The Seattle Seahawks have a specific problem to solve with Sam Darnold before sending their quarterback against a productive pass rush.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported Tuesday that Darnold’s average time before throwing has climbed to 3.25 seconds since his Week 3 return, the longest mark among 31 qualifying quarterbacks, according to ESPN Research.
His average last season: 2.86 seconds/21st.
Darnold reiterated today that he wants to get the ball out faster and be more decisive.
Darnold averaged 2.86 seconds before throwing last season, which ranked 21st.
His apparent weakness will get put in the spotlight as the Seahawks travel to face the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, and Denver heads into the matchup with 13 sacks, ninth-most in the NFL. The Broncos also have five interceptions through five games.
Darnold knows the ball has to come out sooner.
And Seattle’s quarterback reiterated Tuesday that he wants to speed up his decision-making, a point that has become increasingly tricky to ignore after a rough two-game stretch for the passing attack.
Darnold’s Time to Throw Has Become a Seahawks Concern
Darnold’s return from a glute injury displayed the type of production Seattle hoped to see.
He missed Week 2 but returned against Washington to complete 31 of 45 passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn’t sacked in that 33-31 loss.
The protection — and Darnold’s ability to operate quickly within it — has risen as a giant issue since.
The Los Angeles Chargers sacked him three times in Week 4. The San Francisco 49ers followed with five sacks in Seattle’s 32-29 loss on Oct. 11. Darnold finished that game 18-of-29 for 195 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, producing a 64.6 passer rating.
Seattle has gone from allowing zero sacks in Darnold’s return to giving up eight over the past two games.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said Tuesday that the coaching staff is working to help Darnold play faster and more decisively. Seattle has also moved away from some seven-plus-man protection looks while trying to find answers for its recent offensive inconsistency.
Broncos Present Stressor for Seahawks’ Fix
There won’t be an abundance of time to correct it.
Denver recorded five sacks and forced three turnovers in its 23-17 win over the Chargers in Week 5. Four of those sacks came in the fourth quarter as the Broncos’ defense took over the game.
That makes holding the football for an NFL-high amount of time a dangerous proposition Thursday.
Darnold has otherwise flashed enough to keep Seattle’s offense dangerous. He has thrown for 755 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions since the season began, despite playing only five snaps in Week 1 and sitting out Week 2 because of his glute injury.
Now comes the adjustment.
Seattle has emphasized ball security in the wake of committing four turnovers against San Francisco, and getting Darnold through his reads quicker is an avenue toward cleaning up several problems at once.
The quarterback himself appears to recognize it.
Facing a Denver defense coming off a five-sack performance, the Seahawks may find out in snap if that acknowledgment produces a tangible change.
Seahawks Hit With NFL-Worst Sam Darnold Trend Before Broncos Game