The Seattle Seahawks suffered a brutal 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The game was very much one that could've, and likely should've, been won.
Seattle was winning 13-10 with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter when Brock Purdy threw a pass that headed straight for Riq Woolen. While the play looked like an easy interception or, at the very least, a bat down to force fourth down, Jake Tonges was able to get around the 2022 Pro Bowler (who allowed a perfect passer rating) and come down with a go-ahead touchdown.
The Seahawks were able to drive back down the field and get inside the 49ers' ten; however, Sam Darnold's rough debut ended with a fumble that San Francisco recovered. The 2024 Pro Bowler's Week 1 struggles resulted in a poor grade that begs the question of whether their quarterback change was the right move.
Seahawks QB change brought under light following opposite Week 1 performances
Darnold struggled tremendously in his first game with the Seahawks. While he completed 69.6% of his pass attempts against the divisional rivals, he failed to throw a touchdown and had the costly aforementioned fumble.
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report gave Darnold a C for his performance:
"The Seattle Seahawks placed a lot of trust in Sam Darnold to be the quarterback he was last season with the Minnesota Vikings. His Week 1 performance didn't live up to those expectations, but he wasn't terrible by any means, either. Two issues came to the forefront. First, Darnold must do a better jobs spreading the ball around to his receivers. Of his 150 passing yards, 124 went to Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Cooper Kupp had only 15 yards on two catches. Second, the quarterback must take care of the football. Seattle had a red-zone opportunity to take the lead with less than a minute remaining, but Darnold was stripped of the football. Granted, Nick Bosa trucked right tackle Abe Lucas. At the same time, Darnold had a man open and patted the ball before trying to uncork the pass."
In the same piece, Sobleski gave Geno Smith an A- rating for his performance in his Las Vegas Raiders debut, which saw him throw for 362 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while completing 70.6% of his pass attempts. Only reigning MVP Josh Allen threw for more yards than the former Seahawks quarterback in Week 1.
While it is just one game, the decision to move on from Smith and sign Darnold -- who will make similar money over the next three years -- will be under a microscope all season. While the latter had a better season in 2024, the former has a greater track record of success.
Seattle will hope for a bounce-back performance from their quarterback in Week 2; however, it will face a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that has typically been among the league's best.