The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, 20-3. The defense was dominant, not allowing a Patrick Mahomes-led offense to enter the red zone for the first time in the quarterback's career. As for Seattle's quarterback, Sam Darnold, he was mostly good, thankfully.
But 12s might be thankful not just for what happened on Sunday Night Football, but for what comes next. If Darnold can replicate his performance in future games, the Seahawks will be back in the playoff mix.
The QB did make one disastrous decision, though, the kind that could cost his team games. It might have reminded fans of all the turnovers he has had in the early part of the season, but it was only a one-off in Week 7.
Sam Darnold was mostly good for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7
Third-down Sam Darnold was elite
At his best in his first season in Seattle, the quarterback was fantastic at picking up third downs. This meant far better ball control, of course, and a completely different level of efficiency compared to former starter Geno Smith.
This season so far, third down has been a struggle for the offense. Against a good Chiefs defense, Darnold was back to his 2025 form. He led his offense to convert 11 of 16 third downs (the most conversions Seattle had on third downs since 1991), and Darnold was pinpoint passing on those downs and also scrambled for two first downs.
Importantly, six of those conversions came with seven yards to go or more. That kind of efficiency is how one repeats as a Super Bowl winner.
The one error was a bad one
Darnold's issue heading into the game was turnovers, especially untimely turnovers. He had thrown picks on his first throw of the game in two straight games earlier in the season, and then had two interceptions late in Week 6's loss to the Denver Broncos.
Against KC, the Seahawks had a chance to put the game to bed in the first half. Leading 10-0 and with under two minutes left before halftime, Darnold threw an interception from the Chiefs' 3-yard line. The pass was intended for either Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Rashid Shaheed, but both were well covered, and the interception happened before the ball could reach them.
Instead of 17-0 at the half, the score remained 10-0, but mostly because of Seattle's elite defense. The interception could have changed the narrative of other games.
Sam Darnold can't be replaced
The issue with Darnold's continued bad play, if there had been one in Week 7, was that no matter how badly he played, the Seahawks were stuck with him. Backup Drew Lock is dealing with an elbow injury that the team is managing.
Lock was listed as questionable for Week 7 and only served as the emergency quarterback if Darnold or Jalen Milroe got hurt. The assumption is that Lock can't make all the throws he would need to get a lot of reps. Milroe isn't where he needs to be to become even a temporary QB1, so the team has no choice but to stay with Darnold. Thankfully, that isn't as much of a discussion after the Chiefs game.
The next three games will be a test for Sam Darnold
To be fair, the test should be a good one. The next three games for Seattle are against the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, and Las Vegas Raiders. Their defenses are among the bottom four in the NFL in yards allowed per play, and all rank 27th or lower in quarterback rating allowed.
This, of course, doesn't guarantee offensive success for Seattle, but after playing the Denver Broncos and Chiefs in back-to-back games, things might feel easier. If the quarterback struggles against the next three teams, though, the Seahawks have a real problem.
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