop the division. It was Darnoldâs first four-interception game since 2019 and a stark contrast to the way heâs played most of this season.
In a press conference afterward, Jones made it clear he wasnât having any narrative that made the loss only about his quarterback. Jones started by stressing how well Darnold has played overall this year and how one performance shouldnât rewrite the story of Seattleâs season so far.
Hereâs the full, unfiltered tone of what Jones said as he went to bat for Darnold, cleaned up slightly for clarity but not for language:
âSamâs been balling. If we want to try to define Sam by this game⦠Samâs had us in every f—ing game. So for him to sit there and say, âOh, thatâs my fault, my fault,â no itâs not. Thereâs plays we could have made, opportunities where we could have got better stops. Itâs football, man. Heâs our quarterback. We got his back. If you have anything to say, quite frankly, f— you.â
Jones emphasized that the loss wasnât all on Darnold, repeating âheâs our quarterbackâ and ending with the same âquite frankly, f— youâ aimed at critics.
The quote instantly rocketed around social media as one of the most aggressive public defenses of a quarterback weâve seen from a teammate this season.
Jones Is All-In on Darnold After Career Revival in Seattle
Jonesâ explosion didnât come out of nowhere. Itâs rooted in the way Darnold has helped fuel Seattleâs start and the belief inside the building that the 28-year-old has finally stabilized his career with the Seahawks.
Darnold has stacked big performances all year, including a Week 9 blowout win at Washington where he threw four first-half touchdown passes and briefly saw his MVP betting odds slash from longshot territory into the serious-conversation range.
Seattleâs formula has been straightforward: a defense that flies around and takes the ball away, paired with Darnold playing efficient, aggressive football and hitting explosive plays downfield. That formula had the Seahawks out to a hot start and unbeaten on the road before the trip to Los Angeles.
Jones, meanwhile, has become the heartbeat of Seattleâs defense since arriving via trade. Since his acquisition last season, heâs racked up over 150 tackles and multiple interceptions while taking over as the on-field signal caller in the middle of the defense. Head coach Mike Macdonald has praised his leadership and toughness, calling him an âanchorâ in the middle.
So when Darnold melted down against a Rams team that has haunted him dating back to his Minnesota Vikings stint â including a rough playoff loss last year â Jonesâ message was as much about protecting the teamâs identity as protecting the quarterback.
He made it clear: the defense is taking ownership too. This wasnât going to be framed as âSam lost the division lead by himselfâ without some pushback.
What It Means for Seahawksâ QB Future After Brutal Rams Game
From the outside, four interceptions in a key divisional game will naturally spark questions about Darnoldâs grip on the job and whether the Seahawks might reconsider their long-term plan. Inside the building, Jonesâ comments are the strongest sign yet that there is no quarterback controversy, and Darnold is still very much their guy.
Nothing out of Sunday suggested Macdonald is even remotely considering a change. Seattleâs defense gave them a chance despite the turnovers, and Darnold still nearly drove the team into long field-goal range in the final seconds before Jason Myers came up short on a 61-yarder.
Jonesâ f-bomb-laced defense also sends a message to the rest of the roster: criticism of Darnold from outside is just noise, and the standard in-house is that everyone owns a close loss like this, especially when the Seahawks actually out-gained the Rams by a wide margin and held them to just over 100 yards across their final 29 offensive plays.
Seattle doesnât have much time to sulk. The Seahawks now turn around for a Week 12 road trip to the Tennessee Titans, followed by a massive home matchup against Darnoldâs former team, the Minnesota Vikings, and then a road game against the Atlanta Falcons, a stretch that will go a long way toward deciding whether this is a stumble or the start of a slide.
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