When the Seattle Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a three-year deal this past offseason worth as much as $100.5 million, the hope was that he would replicate the success he had with the Minnesota Vikings for most of 2024. He has mostly done that.
The problem that must be fixed, or it will end Seattle's season just before the playoffs or early in the postseason, is that Darnold and the offense have to work much better in the second half of games. More specifically, Darnold needs to stop turning the ball over.
The main knock on the quarterback throughout his career is that he seems to wilt in the most important games. He has done nothing to prove that narrative wrong so far this year, as Darnold threw four interceptions in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams. That was a battle for first place in the NFC West at the time.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold still needs to change his narrative
Three of those interceptions came in the second half, and yet, Seattle still had a chance to win the game with a 61-yard field goal as time expired. The Seahawks sometimes can succeed despite what the quarterback does late in games.
Through Week 12, Sam Darnold has had 14 turnovers (10 interceptions and four fumbles). 10 of them have come in the second half of games, with just four in the first half. Against good teams, Seattle is going to have to play complete games, of course, and late turnovers are going to cost the Seahawks winnable games.
That has happened twice already. Two of the team's three losses so far have come on Seattle's last drives. One was in Week 1 when Darnold fumbled after having right tackle Abe Lucas pushed into him, and the second was in Week 5 when the quarterback tried to throw away a pass, but he hit a helmet and into the arms of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player.
The issue is that in those two specific losses, and in nearly the entire game against the Rams, Sam Darnold failed to elevate his team in the biggest moments. That doesn't mean he can't, but he has many doubters that he can.
The good part is that Darnold has had a very good season with 19 touchdown passes and a career-high 106.2 quarterback rating, and he still has many chances to show that he can be the kind of player who can lead his team to a deep postseason run. He can also have a mini-redemption tour by defeating the 49ers and Rams when the Seahawks play them again.
Sam Darnold also has a chance in Week 13 to defeat the last team that employed him. The Seattle Seahawks take on the Minnesota Vikings, and the quarterback can remind Skol Nation of everything they are missing in 2025.