The game was far too close. The Seattle Seahawks defense was brilliant, and kept Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals offense under wraps. Until they didn't. Arizona scored two second half touchdowns to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
That is when Sam Darnold went back to work. Proving to be everything Geno Smith wasn't in Seattle, the new QB1 kept his poise as he had done all game. He didn't do anything splashy, but instead led his offense to just enough yards to allow kicker Jason Myers to get within field goal range.
But a huge reason Seattle is 3-1 is that, unlike Smith, Darnold is not making foolish errors. This was especially the case in 2024 when Smith could keep Seattle in a game, but then snatch a loss from the jaws of victory with a terrible red zone interception.
Sam Darnold is just what the Seattle Seahawks need at quarterback
Darnold might take fewer risks overall than Smith, but that is what Klint Kubiak's offense needs. The point isn't to score 17 points a game because of mostly explosive plays, but to eat clock and try to tire a defense. While that plan did not work to perfection in Week 4, Sam Darnold was nearly by himself.
The quarterback was 18 of 26 for 242 yards and a touchdown. He once again did not throw an interception. He also ran once for 24 yards. But he did the most important thing he could do compared to Geno Smith.
When things went wrong on the field, Smith would often lose his temper. This made him far worse of a leader than he should have been. If the offense wasn't running efficiently, he would lose his cool. And sometimes, he was the reason the offense wasn't running efficiently.
That isn't Sam Darnold. General manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald made a concerted effort to change the locker room this offseason. That meant getting rid of volatile wide receiver DK Metcalf and Smith. Darnold replaced Smith not only because of his ability to throw the ball, but his demeanor.
He was just what the Seattle Seahawks needed late in a game that should have long been over.
Seattle led 20-6 at one time, but the Cardinals came back. Instead of wilting, Seattle got the ball back with under 30 seconds left, and Darnold coolly avoided being sacked on the final drive and knew where to go with the ball. Most likely, had Geno Smith been Seattle's quarterback, the Seahawks would have lost.