BF calls the offensive plays, so to me he's holding the majority of the bag on this. What befuddles me (the know-nothing) is the absence of a short pass game to a variety of targets over the middle. Those schemes could compensate a bit for less RB talent, and let SD get the ball out faster. I do not understand why BF, with a lengthy pedigree as a TE coach under Shanahan, is unable to deploy his good TE room (we know even Saubert can catch passes, and BF knows him very well.) Arroyo is 100% MIA! Is it because we need TEs to block? That would point the finger at the OL. Benton is supposed to be great but ultimately that's BF's responsibility. I can't believe the issue is AB's injury.
A short passing game is exactly what a team struggling to run needs, especially when they have a stellar D. No need to seek shot plays when you could just dink and dunk and play time of possession and field position. But today’s NFL relies heavily on explosives. I hate to beat a dead horse, but the problem is obvious. Too many turnovers. And to me, that’s a result of SD too willing to play hero ball and seek those explosives when he just ain’t that kind of talent.
That’s all JSN. Sam’s just getting another prayer answered here.
I want to be clear that my opinion isn’t that Sam is bad. He just ain’t that good. Given that, I think you gotta let Drew spin it. There is no downside, only upside, and that to me is enough.
Two obvious comments. 1 we need a running game and 2) some one needs to tell Sam that sacks and picks are much worse than an incompletion. Too early to evaluate Fluery with no speed at RB. What happened to his use of TEs in the passing game?
i hate that darnold's picks are overshadowing how bad the run game is. i think the losses of Bobo and Ouzts were costlier than we -- or i -- thought at the time, plus Bradford. But Zabels' really disappointing.
When I think of all the frustrations with this team, I find myself thinking about the offseason predictions SSJ was wrong about:
-Cutting Kupp for cap savings
-Extending K9 at ~13-15M/yr
-Letting Rashid Shaheed walk if his price tag is too high
Looking back, I think just about all of us wish that SSJ was right about all 3 predictions. Kupp and Shaheed aren’t producing anywhere close to players who account for $24m in 2026 cap space and $20m in 2027 dead cap. And how much would we pay to have an electric runner who never fumbles on this offense? Plus a first round pick to dedicate to another position!
All we needed to do was PUNT in OT and at worst we tie. Utter disbelief. I feel so bad for the Defense and JSN after this one, like wow. How do you not whisper behind Sam's back in the locker room or on the plane ride home.
Shaheed’s conrtract a mistake when Horton could have sufficed. Lock a better choice than Darnold cuz I think you get the same results without having to pony up the $$$ after a second successful season that really is the result of a superior defense and head coach.
I think Lock being a better choice than Darnold is a big picture answer, not a small picture answer. I don't really care if Darnold is the long-term QB at this rate, but Seattle's got a better chance to win right now with Darnold. If that changes, it's fine, and it would save Seattle money. This is also why I said the Seahawks should have extended Lock.
How is Sam definitively better than Drew right now or at any point? If you really look their QB skills individually and not just wins/losses which are extremely situational, they are pretty much the same guy. But right now…Drew does not put the ball in harms way cuz he is better at realizing he doesn’t have to. I feel Sam is trying to prove something.
Drew Lock has a history of throwing a lot of interceptions when he's a starter, so the assumption that he would not put the ball in harm's way is mostly based on the fact that he just hasn't disappointed fans yet this season and he played the cardinals defense. If you would have felt that the Seahawks should have benched Sam Darnold in Week 1 despite winning the Super Bowl, then I credit you with consistency. But we actually had a ton of evidence in the previous 2 seasons that Sam Darnold is better than Lock. The Broncos have had an elite defense for a long time under Vance Joseph and his pressure rate in losses has been untenable for any starter.
Darnold has thrown a lot of pics against teams not named Denver. I’m not saying Drew couldn’t turn into a pic machine again, but if he is even slightly better with his contract and potential next contract vs Sam’s, it’s a no brainer to make the switch. I honestly think the short term difference is so minimal that the long term thinking makes the decision very easy. And it’s not like you couldn’t turn back to Sam in a pinch. Just saying they aren’t that different.
It's very hard for me to look at the 3 games and say "Sam Darnold is the only reason the Seahawks lost".
In fact I just could not bring myself to ever do that. He's one of like 10 reasons, but because he's the quarterback he gets all the attention. Why do other players keep fumbling? Why did Myers miss a kick he always makes? Why is the blocking so suspect?
The Quarterback always gets too much credit for wins and too much blame for losing.
Fans wanted to bench Darnold after the Rams game last year. Maybe that was fair. He still didn't make any mistakes after that 4-picker.
