The Seattle Seahawks were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams with Sam Darnold throwing four interceptions in a brutal performance after he had a similarly poor game the last time he played the team
09:52 ET, 18 Nov 2025
Ernest Jones IV vehemently defended Sam Darnold
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Ernest Jones IV vehemently defended Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold delivered another poor performance against the Los Angeles Rams, this time with the Seattle Seahawks. But defensive leader Ernest Jones IV believes any criticism towards him is unfair.
Darnold had a poor game against the Rams in the Minnesota Vikings playoff loss last season, where he was greatly criticized. That nightmare was a topic of conversation heading into the Seahawks game against the Rams this week, with many wondering whether Darnold could step up. The quarterback signed a three-year, $100 million deal with Seattle this offseason, and has played at a high level while being PFF's number-one ranked quarterback.
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Instead, he threw four bad interceptions while failing to find the end zone. Without the interceptions, it had looked like a game that the Seahawks could have won before eventually losing from a late field goal miss.
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Getting ahead of any criticism that he knew would come Darnold's way, Jones stated: "Sam's been balling. If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam's had us in every ------- game.
"So, for him to sit there and say, 'That's my fault,' no it's not. It was plays that defensively we could have made ... opportunities where we could have got better stops. It's football, man. He's our quarterback. We've got his back, and if you've got anything to say, quite frankly, ---- you."
Darnold made multiple mistakes in the pocket
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Darnold made multiple mistakes in the pocket
Darnold's issues were caused by his decision-making in the pocket, with the Rams defense pouncing after he had stared down his receivers before attempting to force a pass into a tight window.
The quarterback took accountability for the performance, knowing he made mistakes he should not be making in a game that had been huge for the Seahawks' season.
He said: "I can't turn the ball over as much as I did today. I'll learn from it, watch the tape, grow from it. You've got to give credit to the Rams. Obviously, they're a really good defense, a really good team. But I've got to be better, personally."
Darnold knows he must improve in 'big' games in the future
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Darnold knows he must improve in 'big' games in the future
Despite Darnold's four opportunities, the Seahawks still had the chance to win the game with the last play of the game after the quarterback had led a drive in field goal range with passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rasheed Shaheed.
But Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was not able to make the game-winning kick, with the Rams taking the lead in the division moving to 8-2, while Seattle dropped to 7-3.
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The two teams will face each other again just a months time, in a game that could be the decider in the NFC West, amid the San Francisco 49ers injury issues and Arizona Cardinals struggling mightily.
The Seahawks will face the Tennessee Titans this upcoming weekend.
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