Sam Darnold admitted what Seahawks fans were thinking entire game vs. Commanders

One cannot play better than Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold played in the first half of Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. He completed all 16 of his passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns. He had a perfect passer rating.

But Darnold wasn't the only reason the team was so successful. His receivers were getting open, which included a breakout performance by rookie Tory Horton, and also breaking tackles. Cody White, recently elevated from the practice squad, bounced off a would-be tackler and sprinted an extra forty yards for a 60-yard catch and touchdown run.

The running backs weren't exactly having a bunch of explosive plays, but there was some semblance of productivity. That might not have been the case late in the game when Seattle was simply eating clock, but Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet had left the game to avoid injury.

Sam Darnold sums up Seattle Seahawks Week 9 brilliance perfectly

But the first half, especially, was brilliant football by an ascending Seahawks team. The offense was as good as at any point in Seattle history. How sustainable that is remains to be seen, but the Seahawks took advantage of a bad Commanders defense. That is what good teams do.

Speaking with the media postgame, Sam Darnold summed everything up perfectly. He was great on the field, but he had a bunch of help.

Darnold said, "(T)here's times where you feel like as a play-caller with (offensive coordinator) Klint (Kubiak) and myself and just the whole offense, you can feel that kind of flow and feel like every single play that we're calling is for the exact defense that they're rolling out there...It feels good when it happens, but you just gotta take advantage of it when you get those looks for those plays that are being called."

The phrase "being in the zone" is attributed more to basketball, but it applies to other sports, too, of course. No better example of it exists than what the Seahawks did offensively in the first half of Week 9. Everything seemingly worked. Wide receivers and tight ends were simply lucky to be catching contested passes; many of them were easily open.

Darnold was also putting the ball exactly where it needed to be. His touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo was one of the most perfectly placed passes a fan will ever see, for instance. While the second half wasn't quite as nice as the quarterback was just five for eight passing for 48 yards and an interception, the damage had been done.

What is obvious to any Seattle Seahawks fan is that replacing former quarterback Geno Smith with Sam Darnold this past offseason was a stroke of genius. Replacing former OC Ryan Grubb with Kubiak was just as smart. Now, let's just hope the run continues.