Sam Darnold Fails Tough Test Against Rams

What They're Saying

Here's Darnold after the loss (via the Seattle Times):

“I gotta be better personally,” said Darnold. “I gotta not turn the ball over. It’s as simple as that. I gotta do my job, protect the football, get the ball downfield, put the ball in the end zone, and I feel like we’ll always be in a position to win the football game if I just do that.”

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Wow.

Darnold entered the game in excellent form, even garnering some MVP buzz.

But the guy we saw on Sunday looked like the one who flopped late in his stint as Vikings’ QB.

And it’s not like he was routinely overwhelmed by the Rams’ D-line. He wasn’t sacked, while he faced pressure on a managable 28.9% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. His 3.27-second time to throw was fourth-highest on the week.

On the first pick, Darnold faded away while throwing a ball into double coverage. Next, he threw late to the sideline – with pressure in his face – resulting in an easy pick.

Darnold didn’t face pressure on his third pick, but he again tried to fit a ball into a double-covered target. His final pick reeked of panic, as he maneuvered around pocket pressure only to throw it to a lurking DB.

On the positive side, Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his excellent run. He caught 9 of 12 targets for 105 yards. His target share? A strong (albeit relatively disappointing) 27.2%.

Meanwhile, new Seahawk Rashid Shaheed mixed in for 2 grabs for 27 yards. His 10% target share ranked fourth on the team.

The Seahawks enter a much more favorable matchup next week at Tennessee. Darnold will remain a fringe QB1 for that one.