Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks did not have a pretty Week 11. In fact, his performance was rather inexcusable. He threw for 279 yards, but he tossed no touchdowns and four interceptions. Three of them came during a period of the second half when the offense was undergoing a meltdown.
That the team almost came back to win says a lot about how good the Seattle defense is, and might even say something about the resourcefulness of Darnold, but make no mistake: The main reason Seattle lost is because Darnold kept throwing passes to the Los Angeles Rams.
This, however, should be coupled with the fact that Seattle is very unlikely to have the record they currently have of 7-3 without Sam Darnold. He has made far too many second half mistakes, but has also been mostly terrific in the first half of games.
Ernest Jones firmly has Sam Darnold's back despite the Seattle Seahawks' Week 11 loss
He also has a bunch of teammates who obviously believe in him because he has been good on the field and elite in the locker room. He has done too much so far for his teammates to suddenly turn on him.
That includes linebacker Ernest Jones, one of the defensive leaders. He made his stance crystal clear while speaking to the media after the Seahawks' 21-19 loss to the Rams. Maybe Jones' quarterback made some critical mistakes against LA, but Seattle will keep winning because of Sam Darnold was the implication.
In a not-safe-for-work comment when summarizing Darnold's performance, Jones said, "He's our quarterback. We've got his back. If you got anything to say, quite frankly, f*** you."
The linebacker did not deliver these words with any kind of malice or rage. He was matter-of-fact. He wanted to be blunt and clear, and he certainly was. The Seattle Seahawks are ready to ride with Sam Darnold until the bitter (or wonderful) end.
Ernest Jones IV says this loss isn’t all on Sam Darnold. And he’s still a big believer in Sam despite 4 INTs today.
“He’s our quarterback. We’ve got his back. If you got anything to say, quite frankly, fuck you.”
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) November 17, 2025
Of course, Ernest Jones and his teammates are probably braced for all the questions and criticism of Darnold. The rap on his career has been that he can't win the big games and makes too many brutal errors in those contests. Week 11 is certainly not going to help the argument opposed to that view.
But Darnold is also a redemption story, and he will have more chances to show how far he has come the rest of the season. He also has another chance against the Rams. Should he play well, then, few will keep bringing up his Week 11 meltdown.