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Darnold's Interceptions Cost Seahawks in OT Loss to Broncos
· Confirmed
In Short: Sam Darnold threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading to the Seattle Seahawks' 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
Darnold's interceptions were particularly costly, as one ended a drive late in the fourth quarter and another set up the Broncos for the game-winning field goal without gaining a first down.
Darnold finished with a 52.6 passer rating, completing 6 of 19 passes for 47 yards and two interceptions when pressured by the Broncos' defensive front.
Despite these struggles, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald stood by Darnold, stating, "I just think it's B.S. for me to keep turning the ball over," Darnold said, acknowledging his seven interceptions this season, including six in the team's three losses.
The Seahawks' defense, usually stout, allowed the Broncos to march down the field on two touchdown drives that went for a combined total of 153 yards on 25 plays.
Denver's head coach Sean Payton praised quarterback Jalon Nix, noting that Nix played with his most confidence this season during the opening portion of the game.
The Broncos improved their record to 4-2 on the year and 17-3 at home since the start of the 2024 season, while the Seahawks dropped to.500 at 3-3 for the first time this season.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV acknowledged the importance of the win, saying, "Yeah, we needed a win."
However, the team's struggles continued, with Darnold's interceptions overshadowing any positive performance.
Macdonald defended his decision to keep Darnold as the starter, telling Seattle Sports, "We're not considering a QB change."
Background
Despite throwing seven interceptions in four games, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is sticking with quarterback Sam Darnold as the starter.
What's confirmed
- 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.
What's still developing
- Darnold threw an interception before halftime, but Kansas City's Harrison Butker missed a 58-yard field goal on the ensuing possession, negating the turnover.
- Meanwhile, Mahomes and the Chiefs struggled offensively, punting on three possessions and throwing an interception as they entered halftime without a point and just 92 total yards of offense.
- Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks handed Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season with a 20-3 victory at home on Sunday night.
- And if they insisted after Sunday’s 20-3 demolition of a previously undefeated Kansas City team that they hadn’t lost any faith despite two straight losses, they acknowledged it was nice to see that faith renewed.
- He's incredibly smart," Macdonald said, via Seattle Sports. "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.
- Just four days after having two passes intercepted in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Darnold had passes picked off in the fourth quarter and overtime of a 17-14 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
- But while analyzing tape from the Broncos game on NFL Live, Dan Orlovsky noted multiple instances where Darnold could have done better.
- While those doubts should generally fuel a spark within the team, the Seahawks find themselves struggling with a 3-3 record.
- “Playing a team like Kansas City and all the killers that they got on that side, we knew how big this game was, and we wanted this one badly,” said Smith-Njigba, the NFL's leading receiver and reigning Offensive Player of the Year.
- “That's just us.” The only bright spot for Kansas City's offense was a milestone for Travis Kelce, who had four receptions to reach 1,104 for his career, moving past Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter for fifth in NFL history.
- Seahawks 13, Patriots 10: The defending champs survived despite losing Sam Darnold early, while Drake Maye threw three second-half interceptions.
- “I’m glad they scored the two touchdowns in the first half, but they were in four-minute mode when the second half started,” Fitzpatrick observed.
Sources
- Bleacher Reportlink
- Fox Newslink
- Foxsportslink
- Heavy.comlink
- The Seattle Timeslink
- Seahawkslink
- CBS Sportslink
- Espnlink
- Firstsportzlink
- Foxsportslink
- Profootballnetworklink
- Sandiegouniontribunelink
- Newsweeklink
- Fox Newslink
- Sportslink
- WarpBeat — background on Seahawks Stand By Darnold Despite Seven Interceptions in Four Games link