After a tough game against the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and offensive coordinator Brian Fleury changed the playbook ahead of Thursday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Against the 49ers, Darnold threw for 195 yards on 29 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Seattle Seahawks accumulated four total turnovers in Sunday’s game, giving away the game to their division rivals.
As a first-year offensive coordinator, Fleury has experienced some growing pains especially when the team missed Darnold for practically the first two games of the season. By working with Darnold, they can figure out the best way to limit the turnovers before the Broncos game. A tweak to the playbook could help unlock this Seahawks offense against a strong Denver defense.
Fleury said, “[The new playbook is] relying more heavily on plays that we have a lot of experience with both through training camp and through the first couple weeks that he’s comfortable making swift decisions and progressing through. We’re going to lean more in that direction.”
Seattle Seahawks Attempt to Address Darnold’s Turnovers Ahead of Broncos Game
Because of their 3-2 start, there is a sense of urgency within the Seattle Seahawks organization to fix their issues. In particular, the turnovers are a massive issue that needs to be addressed. Last season, the Seahawks were one of the worst teams in turnover differential as well. It has been a team issue even last season, but they did not commit a single turnover during their playoff run to a Super Bowl title.
When former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, everyone knew that whoever came to Seattle would have some massive shoes to fill. Fleury has mainly operated as an unknown, and we are still learning about his tendencies. The lack of a running game has made the Seattle Seahawks sequencing on offense difficult to manage. However, getting the quarterback right is paramount over the efficiency of the running game.
Fleury said, “[Darnold and I] have weekly conversations about each game plan, what concepts he is most comfortable with and what concepts with which receivers he’s the most comfortable with. It’s just constant communication between the two of us to get to stuff to when the call comes in, he’s like ‘Yeah, absolutely. I know we’re moving the ball on this one.”
Darnold’s Improvement Paramount For the Team’s Super Bowl Chances
When the Seattle Seahawks offense has been most successful, Darnold has been able to make plenty of big time throws even under pressure. While the running game remains a key supporting factor for him to do that, its more important that Darnold has time to throw and create plays down the field. Darnold against the Commanders showed that he can produce at an extremely high level even without a running game. If the Seahawks want to get back to being successful offensively, Darnold needs to spread the ball around to his receiving weapons.
Seattle Seahawks Darnold Playbook Changes Before Broncos Game