Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold dominated on Sunday night against the Washington Commanders, and it didn’t surprise his head coach, Mike Macdonald.
Darnold threw for four touchdown passes as he went 16-16 for 282 yards before halftime in a 38-14 romp over the Commanders. He finished with 21-24 passing for 330 yards overall.
“Believe me when I say, I’m not surprised. We watched Sam every day on how he operates, and he’s the same guy every day, which is what you love about him. And we’re chasing it,” Macdonald told reporters afterward. “The guys are determined, and it’s fun to watch. And when the team comes together, that’s this type of stuff that you can do when you play the right way, you prepare the right way.”
“And our coaches deserve a lot of credit too, man. I thought [Offensive Coordinator] Klint [Kubiak] called a great game. All the coaches involved in the game plan process, I thought we had some great answers, and it all came together,” Macdonald added.
Darnold has an MVP-like season going for the Seahawks at the moment with 2,084 yards passing for 16 touchdowns versus five interceptions. He had one in the second half of on Sunday with the Seahawks well ahead of the Commanders.
“But, Sam’s execution right now, he’s just ridiculous, just plain to sight. All the things we talked about that he’s been doing, but decisive, making smart decisions,” Macdonald said.
Mike Macdonald Makes Admission on First Drive
Seattle started off with authority on offense with a 12-play, 90-yard drive for the first score of the game on Sunday.
Darnold capped it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tory Horton. Macdonald admitted to a detail he had forgotten, but he liked how his team executed from the start, despite being without one of their top receivers, Cooper Kupp.
“Yeah, incredible. I forget what coverage they were in, but just a great job,” Macdonald said. “Coop is down for the day, Tory steps up. Cody White stepping up, first touchdown. Elijah [Arroyo] stepping up in that situation. Just awesome with the guys.”
“That’s why we train the way we do. It’s why we practice. It’s why we take all those reps, so those young guys can develop and grow,” Macdonald added.
Mike Macdonald Talks Offensive Growth
Macdonald like the progress of the offense against the Commanders.
Seattle put together its second-highest scoring output of the season and won for the sixth time in the last seven games. The Seahawks also piled on 418 total yards as a team and went 7-11 on third downs.
“Well, I thought we took a massive jump today with our operation. I was proud of them,” Macdonald said. “We took the line, and motion, and shift, and it’s been a massive point of emphasis for us. And they’re playing together, so it didn’t matter how old you are, but this group is committed to play for the guy next to him.”
“And that’s a powerful thing. And you can do some special things. If you keep doing that,” Macdonald added.
Seahawks Mike Macdonald Sends Message on Sam Darnold