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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 16: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks passes the ball under pressure from Nate Landman #53 of the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
When you're trying to stake a claim as potentially the best team in the NFL, you can't turn the ball over four times and expect to get the result you want.
Sam Darnold picked a bad day to have his worst outing in a Seattle uniform, throwing four interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams in a 21-19 Seahawks loss on Sunday afternoon.
"The Rams are a really good team, and we knew going into the game we needed to be able to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the red zone. We knew we were going to obviously have to take care of the football, and we didn't do that," head coach Mike Macdonald said.
The Seahawks' defense took a few body blows early from Los Angeles before locking down the Rams for most of the afternoon. However, Darnold wasn't able to uphold his end of the bargain.
While he wasn't sacked once in the game, Darnold was pressured into three of the interceptions by the Rams' defense. He also underthrew Rashid Shaheed on a would-be touchdown that allowed Emmanuel Forbes to make a last-second breakup at the goal line.
And somehow Seattle still had a 61-yard field goal chance to win it as time expired.
"Obviously, we're disappointed, but it's very clear to me that we have a great team, and we're going to learn to win games like that, and we're going to learn from weeks like this and all that," Macdonald said.
It was a missed opportunity for Seattle to get a statement victory over a very good Los Angeles team. It would have put the Seahawks in first place in the NFC West and left an impression that they're perhaps the team to beat in the NFC.
Especially when Seattle was objectively the better team beyond the turnovers, which, of course, are a pretty important detail.
Here are the takeaways from Seattle's loss to the Rams.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.
Turnovers cost the Seahawks the game. It's that simple.
Seattle's negative turnover margin had been a point of discussion entering this week's matchup as it was one of the few points of differentiation between the two teams. The Rams entered the game plus-7 in turnover differential while the Seahawks were a minus-4.
And Sunday's performance didn't help that ratio.
Darnold's four interceptions were offset by only one turnover forced by Seattle on the day as their turnover differential for the season slipped to minus-7. It led to two of the Rams' three touchdown drives needing less than 30 yards to find the end zone, including a 3-yard drive after Darnold's first pick of the day.
"I just wish I could have played better for our defense and just everyone on the team," Darnold said. "You know, it stings and it sucks. It should suck. And, you know, I'm just going to continue to grind and learn from this one."
Kamren Kinchens picked off Darnold twice, with Cobie Durant and Darious Williams each picking off a pass as well.
"Those are self-inflicted wounds turning the ball over like that," Darnold said. "Something it's better to just to try to throw the ball away or even take a sack when nothing's there.
"I feel like they did a really good job of taking things away. Felt like I could have hit some throws as well. Felt like I could have moved on in some progressions and been able to check the ball down. So there's a lot of a lot of different variables that go into it, and like I said, we'll learn from it and move on."
Kinchens first interception came with center Olu Oluwatimi getting pushed back into Darnold's face, which blocked Darnold's view of Kinchens as he tried to force a throw into Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Byron Young came free on a stunt on Seattle's opening drive of the third quarter, leading Darnold to throw off his back foot and get picked off by Durant along the sideline.
Coby Bryant ultimately bailed the Seahawks out on Darnold's second interception. Bryant punched a ball loose from Puka Nacua as Drake Thomas recovered just two plays after the pick to cancel out the interception for Seattle. It was the first lost fumble of Nacua's NFL career.
Jason Myers converted his fourth field goal of the game off Bryant's fumble recovery to cut the Rams' lead to 14-12.
But Darnold would be picked off by Kinchens again as he tried to force a seam throw to tight end Elijah Arroyo that just wasn't there.
The final interception of the day came on a third-and-3 after the Rams extended the lead to 21-12 following the third interception. Darnold tried to escape a collapsing pocket as Kinchens hit him as he stepped up away from Jared Verse and Poona Ford. A leaping throw for Arroyo was snagged by Williams.
"I was just trying to get the ball out of my hands," Darnold said. "Just a poor decision. There's a lineman in the way, didn't see the DB. Tried to make a jump pass and just didn't work out. I got to just dirt that one."
Darnold has been fantastic for the Seahawks so far this season. The Rams are just a good enough opponent to exploit mistakes when your game isn't its hardest. However, the performance should not be an indictment on Darnold overall. He's still a big reason why the Seahawks are 7-3.
And if the Seahawks only lose by two points to a good opponent in a game where Darnold throws four interceptions, that might actually speak more highly of the ceiling the Seahawks have when they're at their best.
Ernest Jones IV gives full support to Sam Darnold
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV showed why he's become such a respected leader for the Seahawks immediately after the loss to the Rams.
Jones wasn't going to let Sam Darnold take all of the criticism for the loss on his shoulders and quickly went to bat for Seattle's starting quarterback.
"Regardless of what side struggling, we've all struggled at some point during the game, and the other side has lifted us up," Jones said.
Like Darnold, Jones took the blame for a handful of early runs that broke free for sizable gains in the first quarter.
"I say all three of them, I put on myself," Jones said. "Any runs come through the middle field was mine, and I wasn't where I needed to be so that's how they get 60-some yards on six carries."
But Jones wasn't about to let Darnold take all the heat for the loss. He adamantly backed Darnold in his postgame press conference.
"Sam's been balling," Jones said. "If we want to try to define Sam by this game… man, Sam's had us in every f---ing game. So for him to sit there and say ‘oh, it’s my fault,' no it's not. There were plays that defensively we could have made plays. There were opportunities where we could have got better stops.
"Yeah, I mean, like, it's football, man, and he's our quarterback. We got his back. And you got anything to say? Quite frankly, f--- you."
Macdonald said the message he gave Darnold was to following the interceptions was to keep firing.
"Keep ripping it, man" Macdonald said. "We love you. We've got your back.
"Sam's like an ultimate competitor. He's going to be pissed, that's what you love about him. But he's going to bow up and keep rocking back. That's how we had to play to go try to win the game."
Darnold led an 84-yard, 11-play touchdown drive to pull Seattle within two with just over two minutes left to play. And it was followed by a 56-yard drive off their own goal line to give themselves a chance of winning on what would have been a career-long-tying 61-yard kick from Jason Myers.
The Seahawks defense was outstanding
Ernest Jones IV is absolutely within his right to talk about the plays they didn't make in Sunday's loss.
But it's not a long list.
Outside of a few big runs allowed early in the game, and two short-field touchdowns allowed, the defense dominated much of Sunday's game with the Rams.
Los Angeles gained 134 yards in the opening quarter with a 34-yard run by Kyren Williams serving as the big play of the quarter from the Rams offense. But Seattle stopped the Rams on downs on their opening drive before Sam Darnold's first interception led to the opening score on a 3-yard drive that still required all four downs to get across the goal line.
Seattle's defense then held the Rams to just 115 yards on their final 29 plays of the game over the final three quarters as they stuffed a prolific Rams offense into a locker.
Los Angeles managed just 12 first downs overall and 249 total yards, going just 2-of-11 on third down opportunities. Matthew Stafford managed just 130 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-28 passing on the day, with Puka Nacua catching seven passes for 75 yards.
The longest drive the Rams managed to put together after the first quarter was a meager 25-yard touchdown drive after Darnold's third interception of the game.
For the No. 2 ranked passing offense in football to be so ineffective speaks to how well Seattle's defense played.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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