The first time Seattle Seahawks’ QB Sam Darnold squared off against Arizona Cardinals' coach Jonathan Gannon, Darnold came out on top. It was 2018, his rookie season with the New York Jets.
Gannon was coaching defensive backs for the Indianapolis Colts, his first year as a top position coach in the NFL. Darnold played very well in just his sixth professional game, and the Jets won 42-34 behind seven field goals from Jason Myers.
That win got the Jets to .500 for the season, and optimism was swirling around the Jets’ young QB. Sadly, that would be the last time Sam Darnold would have the New York Jets at a .500 record. He would lose 22 of his next 32 starts before being sent packing.
Seattle Seahawks need a big game from Sam Darnold to get a key divisional win in Week 4
The next two times Darnold and Gannon squared off – another game against the Colts and then in a contest with Philadelphia, where Gannon was now the defensive coordinator- Darnold tossed six interceptions. This was when his career seemed to spiral downward to an ugly end,
Then, as the entire league knows, came resurrection. Last year, Darnold led a fourth-quarter comeback to help his Minnesota Vikings steal a victory from Gannon’s Cardinals when things looked bleak.
Gannon blitzed Darnold all day and sacked him five times. They knocked him down even more. The potent Viking offense was sputtering, scoring just six points until late in the third quarter. Then Darnold went to work.
He was great in the fourth quarter, finding Aaron Jones for the winning score with just over a minute to go.
Seattle needs a similarly poised performance from their QB if they hope to leave the desert with a win on Thursday.
After a mediocre debut against San Francisco, Darnold has led the Hawks to consecutive solid wins over Pittsburgh and New Orleans. In those two games, he completed more than 70% of his throws for an elite 10 yards-per-attempt. He was sacked just twice in 53 dropbacks, well below his career rate.
It isn’t just Darnold who is improving. Seattle’s entire offense has bounced back from that 49er game and now looks like the dynamic, multi-tiered threat that fans were promised when Klint Kubiak took over as offensive coordinator.
Kenneth Walker has averaged almost five yards per carry and scored three touchdowns in the last two games. After targeting Jaxon Smith-Njigba on more than half his throws in Week 1, Darnold is spreading the ball around far more effectively of late.
Again the Steelers in Week 2, he introduced Cooper Kupp in a major way. Rookie Tory Horton has caught TD passes in the last two games and is looking like a genuine downfield threat. Darnold is getting the ball to his tight ends and backs.
Most importantly, he is not taking sacks. Even during his best days with the Vikings, Darnold always took sacks. He holds the ball, waiting for big plays to develop. This year, he is getting comfortable in Kubiak’s quicker, more rhythmic passing attack.
That figures to be very important, taking on a Jonathan Gannon-led defense on short rest. Gannon does not typically blitz with the frequency of a coach like Bryan Flores, but he has had success blitzing Darnold in the past, and you can expect him to test the rebuilt Seahawks' line on Thursday.
He has talented edge players like Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell and Baron Browning who can attack the QB from multiple angles.
Look for the Cardinals to focus on the right side of the Hawks’ line, where guard Anthony Bradford and tackle Abraham Lucas have struggled against quality pass rushers.
Darnold does not have to be elite to win with Seattle. He has to be efficient. He has to avoid costly mistakes. The Seahawks defense handled this Arizona offense rather well last season, so if Darnold has to throw the ball away and punt on the occasional odd drive, that will be OK.
After two straight wins, the Seahawks are in excellent position in the division. But having already lost a divisional tilt at home makes this game vital. The NFC West figures to be close all season. A loss would not ruin the season by any means, but it would create a major hill to climb the rest of the way.
A win puts Seattle right in the thick of the division and no doubt builds the confidence and momentum their quarterback is developing a few weeks into his career as a Seahawk.