Sam Darnold is proving that 2024 was no fluke. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback was terrific for the Minnesota Vikings last year, and he has been quite good for his new team this year. But he likely has never been better than he was in the first half of Week 9 against the Washington Commanders.
Maybe no quarterback ever has been. It would be difficult to argue otherwise.
Darnold didn't throw an incompletion, but he also wasn't simply throwing a bunch of short passes. The Seahawks' QB1 was dropping dimes everywhere. Crossing patterns in rhythm? Check. Deep sidelines throws? Yep. The quarterback was 16 for 16 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has a special first half in Week 9
Star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had the most targets with seven and had 119 yards receiving, but he didn't have any of the touchdowns. Instead, two rookies, Tory Horton and Elijah Arroyo, got in on the action. Horton had two.
The other touchdown was a pass from Darnold to Cody White, who broke a tackle and raced 60 yards to the end zone. The pass was great, but the run was better. That might be the only play where the quarterback was involved where Darnold wasn't the reason the play was a success.
Sam Darnold's passer rating was perfect, of course, at 158.3. He was getting some help, too. The run game was working fairly well as Seattle averaged 4.4 yards per rush, and the offensive line kept the quarterback clean. Darnold wasn't hit in the first half on the way to the Seahawks, leading 31-7.
Sam Darnold is the only QB since 2000 to complete 100 percent of his passes, have 4+ pass TD, and have 250+ pass yards in a single half
— Dante Koplowitz-Fleming (@DanteKopFlem) November 3, 2025
Of course, as this is written, the game is still only at halftime. The Commanders could come back and make the game much closer. Seattle led 28-0 before a late first-half touchdown drive, led by Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Sam Darnold is probably bound to throw an incompletion in Week 9, and possibly the game is a little less beautiful for Seattle Seahawks fans in the second half. But the first half by Darnold was special. In fact, he was only one of two NFL quarterbacks in the last 20 years to have four touchdowns and a perfect passer rating in the first half of a game.