Sam Darnold has had nine mostly fantastic games for the Seattle Seahawks this season. However, he has also had one undeniably bad game — and that single performance threatens to overshadow the rest. How do we know? That’s exactly what happened last season. Darnold’s fine 16-game run with the Minnesota Vikings was largely forgotten due to two bad games to end it.
The Los Angeles Rams seem to have Darnold’s number. They defeated Darnold and the Vikings in the playoffs last season, where Darnold was sacked nine times and threw an interception. Fast forward to Sunday, in a huge game critical for the NFC West race, Darnold experienced by far his worst game of the season at the worst possible time.
### Darnold’s Struggles in a Crucial Matchup
Darnold threw four interceptions as the Seahawks fell 21-19 to the Rams. Despite these turnovers, the Seahawks still had the ball late in the game, trailing by just two points. Darnold managed to position the Seahawks for a 61-yard field goal attempt as time expired, but the kick went wide right, allowing the Rams to hold on for the victory.
This performance reminded everyone of Darnold’s poor final two games last season, which included losses to the Detroit Lions to end the regular season and the Rams in the wild-card playoff round. With this win, the Rams improved to 8-2, taking sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Meanwhile, the Seahawks dropped to 7-3.
And with that, the entire narrative of Darnold’s season shifted — just like it did last year.
### First Half: Seahawks Settle for Field Goals
Seattle didn’t play poorly in the first half. The offense moved the ball well but settled for field goals instead of touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Rams capitalized with touchdowns.
A costly mistake came on the Seahawks’ very first possession. Darnold threw an interception to safety Kamren Kinchens, who returned it to the 3-yard line. Four plays later, Kyren Williams scored, giving the Rams an early 7-0 lead.
The Seahawks responded with a field goal, but the Rams hit back with a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Davante Adams, pushing their lead to 14-3. Seattle moved the ball effectively in the first half, out-gaining the Rams 171 yards to 135, but could only manage field goals from 30 and 22 yards in the second quarter. The half ended with Seattle trailing 14-9.
### Second Half: Rams Take Control
Seattle’s miscues continued after halftime. Darnold threw another interception while under pressure, though Seattle’s defense forced an immediate fumble in response. Kenneth Walker III had a touchdown run nullified by a holding penalty, forcing the Seahawks to settle for yet another field goal, cutting the deficit to 14-12.
Seattle’s defense was doing its job, limiting the Rams’ offense and Stafford’s passing, but the offense wasn’t translating yardage into points.
Then came Darnold’s third interception. Trying to throw down the seam, Darnold missed the presence of Kinchens, who snapped up his second interception of the game. The Rams once again turned the turnover into a touchdown when Stafford connected with tight end Colby Parkinson to extend the lead to 21-12 early in the fourth quarter.
Notably, Stafford had just 124 passing yards at that point but had efficiently turned those yards into two touchdown passes with zero interceptions — a stark contrast to Darnold.
### Late Game Turnovers and Missed Opportunities
Darnold threw yet another interception shortly thereafter. Under heavy pressure, he threw wildly to the middle of the field where Darious Williams intercepted easily. This marked Darnold’s sixth interception over Seattle’s first nine games, and his fourth in this single contest.
The Williams pick was arguably the worst decision in a game full of them by Darnold.
Nevertheless, the Seahawks battled back. A long drive culminated in a Walker touchdown that narrowed the margin to 21-19 with 2:23 left on the clock. Seattle then forced a Rams punt, which pinned Los Angeles at their own 1-yard line.
With 1:41 remaining, Darnold had one last chance to take the lead. He led Seattle to the Rams’ 43-yard line and gave kicker Jason Myers a shot at a 61-yard field goal as the final second ticked off the clock. Unfortunately, the kick sailed wide right, and the Seahawks fell short.
### What Could Have Been
In such a tight game, had Darnold limited his interceptions to two or three instead of four, Seattle might have pulled off a road upset over a formidable Rams team. The Rams defense pressured Darnold well and capitalized on his mistakes. On offense, they faced a tough Seattle defense but succeeded in turning turnovers into touchdowns.
The Seahawks will be disappointed with the loss but have a chance for redemption when they host the Rams in Week 16. For Seattle to win that rematch, their quarterback will need a significantly better performance.
Until then, you can bet Darnold will hear plenty about his struggles from Sunday’s game.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/sam-darnold-has-a-meltdown-with-4-interceptions-and-rams-hang-on-to-beat-seahawks-001201432.html
