Seahawks HC Reveals Message to Sam Darnold Amid 4-INT Game
He had to endure watching his quarterback throw four interceptions in a pivotal game against a division rival, so Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald still had a clear message for Sam Darnold.
The latter’s turnovers proved costly when the Seahawks dropped a heartbreaker, 21-19 to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. Darnold might’ve expected to be read the riot act by his boss, but Macdonald instead told his QB1, “Keep ripping it, man. We love you and we’ve got your back,” per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
That was a bold show of confidence in a passer in full self-destruct mode at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, November 16. Darnold had been playing exceptional football this season, but he tied a career-high for interceptions in a single game against a Rams defense that appeared to have him confused.
In the process, Darnold reverted to the mistake-prone, erratic tendencies that doomed the third-overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft earlier in his career.
Sam Darnold Showed Bad Habits at the Worst Time
This was Darnold at his worst. He was indecisive, held the ball too long, misread coverage and forced throws into crowds.
His third INT, thrown to safety Kamren Kinchens late in the third quarter, encapsulated all of those failings.
Darnold also wilted and became reckless under pressure. It was the same story when the Rams swarmed on him for nine sacks in last season’s playoffs.
He was wearing a Minnesota Vikings uniform then, but Darnold is still trying to overcome the stigma of his early mistakes with the New York Jets and prove his doubters wrong. Those doubters are “gonna be loud this week,” according to ESPN’s Mike Greenberg.
Sam Darnold is having the exact game his skeptics expected him to. They’re gonna be loud this week. #Seahawks
Earning a Pro Bowl berth last season and being in the MVP debate this campaign hasn’t changed the narrative for Darnold, who needs to leads the Seahawks past the Rams and win when it matters.
Seahawks Still Have a Rams Problem
This was supposed to be the moment when the Seahawks laid down a marker signifying their ability to dominate the NFC West. Unfortunately, Darnold, Macdonald and Co. still can’t get past those Rams.
The Seahawks have now won just one of their last five games against their familiar foes, according to StatMuse. Finding ways to end the drought continues to prove a challenge, with Macdonald admitting “I’ve got to settle down in terms of the game plan,” per The Tacoma News Tribune’s Gregg Bell.
Macdonald’s challenge was helping a tough defense keep up with all the moving parts of Rams’ head coach Sean McVay’s varied offense. Ultimately though, Darnold and his own receivers needed to make the difference.
They couldn’t, even with the inside knowledge offered by former Rams Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp. He was blunt about this performances, with Hawk Blogger’s Brian Nemhauser noting Kupp stated, “By our standards on offense, we played a really poor game.”
Quarterback and receivers not being on the same page prevented the Seahawks from making plays in clutch moments. Like when Darnold and Kupp couldn’t connect on a deep route along the sideline as the Seahawks were driving to give Jason Myers a favorable field goal attempt to win the game.
Myers was left trying to convert from 61 yards, another example of Darnold and the offense not being efficient enough when it counted.
BREAKING: Packers Give Update on QB Jordan Love After Injury Exit vs. Giants
The Green Bay Packers looked like they might need to finish their Week 11 matchup with the New York Giants without starting quarterback Jordan Love leading the offense. But he came to lead a grinding win.
Love exited late in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Giants with a shoulder injury after taking a shot from linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles on a 4-yard scramble. He spent a brief amount of time in the blue medical tent on the sideline before jogging off into the locker room while his team continued the drive.
Minutes after Love’s departure, the Packers issued an update on his injury status, officially ruling him questionable to return to Week 11’s game against the Giants.
Love had completed just one of his four passes for a loss of one yard before exiting the game with his injury as the Packers offense continued to struggle with drops and other issues that have plagued them in recent weeks. He also had two carries for seven yards.
Seven plays after his injury, though, backup quarterback Malik Willis threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Watson to pull within a point of the Giants.
Ultimately, Jordan Love returned to the game for the Packers and led the team to a tight, 27-20 win in tough conditions, to move their record to 6-3-1.
Josh Jacobs Also ‘Questionable’ to Return for Packers
The Packers also sustained another concerning injury in Sunday’s first half against the Giants as starting running back Josh Jacobs followed Love’s exit in the second quarter.
On the same drive that Love sustained his injury, Jacobs was stood up for no gain on the Giants’ 1-yard line one play before Willis’ touchdown pass to Watson. He did not return for the Packers’ subsequent drive as backup Emanuel Wilson took his place.
Shortly thereafter, the Packers officially announced that Jacobs has a knee injury and is questionable to return for the remainder of the game against the Giants.
Jacobs had taken seven carries for 40 yards before exiting with his injury. Since his exit, Wilson has carried the ball four times for 18 yards and the Packers’ second touchdown of the game, one that gave them a 13-7 lead over the Giants with 7:39 left in the half.