Utter frustration. Want to hope, but can’t anymore with this offense and ST too. No advantage like we did last year. Defense is tired of bailing out the other 2 groups. Sheed was a bad decision and losing K9 hurts worse every week. Offensive line is much worse and TE OC has made them worse? So many negatives to overcome and it most likely ain’t happening next game against Reid, K9 and Mahomes and Spags
I guess I don't understand what the harm would be in benching Sam for a game or two. Drew didn't throw any picks in the games he played, and although we had other turnovers, without Sam's picks we are likely 6-0. Right now, Sam is not playing better than we've seen Drew play this year, or in other parts of his career. There would seem to be little downside. Hell, why not play Milroe? At least he can run away from People. You may not see Drew acing the test, but I don't see Sam acing it either.
Previous article a few weeks ago showed comparison that Cardinals are by far the worst defense that the Seahawks have played. The Broncos have been an elite defense for a few years and this is Thursday night, which is always a shitty situation.
There's plenty of harm that can be done to publicly blame/scape goat the starting quarterback, only to be in a situation where two weeks from now after losing to the Chiefs and Bears, now you're pulling out Drew Lock and saying "Damn why is this YOUR fault now???"
It's far easier to make the change later down the line than to wobble back and forth. I guess to me it's plainly a bad offense and not simply a bad quarterback wasting a good offense. We don't even have enough information to put the first INT on Darnold, as Herbsteit said, it was a poor decision with a poor route by Horton. It seems like it's a bit harder for people to blame supporting cast though, when it's pretty obvious that most quarterbacks are carried by supporting cast.
I disagree. He threw that first pick fading backwards on his back foot. He did the same thing Maye did that lost their game to us in week 1. He threw fading back off his back foot with a guy in his face. A starting NFL QB cannot make that throw.
Drew Lock led the NFL in interceptions in 2020 and now because he hasn't been starting, and had one good game against the Cardinals, he would never have a bad throw?
I like Lock just fine, but it's not going to change how bad the rest of the offense has played.
Name someone else on offense who needs to be benched besides Sam Darnold.
They do. Do you really think though that Sam deserves the same length of a leash you'd give any of those guys? Does Sam really have the same history of solid QB play as those guys?
The OL allowed pressure, but he threw those picks. One was off his back foot under pressure, which he can simply choose not to throw, and the other was into coverage and also a bad throw. The OL may allow pressure, but he doesn't have to try to make throws in situations were the odds of success are bad. I can blame him. The OL should do their job, but his job is not to throw picks even when they don't.
No it's to everyone...there's a lot of over reacting. Bench Sam, bench Jobe, where's Lawrence, Myers needs competition, our o line is trash again...let's all relax and see what happens. Yes it doesn't feel like last year, but we could have a moment where the team comes together and boom we're back at it. Just a couple small adjustments can make a huge difference. Relax yall.
I agree for the most part Scott. I still fear everything getting back on track and paying Sam like he’s top tier though. I think all that shit could correct itself, but then we pay too much for an OK QB.
I'm not opposed to benching Sam Darnold in the future this season sometime. I think the pivot point would be the Cardinals game in 3 weeks. If he deserves it during or after the Cardinals game, then fine. I just don't see Drew Lock acing the test under the conditions behind this OL and with zero run game and one good receiver.
Without making excuses for Darnold, his ass made a lot of pinpoint throws tonight because he's got a gun. I don't think Lock has the same intermediate velocity, but idk, that could be a misread. Lock is more of a flutter passer in the 10-20 range with a nice 25-yard ball. I don't think his arm is nearly as good as Darnold's.
If anything I would rather watch Jalen Milroe than Drew Lock. At leas that wouldn’t just feel like a lateral move for the sake of change. And then you try to outrun everybody with speed when Price gets back. It’s such a one dimensional passing offense already, the offense is pretty simplified. “Throw it to JSN, hand it off, or run”.
Could he still be hurt? Could this be another Cal Raleigh thing, where he came back before he was fully healed and doesn't have the velocity on some throws that he used to have?
BF calls the offensive plays, so to me he's holding the majority of the bag on this. What befuddles me (the know-nothing) is the absence of a short pass game to a variety of targets over the middle. Those schemes could compensate a bit for less RB talent, and let SD get the ball out faster. I do not understand why BF, with a lengthy pedigree as a TE coach under Shanahan, is unable to deploy his good TE room (we know even Saubert can catch passes, and BF knows him very well.) Arroyo is 100% MIA! Is it because we need TEs to block? That would point the finger at the OL. Benton is supposed to be great but ultimately that's BF's responsibility. I can't believe the issue is AB's injury.
