There's no way to spin that Sam Darnold's performance in the Seattle Seahawks' loss to the Los Angeles Rams was acceptable. There's also no reason to attempt to pin it all solely on his shoulders.
A quick glance at social media will tell you that an awful lot of 12s think that the Seahawks will never win with Sam Darnold under center. Given that he's piloted them to seven wins in ten games, that seems to be a bit off-kilter.
It's worth noting that if anyone has earned the right to be critical of Darnold's performance, it would be one of the Seahawks' defensive leaders, Ernest Jones. Yet [he made it clear](https://12thmanrising.com/ernest-jones-just-dropped-some-brutal-truth-critics-seattle-seahawks-sam-darnold) that he won't tolerate any criticism of his quarterback. I think it's fair to say he was quite emphatic that anyone who blamed the loss on Darnold was - well, not correct. Listen, Darnold wasn't good, but Jones is right.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold wasn't the only problem in the loss to the Rams
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So let's get this out of the way. Yes, I agree with Mr. Jones that his quarterback - our quarterback - doesn't deserve all the blame for the loss. But four interceptions are four interceptions. Yes, Cooper Kupp was held on the first pick, but Darnold's throw looked like it was going to be picked off anyway.
Darnold has a much better argument on the second pick, as the right side of the O-line collapsed and he was hit as he threw the ball. But Anthony Bradford's apparently a great player, so no need to make a trade before the deadline.
Darnold has no excuse for his third pick, as he threw into double coverage - very tight double coverage at that - in an attempt to hit Elijah Arroyo. Maybe Arroyo should have cut off the route sooner. If he had, he still would have a defender in front of him. A.J. Barner was open and would have picked up at least 16 yards, while Kenneth Walker III was open over the middle for a short gain, too.
The final interception was probably the most egregious. Egregious for the offensive line, not Darnold. Trailing 21-12 in the fourth, he stepped up under a massive pass rush and made a jump throw literally while being dragged to the turf. Considering that it was third and three, I understand why he tried to make the play. Had he taken the sack, it would have been fourth and seven, at least.
But considering that after a shaky start, the Seahawks' defense had held the Rams in check, Darnold should have made the smart play and given Michael Dickson the chance to put Los Angeles in bad field position.
After the first quarter, the Rams' longest drive was just 25 yards. Other than that short-field "drive," the result of Darnold's fourth pick, Los Angeles' drives resulted in seven punts and a fumble.
So yes, Darnold deserves [a lot of the blame](https://12thmanrising.com/sam-darnold-just-confirmed-seattle-seahawks-fans-worst-fears-week-11-loss). But the winning touchdown was scored by our old buddy Colby Parkinson, when he swatted Ty Okada to the side like a gnat. Okada has been exceptional, stepping in for the injured Julian Love.
Anthony Bradford, as mentioned earlier, was his usual sieve on the right side of the line. Penalties happen, yes, but Nick Kallerup's holding call negated what would have been a K-9 touchdown run to give the Seahawks the lead.
So, yeah, it sure looked like Geno Smith had possessed Sam Darnold for the day. But there was plenty of blame to go around for this loss. Sadly, Sam is now third in the NFL in the stat no one wants to lead. But ever reliable, at least Geno is tied for number one.