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Darnold's Interceptions Cost Seahawks in OT Loss to Broncos
· Confirmed
In Short: Sam Darnold's two interceptions led to the Seattle Seahawks' 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
Sam Darnold's two interceptions were the key factors in the Seattle Seahawks' 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, according to Bleacher Report.
Darnold's first interception came with 1:30 remaining, but the Seahawks defense forced a quick three-and-out, giving the team a chance to tie the game.
However, in overtime, Darnold's attempt to force a pass to Rashid Shaheed into double coverage resulted in another interception, which set up Denver's game-winning field goal.
Darnold took responsibility for his turnovers, stating, 'I just think it's B.S for me to keep turning the ball over,' according to Bleacher Report.
Despite Darnold's efforts to take blame, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was critical of the protection up front, noting, 'Our quarterback got hit too much today,' as reported by Bleacher Report.
Macdonald emphasized the need for the offense to reassess its strategies, saying, 'He's incredibly smart, but as an offense, we need to really look at what we're doing, how we're doing it, what we're asking certain people to do,' via Seattle Sports.
Darnold's performance was particularly poor under pressure, completing only 6 of 19 passes for 47 yards and two interceptions when pressured by the Broncos' defensive front, according to Next Gen Stats.
The Seahawks' offensive struggles extend beyond Darnold, with opposing teams not having to worry about any wide receiver beyond Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Darnold's recent performance has been inconsistent, with him throwing two interceptions in three of the four games this season.
Despite the setbacks, Macdonald confirmed that Darnold will remain Seattle's QB1, stating, 'Really good,' when asked about Darnold's status after Friday's practice.
The Seahawks are also dealing with a new offensive coordinator, Brian Fleury, who replaced Klint Kubiak, now the head coach of the Raiders.
The Broncos' victory improved their record to 4-2 on the year and their home record to 17-3 since the start of the 2024 season, while the Seahawks dropped to.500 at 3-3 for the first time this season.
What this adds
The Seahawks' struggles extend beyond Darnold's interceptions, with the team's offensive line taking criticism for poor protection.
The Seahawks' recent injury issues, including Darnold's hip injury in the season opener, have compounded their challenges.
Darnold's performance in the game against the Washington Commanders was highlighted as a positive, but it did not significantly impact the overall narrative of his inconsistent play.
Background
Sam Darnold's two interceptions led to the Seattle Seahawks' 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
What's confirmed
- "I just think it's B.S for me to keep turning the ball over," Darnold said.
- The victory upped Denver’s record to 4-2 on the year and improved their home record to 17-3 since the start of the 2024 season, while Seattle dropped to the.500 mark at 3-3 for the first time this season.
- Darnold finished 6 of 19 for 47 yards and two interceptions when pressured by the Broncos’ defensive front, according to Next Gen Stats.
- Drew Lock took over and helped the Seahawks to a 13-10 victory, then started Sunday's 31-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
What's still developing
- He has been sacked a total of 13 times in the last three games.
- That performance was mostly out of line with what he's put on tape throughout his career, though, so it's not that surprising that the Seahawks aren't considering a change just yet.
- Moments later, Darnold went to the locker room and the team announced later in the half that he was ruled out for the rest of the game.
- The NFL's annual injury plague started just five snaps into the league's season-opener between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
- Darnold left the field just five snaps into the game, suffering a hip injury after taking a sack on the final play of the drive, and was ruled out shortly after.
- And thankfully, Darnold began to play at a higher level beginning in the second quarter.
- There was no timeline announced for Darnold’s return, but it appeared he could be back soon.
- Even at 24-all, the game felt as if it was tilting toward the Commanders (as the game shouldn't have been so close at that point, based on raw talent alone), but having Darnold behind center gave Seattle a chance to change the narrative.
- Those people likely saw one or two highlights from Darnold against the Washington Commanders in a 33-31 loss, but not the entire game.
- Had he started better, though, perhaps the game might have gone differently.
- The team was 2-0 before that, with Drew Lock playing the part of QB1 (Darnold only played one series in Week 1).
- It's not the start that head coach Mike Macdonald probably envisioned, especially after quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Kenneth Walker III helped them win the Lombardi Trophy.