SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.) – Sam Darnold showed once again he might not be ready for prime time, especially in a big game on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback threw four interceptions in their 21-19 loss to the Rams on Sunday. Darnold’s four turnovers certainly played a role in the loss, with the Rams scoring two of their three touchdowns thanks to the short field position they got from the interceptions.
Despite Darnold’s mistake-prone day, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV isn’t blaming his quarterback for the loss.
“This is football,” Jones told reporters after the game. “He’s our quarterback and we’ve got his back. If you’ve got anything to say [about that], quite frankly, f— you.”
Winners of five straight, the Rams improved to 8-2 on the season by getting the win in the crucial NFC West matchup. Meanwhile, the Seahawks had their four-game winning streak snapped, dropping to 7-3 on the year.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Sam Darnold catches turnover bug … again
The USC product had been playing at an MVP level entering Sunday’s contest. Darnold had thrown just six interceptions on the year before facing the Rams, but at least one in the last three games.
Facing constant pressure from L.A.’s menacing front, Darnold was intercepted a disappointing four times by the Rams, putting the Seahawks’ defense in a tough position to try and limit the damage. The Seahawks played tough defensively, holding the Rams to 14 points scored off those turnovers. However, the lack of scoring from one of the league’s best offenses (at least statistically) is concerning.
Darnold’s performance was eerily similar to his struggles the last time he faced the Rams as the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card game last season. Of course, Darnold also had an underwhelming performance in the crucial matchup against the Detroit Lions in last season’s regular-season finale.
For a Seattle squad built to compete for a deep postseason run, a No. 1 priority for head coach Mike Macdonald will be getting his starting quarterback’s confidence back.
2. Rams still kings of the NFC West, chasing No. 1 seed
After going on the road to play in the postseason the past two years, head coach Sean McVay emphasized working to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs this season.
And with the victory over Seattle, the Rams took another big step in reaching that goal. At 8-2, the Rams are a game ahead of Seattle for the top spot in the NFC West and a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, seven of L.A.’s next seven opponents have winning records, including a rematch with the Seahawks in Seattle in five weeks.
“I just know I look forward to seeing them again,” Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams said from the losing locker room.
3. Kyren Williams carries Rams’ offense by running the football
Matthew Stafford is rightly one of the frontrunners for the league MVP award. But with the Seahawks focused on keeping everything in front of them, Stafford was content to hand the ball off to Williams with good results.
Williams finished with 92 rushing yards on 10 carries and a score. Stafford passed for just 150 yards and two touchdowns, but more importantly, did not turn the ball over. Williams generated 65 yards after missed tackles and averaged 5.7 yards after contact per carry, both the second most in a game for his career, per Next Gen Stats.
4. Ethan Evans’ coffin corner kick helps Rams seal victory
Special teams have been an issue for the Rams this season. However, punter Ethan Evans executed a perfect punt by kicking the ball out of bounds at Seattle’s 1-yard line with 1:41 left and his team leading by two points.
Darnold impressively managed to march his offense into field goal position, giving kicker Jason Myers a chance to make a career-long 61-yard field goal for the win. But Myers’ kick was short and wide right, and the Rams escaped with an important win due in large part to Evans’ impressive kick.
4 ½. What’s next?
Winners of five straight, the road doesn’t get any easier for the Rams, who host Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4) in a nationally televised game on Sunday night. At 3-2 in the conference, Los Angeles could use a victory over Tampa Bay to improve its chances in the NFC tiebreakers at the end of the season. It’s why the Rams would trail the Eagles for the No. 1 seed in the NFC if Philadelphia beats the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The Seahawks look to bounce back against the worst team in the league, traveling to Nashville to face Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans. That begins a three-game stretch of games against teams with losing records before hosting the Indianapolis Colts and Rams in back-to-back weeks.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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