The Seattle Seahawks entered their Week 11 tilt with the Los Angeles Rams vying for first place in the NFC West. Both teams were 7-2 and the winner would take the lead in the division and also be in the running for the number one seed in the NFC playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks lost a close one, falling 21-19 to the Rams. The Seahawks defense played fantastic and were a big reason why the team was still in a position to win the game. Sam Darnold, however, lived up to his reputation of choking in big games, throwing four interceptions on the day.
Two of Darnold's picks then led to the Rams scoring touchdowns, giving them 14 points off turnovers. You do the math there and how that impacted the final score.
Needless to say, Darnold is probably feeling down in the dumps following this beatdown. He's had the reputation of not being able to perform when the lights are the brightest and that, unfortunately, rang true once again here.
People are going to take this opportunity to pile on Darnold after that game but Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner took a different route. He had Darnold's back following the game, posting a message to the Seahawks signal-caller on X.
"At Rams/Seahawks game today & #SamDarnold came in playing great & on 4 game win streak, but had one of those rough days (that we all have)… always cool to see a sideline encouraging, lifting up & staying behind him during the game!!
I’ve been there & it’s not fun, you feel terrible & you know you’re the reason… but nothing helps you remain confident more than knowing your guys & coaches got your back on those days!"
Sam Darnold receives uplifting message from Kurt Warner after rough outing
If anyone would know how Darnold is feeling after that performance, it's Warner. The Hall of Fame quarterback played in the NFL for 12 seasons and had his fair share of interception-heavy games. Warner threw a whopping 22 picks in the 2001 season and was known for getting a little wild with the football.
That being said, Warner also had a reason to be loose with the football, as he helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory in the 1999 season. He threw four picks during the playoffs that season.
Warner understands exactly how Darnold is feeling in that moment and these are certainly words that Darnold will need to remember. His team clearly has his back and he's been what the Seahawks were hoping he'd be. Time to flush that performance down the toilet and move forward. This team has their eyes on the prize and Darnold needs to be focused on helping them achieve that.