Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is on the verge of doing something pretty incredible himself. This Sunday, he’ll be playing against the Atlanta Falcons right down the street at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If he can pull off this victory with the Seahawks, he’ll do so in historic fashion. He’ll join Tom Brady as only the second quarterback in history to complete a 10-win season in his first year with a new franchise. As it stands, the Seahawks sit at 9-3, a surprising start that begs the question of Darnold’s further influence.
Before taking on the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold led the NFL with an amazing quarterback rating of 77.9! Just how hot was he going into that game though! His overall showing in that game exposed some major holes in his game that must be fixed. Like the first half example seen against the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold was continually pressured and sacked four times on the day. He mishandled two snaps, losing one of those on the field. The consistent pressure from the Vikings exposed some glaring parts of his game. It created a huge operative question about his ability to deal with constant blitzing defenses.
Darnold had his well-documented troubles with batted passes at the line of scrimmage, but he confounded this problem four times on this day alone. He was fortunate not to have two of those go down as interceptions. His approach to decision-making could not have been more different. Other times, he failed to show discretion, forcing the ball into tight windows and making risky throws under pressure that resulted in three of his four total picks in Seattle’s loss to the Rams.
The Seahawks’ offensive line will need to improve its performance against the blitz, especially given Darnold’s history this season. He’s been sacked 46 times, an average of 4.2 per game, and a total of 11 over Seattle’s first 11 games. Coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged that Darnold made sound decisions on several of the sacks taken against Minnesota, but emphasized the need for improvement moving forward.
“When they did repeat a couple of those pressures, we executed at a high level,” – Mike Macdonald
Facing a formidable opponent like the Falcons, known for their effective blitzing schemes, presents another challenge for Darnold and his offense. He recognized this threat:
“They are a really good blitzing team, just rush and coverage all working together,” – Sam Darnold
Darnold understands the importance of explicit communication pre-snap. He’s particularly attuned to this need in the raucous environment of an away venue. He emphasized how teams such as Minnesota and Atlanta were able to create pressure on quarterbacks without sacrificing their coverage responsibilities.
“Number one, just credit to Minnesota with what they did schematically, a team that is ready to bring blitz,” – Klint Kubiak
As he approaches this key juncture, Darnold’s past few games have been rocky. In his last three games, dating back to the Seahawks’ loss at So-Fi Stadium, he ranks 25th in QBR (29.4). This figure highlights just how important it is for him to improve in this area and develop a counter to defensive shading.
Incoming Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald emphasized the long flights of preparation and it building up to the game with Atlanta. He stressed the importance of Darnold being prepared to move and adjust and change against each different blitzing style used by enemy defenses. The Seahawks’ offensive unit will need to work cohesively to ensure success against a team that excels at disrupting quarterbacks.
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