The final numbers won’t do Sam Darnold many favors after the Seattle Seahawks fell 17-14 in overtime to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
Darnold finished 27-of-51 for 278 yards with two interceptions, including a critical pick in overtime that put Denver within striking distance for the game-winning field goal.
Dig a little deeper, though, and the performance provides Seattle with at least one hopeful takeaway.
Darnold was a completely different quarterback when Denver didn’t generate pressure.
Sumer Sports’ Shawn Syed posted Darnold’s pressure splits after the game. The Seahawks quarterback completed 20 of 31 passes for 220 yards when kept clean. That works out to a 64.5% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt.
*Pressured: 7/20, 58 yards, 5 sacks, 4 throwaways *Not pressured: 20/31, 220 yards
Under pressure? Darnold completed 7 of 20 attempts for only 58 yards while taking five sacks and throwing the ball away four times.
Darnold’s Numbers Put Seahawks Protection in Spotlight
The Broncos finished with five sacks and consistently wrecked Seattle possessions by getting into the backfield.
The problems began immediately. Darnold completed his first four passes of the game before consecutive sacks derailed Seattle’s opening possession, per the Field Gulls’ game recap.
It continued throughout the night.
Another sack pushed the Seahawks backward after a 42-yard completion to Rashid Shaheed, making a field-goal attempt more tricky. Darnold later took his fifth sack with Seattle again in scoring range.
The pressure numbers become even more interesting when considering what Darnold said before the game.
During his Oct. 13 press conference, the quarterback addressed his need to be more decisive and get the football out faster after Seattle’s loss to San Francisco.
Denver made doing so hard.
Darnold still deserves criticism for some of the sacks and both interceptions. Protection issues cannot explain every mistake. His fourth-quarter interception to Kris Abrams-Draine came with Seattle within Denver territory, while Ja’Quan McMillian picked him off in overtime.
Yet the clean-pocket numbers show Seattle could move the football when Darnold had a chance to operate.
Seahawks Offense Showed Signs When Darnold Had Time
Seattle’s late comeback showed more evidence.
Darnold helped engineer an 11-play, 67-yard fourth-quarter possession that ended with George Holani scoring from 1 yard out. Darnold then connected with Shaheed on the 2-point conversion to pull Seattle within 14-11.
On the Seahawks’ final regulation possession, Darnold helped move the offense into field-goal range for Jason Myers to force overtime.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba also began finding room after a quiet start. He had only two catches for 11 yards in the first half before becoming one of Darnold’s primary options as Seattle mounted its comeback.
There’s a lot for the Seahawks to fix after falling to 3-3, and Darnold’s turnovers are near the top of the list.
But Syed’s numbers, at least, don’t point to Darnold’s inability to get the job done in a clean pocket.
Figuring out how to create more of those healthy pockets for Seattle might be every bit as important as fixing the quarterback himself.
Seahawks’ Sam Darnold Split Reveals Silver Lining After Broncos Loss