Sam Darnold Silences Doubters as Seahawks Soar into First Place
October 21, 2025
Sam Darnold may not be having the mega resurgence of Daniel Jones or appear on many MVP short lists, but Seahawks fans are certainly noticing the positive difference he has made for a team that lost Geno Smith and DK Metcalf over the off season. Much like the signing of Jones in Indy, the addition of Darnold to Seattle was brushed aside and mostly assumed to not have much of an impact. This could have been due to the way things ended in Minneapolis for Darnold last season, but perhaps we should have given him more credit.
Darnold not only has Seattle keeping up with the big names in the NFC but has his team in a three way tie for first place in the NFC West at 5-2. A big issue for this offense has been the offensive line and their inability to pass block. Oftentimes last season, Geno Smith was back there running around and taking sacks. With a very similar ranked offensive line (near the bottom in most important measurables), Darnold has found success. This could be due to the new OC and new schemes installed, or could also be attributed to his 2.58 seconds it takes him to get rid of the ball. If that doesn’t sound impressive, it is, and it’s good enough to rank 5th in the league.
Another factor doing a big lift for the Seattle offense is the superstar ascent that JSN seems to currently be on. He doesn’t have the speed of a Tyreek Hill, the size and physically of a CeeDee Lamb, but the kid knows football. He’s certainly not slow nor small, but he relies on his quickness and route running ability to get open. This was evidenced by his positively ELITE shuttle time at the 2023 scouting combine where he posted the 4th best time since 2007 of 3.93 seconds. He has used that quickness to get open nonstop all season long and he did so once again while posting a 100+ yard day against the Texans on Monday Night.
The Seahawks close out the October portion of their schedule with a victory and head into their bye week in a good place. Seattle fans may be down in the dumps about the way the Mariners season ended on Monday (SO. Dang. Close.) but the Seahawks will surely be able to ease some of the pain with their high level of play.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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