As someone who has written that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s interceptions are not as dire as they might initially appear, I kind of feel that I need to make a couple of things clear.
First, my theory on this is that an interception or two is a worthwhile price to pay, provided that your quarterback is playing with enough confidence to take and convert deep shots. If he throws two picks but also has three touchdowns, his team can win.
That obviously did not happen on Thursday night, when Seattle lost in overtime to the Denver Broncos, 17-14. Darnold threw two picks and zero touchdowns. This leads to the other point I want to make clear.
4 takeaways from the Seattle Seahawks' maddening loss to the Denver Broncos
Sam Darnold is, in fact, primarily responsible for this loss. I know that’s not an earth-shattering conclusion. Everyone saw it. Seattle would not have lost this game if Darnold had not made an ill-advised throw in overtime.
Of course, they also might not lose if Jason Myers doesn’t miss a field goal he usually makes, or if Cooper Kupp doesn’t drop a pass he usually catches, but those seem like smaller details in the wake of Darnold’s poor decisions.
OK – we’ve put that one to bed. The rest of this will focus on topics unrelated to Sam Darnold.
The Seahawks' defense remains heroic
The Seahawks defense did not begin the game well. They allowed two long touchdown drives that consumed more than 13 minutes of clock time in the first half. But after halftime, they were dominant.
They made every play they needed to make. Here is how the Denver drives went in the second half. Punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt. Four of those drives were three-and-outs. The other two went for four and five plays, respectively. Clearly, Seattle’s defense played well enough to win this game. The offense failed them.
There is a problem developing on the edge
Despite how well the defense played, there was a problem that is becoming increasingly obvious. The play of the Seahawks' edge rushers is not nearly as good as it was last season.
Demarcus Lawrence remains an inspirational leader who can chase down runners and quarterbacks despite his age. But has struggled this year with power runs aimed directly at him. That was a problem on Denver’s two long first-half drives.
Lawrence has been among the league’s best run defenders on the edge for the last ten years, but teams are beginning to figure out that running straight at him is more effective than trying to run away from him.
However, Demarcus Lawrence is not the main problem on the edge. The main problem is that whereas the Seahawks had four very good edge rushers in rotation last year, this year they do not. Lawrence’s play has dropped off a bit, and Derick Hall has not progressed as I had hoped.
He’s still a decent player, but I really expected a breakout season, and that has not happened. Dante Fowler has been a non-factor, as has Connor O’Toole. Uchenna Nwosu remains a solid presence, but there is not much behind him.
Seattle may be realizing how much they miss Boye Mafe. Mafe is playing quite well for the Bengals right now, and even though he didn’t have the sacks to show for it, he was a vital member of the rotation for Seattle last year because he frequently won his individual matchups with opposing linemen.
Great interior pressure and creative rush packages are covering up the fact that this year’s crop of edge rushers is not as good as last year’s.
The offense’s struggles are not all San Darnold’s fault
The Seahawks offensive line looked overmatched by Denver’s excellent front seven. Abraham Lucas had his worst game dating back to 2024. The guards were outplayed by Denver’s interior linemen. I still can’t figure out why Beau Stephens and Christian Haynes are platooning at right guard.
Neither is clearly winning the job, but it seems to me that Stephens is really struggling in pass protection, so I think simply leaving Haynes on the field would be better than the current setup.
What’s more, Seattle still cannot establish a credible receiving threat after Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The tight ends – especially AJ Barner – have become non-factors in the passing game, which is very hard to understand. Cooper Kupp looks too old, and Tory Horton looks too young. Rashid Shaheed made several nice plays but is far from a reliable second option to JSN.
At least for now. Perhaps he will build on a couple of fine plays against the Broncos in the coming weeks. His catch on the deflected two-point try in the fourth quarter was essential. And had the Seahawks won, it would have stood alongside Zach Charbonnet improbable conversion against the Rams last season.
Clearly, Seattle needs to find other receiving threats to take the onus off JSN, though he seems capable of carrying most of that weight by himself. But that is not Seattle’s biggest offensive problem right now.
One first quarter play is all you need to see
Seattle does not have a credible running game. I say that, even though current starter Emanuel Wilson had several nice runs and George Holani virtually turned the game around with his dynamic 13-yard run in the fourth quarter … the play that set up his subsequent touchdown.
But go back and look at a different run. This one came early on. It came midway through the first quarter, with Seattle facing a second and three from right around midfield. Emanuel Wilson took a handoff over right guard, then cut back left for a six-yard gain and a first down. Good vision. Strong run. First down. What’s not to like?
Kenneth Walker would have scored a touchdown on that play. After cutting back left, Walker would have made one feint inside and then bounced further left, around the contain, and past slow-reacting defensive backs.
OK, so I don’t really know if he would have scored, but we all saw him make that run last year. He has the burst, the vision, the contact balance, and suddenness to make that exact play. Emanuel Wilson does not. Nor does George Holani. The only other back who might combine the physical and mental skills well enough to make that play is Jadarian Price, and the book is still out on him.
I’m beating a dead horse here. Anyone who still believes losing Walker was no biggie isn’t watching the same games I am watching, nor did they watch much of 2025. Walker was major, and now he’s gone.
The Seahawks have no one with the proven ability to replace him. The line isn’t blocking. The pass game is one-dimensional. Seattle has one game-breaking talent on offense this year. Last year, they had two. Sometimes, that‘s all the explanation you need.
Add us as a preferred source on Google