Every one of the 12s was buzzing before the season began: who would be better, Geno Smith or Sam Darnold? In the vernacular of mixed martial arts, it's Sam by a brutal knockout in the first round. That makes the Seattle Seahawks the real winners.
Fight fans, are you ready? It's TIME for the main event of the evening. Introducing first, from Las Vegas, Nevada, by way of Morgantown, West Virginia. He stands 6'3" and weighs in at 221 pounds. Wearing silver and black, with a record of 42 wins and 47 defeats, we have Geno "I Ain't Write Back" Smith. Smiiiith.
And his opponent, from Seattle, Washington, by way of Los Angeles, California. He stands 6'3" tall and weighs in at 225 pounds. Wearing navy and gray, with a record of 39-40, it's Sam "The Big Red Dog" Darnold. Daaaaarnold.
To be fair, a lot of those losses for both of these guys were just due to poor coaching and bad camps. Geno was 28-24 when he was here in Seattle. And Sam is 18-6 with his last three teams. In fact, just take the Jets out of the equation for both of these guys. Smith's record is 30-29, and Darnold's is 26-15. The only question that matters is, who's the best guy right now?
Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold is the clear winner in the 2025 Geno-Sam faceoff
Okay, time to drop the MMA routine. I don't have the energy to go full Joe Rogan anyway. All we really care about is how Smith and Darnold are playing so far this season. It's a bit unfair, as football is a team sport.
So many fans seem to forget that, blaming one player for a loss. Some 12s have blamed the opening loss to the 49ers on Darnold's fumble, while others point out his interception versus the Buccaneers. Neither helped, that's for sure.
But Darnold didn't surrender 35 points to Tampa Bay up to that point, either. The fumble versus the Niners wasn't great, but Darnold wasn't the guy who got bullrushed and shoved backwards like he was a 40-pound blocking sled. Take out those two plays, and the Seahawks are 6-0.
As for Darnold's performances over the season, he's been better than many - including myself - expected. Pro Football Focus may not be the last word in analysis, but they do a darn good job overall (and yes, a subscription is required).
Through six games, Sam Darnold has an offensive rating of 93.7. His worst outing was against Arizona, when he was graded at 73.6. For what it's worth, Darnold is currently PFF's top-rated quarterback in the league.
Let's turn to Geno Smith. He needs more help than he's been getting. However, the same issue that let the Seahawks wave goodbye to him without too much concern is dogging him in Las Vegas. Smith has thrown 10 interceptions in just six games. That's a stat you don't want to lead the league in, but there he is.
As for the PFF ratings, he's not only the lowest-ranked quarterback in the NFC West - and that includes both Brock Purdy and Mac Jones - but he's even ranked lower than Russell Wilson. That's gotta sting. With a rating of 61.1, Smith is ranked 31st in the league. At least he can say he's ahead of Cooper Rush.
We're about a third of the way into the season, or the first round of a three-round fight. Things could change, of course. But so far, Sam Darnold is the winner by knockout, proving that the Seahawks made the right choice when they signed him as their new quarterback.