Round 1 between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams didn't exactly live up to the hype. While it came down to a last-second field goal attempt, the matchup could have been much more compelling if Sam Darnold had managed to bring his A-game.
Instead, we were treated to a vintage Darnold performance more in line with how he played the first three years of his career with the Jets. Darnold threw four interceptions, putting the Seahawks in a terribly deep hole that the defense and Jason Myers almost managed to climb out of on their own.
In the end, Darnold's turnovers were just a little too much to overcome. As a result of his awful game in LA, Darnold is down two spots in CBS Sports' latest quarterback power rankings, now No. 9.
"Speaking of scattershot, Darnold's fire-away mentality has lately come back to bite him; he's suddenly up to 10 picks in 10 games. Seattle also wouldn't be vying for the NFC West without his zealous approach."
Sam Darnold
Nov 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) rolls out to pass during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
A lot goes into how every quarterback performance goes - but the biggest factor in Darnold's picks appeared to be a case of panic. Specifically, Darnold desperately wanted to avoid getting sacked - remembering the nine that he took against the Rams in the Minnesota Vikings' 2024 finale.
Sometimes taking a sack is necessary, though - and that would have been infinitely preferable to what Darnold did instead - making hurried reads and bad throws.
In Darnold's defense, Seattle's interior offensive line did him no favors, allowing tons of quick pressures that put Darnold in bad situations far too often.
However, Darnold knows he needs to react better to that pressure - because smart teams are going to see what worked for the Rams and try to copy it when they face Darnold from here on out. He'll either adjust and learn how to attack those looks, or he'll continue to flop in big games.
This week offers a simple get-right matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who hold the worst record in the league. After that it's right back into the fire against Brian Flores and the Vikings, who still have a sharp defense and should know how to defend Darnold as well as anybody.
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