A short passing game is exactly what a team struggling to run needs, especially when they have a stellar D. No need to seek shot plays when you could just dink and dunk and play time of possession and field position. But today’s NFL relies heavily on explosives. I hate to beat a dead horse, but the problem is obvious. Too many turnovers. And to me, that’s a result of SD too willing to play hero ball and seek those explosives when he just ain’t that kind of talent.
Sam has problems. But the receiving core is bad (jsn aside). I say next week we force the ball to the TEs. Using them as blockers only is a travesty.
I'll give you one. This is not a Drew Lock throw:
https://x.com/NFL/status/2110930278436708646?s=20
I feel like I've seen enough Drew Lock at this point to know he ain't ever making this pass/completion .
That’s all JSN. Sam’s just getting another prayer answered here.
I want to be clear that my opinion isn’t that Sam is bad. He just ain’t that good. Given that, I think you gotta let Drew spin it. There is no downside, only upside, and that to me is enough.
Two obvious comments. 1 we need a running game and 2) some one needs to tell Sam that sacks and picks are much worse than an incompletion. Too early to evaluate Fluery with no speed at RB. What happened to his use of TEs in the passing game?
i hate that darnold's picks are overshadowing how bad the run game is. i think the losses of Bobo and Ouzts were costlier than we -- or i -- thought at the time, plus Bradford. But Zabels' really disappointing.
The real skill is recognizing when your first impression deserves to be challenged....
When I think of all the frustrations with this team, I find myself thinking about the offseason predictions SSJ was wrong about:
-Cutting Kupp for cap savings
-Extending K9 at ~13-15M/yr
-Letting Rashid Shaheed walk if his price tag is too high
Looking back, I think just about all of us wish that SSJ was right about all 3 predictions. Kupp and Shaheed aren’t producing anywhere close to players who account for $24m in 2026 cap space and $20m in 2027 dead cap. And how much would we pay to have an electric runner who never fumbles on this offense? Plus a first round pick to dedicate to another position!
On a night as tough as this loss, I am grateful for something that makes me look good.
Thanks!
All we needed to do was PUNT in OT and at worst we tie. Utter disbelief. I feel so bad for the Defense and JSN after this one, like wow. How do you not whisper behind Sam's back in the locker room or on the plane ride home.
I feel like a punt probably does end up in a seahawks win
Yes! I was praying for a punt and get our D back on the field. They couldn't do anything in 2nd half.
Shaheed’s conrtract a mistake when Horton could have sufficed. Lock a better choice than Darnold cuz I think you get the same results without having to pony up the $$$ after a second successful season that really is the result of a superior defense and head coach.
I think Lock being a better choice than Darnold is a big picture answer, not a small picture answer. I don't really care if Darnold is the long-term QB at this rate, but Seattle's got a better chance to win right now with Darnold. If that changes, it's fine, and it would save Seattle money. This is also why I said the Seahawks should have extended Lock.
How is Sam definitively better than Drew right now or at any point? If you really look their QB skills individually and not just wins/losses which are extremely situational, they are pretty much the same guy. But right now…Drew does not put the ball in harms way cuz he is better at realizing he doesn’t have to. I feel Sam is trying to prove something.
Drew Lock has a history of throwing a lot of interceptions when he's a starter, so the assumption that he would not put the ball in harm's way is mostly based on the fact that he just hasn't disappointed fans yet this season and he played the cardinals defense. If you would have felt that the Seahawks should have benched Sam Darnold in Week 1 despite winning the Super Bowl, then I credit you with consistency. But we actually had a ton of evidence in the previous 2 seasons that Sam Darnold is better than Lock. The Broncos have had an elite defense for a long time under Vance Joseph and his pressure rate in losses has been untenable for any starter.
Darnold has thrown a lot of pics against teams not named Denver. I’m not saying Drew couldn’t turn into a pic machine again, but if he is even slightly better with his contract and potential next contract vs Sam’s, it’s a no brainer to make the switch. I honestly think the short term difference is so minimal that the long term thinking makes the decision very easy. And it’s not like you couldn’t turn back to Sam in a pinch. Just saying they aren’t that different.
I hate seeing Mac as angry as me
I agree that Sam is a better QB than Lock for sure, but at this point he has pretty much lost 3 games, so we need someone to step up and he is not it
It's very hard for me to look at the 3 games and say "Sam Darnold is the only reason the Seahawks lost".
In fact I just could not bring myself to ever do that. He's one of like 10 reasons, but because he's the quarterback he gets all the attention. Why do other players keep fumbling? Why did Myers miss a kick he always makes? Why is the blocking so suspect?
The Quarterback always gets too much credit for wins and too much blame for losing.
Fans wanted to bench Darnold after the Rams game last year. Maybe that was fair. He still didn't make any mistakes after that 4-picker.
