Seahawks’ Sam Darnold Humorously Assigns Blame For Mistake Against Commanders
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold started as hot as it gets with perfect passing and touchdowns in a 38-14 blowout of the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Whether or not he was in the zone, he played like with a 16-16 start on passing with all four of his touchdown passes in the first half. That even caught Darnold’s attention during the break as he admitted that he didn’t know about the perfect start at the time, and he won’t admit who mentally tripped him up — albeit jokingly.
“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,” Darnold told reporters afterward. “It’s 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. [I’m] not going to say who it was.”
Darnold ultimately went 21-24 for 330 yards and four touchdowns versus an interception. He hit a season-best 87.5% completion rate, and he wasn’t sure on the last time he threw 16-straight completions to start things off.
“I don’t know,” Darnold admitted. “I gotta go back to the archives for that. I think I had a similar game in high school, but college or pro, that’s probably the most consecutively.”
Darnold played for San Clemente in the Los Angeles area before he starred at USC and became a No. 3 pick of the New York Jets. His performance on Sunday was the latest in his two-year resurgence after a slow start to his NFL career.
Sam Darnold: ‘Sometimes That Flow Just Happens’
Darnold’s career has been trending upward since his 14-3 season with the Minnesota Vikings last year, but Sunday’s performance with the Seahawks was exceptional.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s times where you feel like as a play-caller with Klint [Kubiak] and myself and just the whole offense, you can feel that kind of flow and feel like every single play that we’re calling is for the exact defense that they’re rolling out there,” Darnold said. “Sometimes that flow just happens, especially in football. It feels good when it happens, but you just gotta take advantage of it when you get those looks for those plays that are being called.”
Spreading the Wealth
Darnold didn’t rely on just one or two playmakers for his big performance on Sunday. Three different players caught touchdowns, and seven different receivers had catches and at least 19 yards or more.
“It’s huge. It’s huge for our team. We say it all the time, but to actually see it happen, [Head] Coach Mike [MacDonald] says it all the time, it takes all 70 every single week,” Darnold said. “It takes all 70 to go out here and execute on Sundays.
“You saw it come to life. Cody White, Ricky White [III], all these guys on the practice squad have been putting on really good tape out there. It’s not by mistake,” Darnold added. “They’re going up against a great defense every single week and they proved, especially Cody, Tory [Horton], and all those guys, they proved why they’re here in the NFL.”
“I thought Cody did really well the entire week, especially with everything going down the way it did, and just being ready when his number was called. Especially Tory and Ricky as well,” Darnold concluded.
Dodgers insider throws cold water on potential Kyle Tucker signing over self-inflicted roadblock
The offseason is quickly approaching after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. One big name to watch this offseason is Kyle Tucker, who is expected to command a massive paycheck.
“Tucker is expected to be the highest paid free agent in this class. Most analysts believe he will get somewhere between $500 million and $650 million based on the recent contracts of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with the Blue Jays ($500 million) and Juan Soto with the Mets ($765 million). Tucker can impact a game in so many ways with his five tools: hitting, power, defense, arm strength and speed. He has made four straight All-Star teams and is putting together another strong season,” The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote.
Lately, the Dodgers have emerged as one of the favorites to sign Tucker this offseason. However, there could be factors that prevent him from joining Los Angeles.
“The only way I see Dodgers landing Kyle Tucker is if he signs an Alex Bregman type contract (3 yr/$120M) with opt outs. With the 2027 season in question, tough to imagine he'd want to do that unless his market is not there this offseason and the Dodgers are too enticing,” Dodgers writer Blake Harris wrote.
Adding to the uncertainty is the question of MLB salary cap space, which has been a concern due to the Dodgers’ high payroll.
“Yet, there are plenty of teams leaguewide that will look at the Dodgers’ recent spending, shrug their shoulders, and not even consider following in their footsteps. Not only did the Dodgers’ $240 million payroll lead baseball, but they spent over $200 million more than three teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates ($31.1 million), Baltimore Orioles ($25.4 million), and Miami Marlins ($22.3 million). Only 17 of the league’s 30 teams fielded at least an $80 million payroll, a jarring and concerning sight ahead of a potential lockout following the 2026 season,” FanSided’s Jake Elman wrote.
The Dodgers’ tendency to go all out each offseason could influence Tucker to look elsewhere this year. While nothing is certain, that concern is undoubtedly on the minds of free agents.
Tucker will be an intriguing player to watch as the winter unfolds. If a potential lockout becomes a concern, the Dodgers could miss out on this top available free agent.
