The Seattle Seahawks have gotten off to a great start. After losing their season opener to the San Francisco 49ers due to a touchdown in the final two minutes, Seattle has bounced back in a major way.
They responded with back-to-back blowout wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints before picking up a divisional win on the road against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football in Week 4.
The Seahawks have been among the best teams in the league on both sides of the ball as they have scored 27.8 points per game while allowing 16.8 ppg, ranking fifth and fourth, respectively. Seattle looks poised to contend for their first postseason appearance since 2022 as they have been dominant in the trenches on both offense and defense.
While there were questions about how the transition from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold would work, it has looked like the right move through four games. Despite the success of the new quarterback, an NFL analyst wrongly suggested that both he and his pass protection have been problems for the Seahawks.
NFL analyst messes up the facts about Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold
Darnold has had a strong start to the season, and his offensive line has played a big role in that. Despite their play, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon labeled pass protection as a problem while also placing some blame on Darnold:
"This is a bit of a nitpick for a team that is rolling on a three-game winning streak, but Sam Darnold was sacked six times in Thursday's victory over Arizona. And he's been one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the NFL this season. The interior offensive line has some issues to work through. This isn't existential, especially with that defense, and the Seahawks have the talent to survive while working out the kinks. That said, it doesn't help that Darnold brings a lot of it on himself."
The problem with Gagnon's claim is that Darnold was sacked just three times in the Seahawks' 23-20 victory. It was Seattle's defense that sacked Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray six times.
In fact, the Seahawks offensive line has allowed just six sacks the entire season. They entered Week 4 tied for the second-fewest sacks allowed in the entire NFL. Even after playing one game more than 30 of the league's other teams, only 10 teams have allowed less sacks than Seattle.
While Darnold's stats -- 905 passing yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions, and 70.0% completion percentage -- don't jump off the board, he has been exactly what the Seahawks needed.