Not gonna watch actually. Too much stress for me and everyone else to hear me😢
Utter frustration. Want to hope, but can’t anymore with this offense and ST too. No advantage like we did last year. Defense is tired of bailing out the other 2 groups. Sheed was a bad decision and losing K9 hurts worse every week. Offensive line is much worse and TE OC has made them worse? So many negatives to overcome and it most likely ain’t happening next game against Reid, K9 and Mahomes and Spags
K9 putting up 200+ against us
I guess I don't understand what the harm would be in benching Sam for a game or two. Drew didn't throw any picks in the games he played, and although we had other turnovers, without Sam's picks we are likely 6-0. Right now, Sam is not playing better than we've seen Drew play this year, or in other parts of his career. There would seem to be little downside. Hell, why not play Milroe? At least he can run away from People. You may not see Drew acing the test, but I don't see Sam acing it either.
Previous article a few weeks ago showed comparison that Cardinals are by far the worst defense that the Seahawks have played. The Broncos have been an elite defense for a few years and this is Thursday night, which is always a shitty situation.
There's plenty of harm that can be done to publicly blame/scape goat the starting quarterback, only to be in a situation where two weeks from now after losing to the Chiefs and Bears, now you're pulling out Drew Lock and saying "Damn why is this YOUR fault now???"
It's far easier to make the change later down the line than to wobble back and forth. I guess to me it's plainly a bad offense and not simply a bad quarterback wasting a good offense. We don't even have enough information to put the first INT on Darnold, as Herbsteit said, it was a poor decision with a poor route by Horton. It seems like it's a bit harder for people to blame supporting cast though, when it's pretty obvious that most quarterbacks are carried by supporting cast.
I disagree. He threw that first pick fading backwards on his back foot. He did the same thing Maye did that lost their game to us in week 1. He threw fading back off his back foot with a guy in his face. A starting NFL QB cannot make that throw.
Drew Lock led the NFL in interceptions in 2020 and now because he hasn't been starting, and had one good game against the Cardinals, he would never have a bad throw?
I like Lock just fine, but it's not going to change how bad the rest of the offense has played.
Name someone else on offense who needs to be benched besides Sam Darnold.
Nobody, that’s the point.
Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Matthew Stafford make bad throws all the time.
They do. Do you really think though that Sam deserves the same length of a leash you'd give any of those guys? Does Sam really have the same history of solid QB play as those guys?
Sam's get really tell a story. His feet look jittery to me. And I can't really blame him given the o line. Things are just really off.
The OL allowed pressure, but he threw those picks. One was off his back foot under pressure, which he can simply choose not to throw, and the other was into coverage and also a bad throw. The OL may allow pressure, but he doesn't have to try to make throws in situations were the odds of success are bad. I can blame him. The OL should do their job, but his job is not to throw picks even when they don't.
Over react much? Just relax. Short off season and most starters didn't sniff the preseason. Give them time.
Is this to me? I think the newsletter is pretty chill.
No it's to everyone...there's a lot of over reacting. Bench Sam, bench Jobe, where's Lawrence, Myers needs competition, our o line is trash again...let's all relax and see what happens. Yes it doesn't feel like last year, but we could have a moment where the team comes together and boom we're back at it. Just a couple small adjustments can make a huge difference. Relax yall.
I agree for the most part Scott. I still fear everything getting back on track and paying Sam like he’s top tier though. I think all that shit could correct itself, but then we pay too much for an OK QB.
Still on the Darnold kool-aid?
See other comment.
I'm not opposed to benching Sam Darnold in the future this season sometime. I think the pivot point would be the Cardinals game in 3 weeks. If he deserves it during or after the Cardinals game, then fine. I just don't see Drew Lock acing the test under the conditions behind this OL and with zero run game and one good receiver.
Without making excuses for Darnold, his ass made a lot of pinpoint throws tonight because he's got a gun. I don't think Lock has the same intermediate velocity, but idk, that could be a misread. Lock is more of a flutter passer in the 10-20 range with a nice 25-yard ball. I don't think his arm is nearly as good as Darnold's.
If anything I would rather watch Jalen Milroe than Drew Lock. At leas that wouldn’t just feel like a lateral move for the sake of change. And then you try to outrun everybody with speed when Price gets back. It’s such a one dimensional passing offense already, the offense is pretty simplified. “Throw it to JSN, hand it off, or run”.
Could he still be hurt? Could this be another Cal Raleigh thing, where he came back before he was fully healed and doesn't have the velocity on some throws that he used to have?
I think Mike Macdonald said he got a shoulder thing in the game? He definitely wasn't feeling good after the gut punch.