Sam Darnold was pretty dang good and the Seattle Seahawks throttled the Washington Commanders 38-10 in a performance that was not all that close. He completed four touchdown passes. As a result, his completion rate exploded to an otherworldly 87.5% before they decided to yank him from the game during the fourth quarter. Thanks to such brilliant play, Darnold returned to his 18-to-1 MVP odds by the conclusion of the contest.
Darnold got off to a hot start, hitting all 16 of his throws in the first half, something that really depicted Darnold’s impressive accuracy. He ended the game with a dazzling 21 completions on 24 attempts. He was productive with his feet and gained a combined 330 yards, but he tossed one pick. His completion rate of 87.5% is mind-boggling. It ranks second in Seahawks history for games played with ten or more attempts.
Darnold’s opening drives set the tone for the game. He threw touchdown passes on each of Seattle’s first four possessions. He tied the franchise record for completing his first 17 passes. This remarkable accomplishment tied the mark established by Hall of Famer Warren Moon back in 1998. It was Darnold’s performance on and off the field that truly emphasized his potential to be an elite quarterback. He joined legends Tom Brady, Tony Romo, and Lamar Jackson, tying a record for the most games with a completion percentage of 80% or greater in a single season since 2006.
Even his position coach bragged on Darnold’s performance, saying Coach Mike Macdonald, “Sam’s execution right now, he’s just ridiculous. His confidence and intelligence reading the game was on display from start to finish of the match.
“Obviously, I can feel the flow of the game and understand that we’re doing really good on offense, but no I didn’t know that I hadn’t thrown an incompletion.” – Sam Darnold
In the locker room at halftime, he learned — from a teammate — that he had yet to throw an incompletion. He humorously remarked, “It was pretty cool. Someone at halftime said to me that I hadn’t thrown an incompletion, so I think he’s to blame for throwing an incompletion in the second half.” While he didn’t identify the person that said this to him, it goes to show you the chemistry on the team.
The Seahawks’ offense operated efficiently under Darnold’s leadership, and it was clear that he had established a connection with his receivers. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba noted, “We stay away from him a little bit and just let him do his thing,” indicating that Darnold’s confidence allows him to thrive without excessive interference from teammates.
Darnold was a significant factor in Seattle’s blowout victory. Although he got pulled for Drew Lock with a little more than seven minutes remaining in the game, the damage he did was very telling. That’s how Vince has been able to keep his focus and effectiveness even late into the game. That’s an encouraging sign for the Seahawks as they enter the second half of the season.
Leave a Reply