Is It Time To Worry About Sam Darnold?

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The worries that Seahawks fans once had about Sam Darnold were never wrong, just early.

When the Seattle Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold in the 2025 offseason, it was clear that management wasn’t scared of taking risks. Last season, the risk proved worthwhile, as Darnold led the team to a Super Bowl LX championship victory. But through six games of the 2026 season, the underlying risks involved in the signing are starting to reveal themselves.

Following a frustrating 17–14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos, Seahawks fans are forced to ask themselves: is Sam Darnold holding this offence back?

Against Denver, Darnold completed 27 of 51 passes for 278 yards, but threw two costly interceptions while taking five sacks and being hit 17 times. His second pick, thrown in overtime, directly set up Denver’s game-winning field goal. Through six starts, Darnold has thrown seven interceptions alongside an underwhelming seven touchdowns, totaling a 37.4 QBR. The hesitant decision-making mirrors the same ball-security issues that led to Darnold famously “seeing ghosts” in New York years ago.

 

Instead of looking like last year, when Darnold effortlessly spread the ball to every receiver, every offensive option now seems to be regressing. After taking full accountability in the locker room, Darnold acknowledged the problem directly:

“There needs to be a sense of urgency to get better.”

What makes the storyline spicier is that when Darnold went down in Week 1 with a hip injury, backup Drew Lock stepped in and provided two victories for the Hawks. Lock guided Seattle to wins over New England and Arizona, completing 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while recording a 127.6 passer rating. Lock looked like a legitimate starter, slinging the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the same confidence Darnold displayed last season.

Despite mounting fan outcry for a quarterback switch, head coach Mike Macdonald remains firm behind his starter. Addressing the media after the Denver loss, Macdonald doubled down on Darnold’s standing:

“We trust Sam, we believe in him. We feel like he’s definitely part of the solution in terms of us playing better football on offence.”

Injuries often linger with players for the rest of their careers. But what if, instead of his hip injury lingering, it is Drew Lock’s fantastic level of play that continues to shadow Darnold as he struggles?