Andy Backstrom Contributing writer Fri, October 16, 2026 at 7:26 PM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About eight months ago, the Seattle Seahawks won their second Lombardi Trophy, and Sam Darnold completed one of the more unlikely career resurrections the NFL's seen .
But now, just five regular-season appearances later, his concerning regression has led to a bounty of questions about his future piloting the Seahawks' offense.
Head coach Mike Macdonald fielded those on Friday, in the wake of a disheartening overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on "Thursday Night Football."
Macdonald gave his two-time Pro Bowl quarterback a vote of confidence, repeating that he and his team believe that Darnold is "definitely part of the solution" to Seattle's early-season struggles.
Darnold, 29, threw two costly interceptions agains the Broncos, who amounted a paltry 168 total yards of offense, the lowest yardage total in an OT victory in league history .
His first pick occurred late in regulation and jeopardized the Seahawks' chances at an extra frame. His second interception was fatal.
It arrived on the first drive of OT and gifted an anemic Broncos offense a very short runway toward a game-winning field-goal opportunity. Three plays and eight yards later, Wil Lutz kicked a 53-yarder that lifted Denver to a 17-14 win at home.
Through five appearances this season, Darnold's seven interceptions are tied for a league high . Drake Maye of the New England Patriots and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers have also tossed that many.
Following the "TNF" defeat, Darnold addressed his Seahawks teammates and took accountability for his turnovers. He did the same at the podium.
"I just think it's BS for me to keep turning the ball over," Darnold said . "It's not fair to our defense, it's not fair to our special teams group, not fair really to the entire team.
Darnold, who QB'd the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 mark in 2024 before leading the Seahawks to an identical record last season, posted a 25:14 touchdown-to-interception ratio a season ago. Amid the Seahawks' three-game playoff run, though, he wasn't picked off.
"I think we have a lot of faith in Sam; Sam's played great football for us," Macdonald said Friday. "He's done a lot of great things this year. We've obviously turned the ball over more than we want to.
"I feel like there's things on our end that can help him play better football. And I think he's definitely part of the solution rather than the opposite."
When asked what exactly makes Darnold part of the solution, Macdonald didn't dive into specifics. Instead, he once again pointed to what the 2018 No. 3 overall pick has accomplished with the Seahawks.
"We just won a world championship with him," said Macdonald, who's 27-13 in two-plus seasons at the helm in Seattle.
"We believe in the guy. We see him every day. We see what he does. We see the plays he's been able to make. We see the actual talent, all those things. So that's where my mind is."
Darnold's been under significant durress this season. His 71 dropbacks under pressure are tied for the 10th most among quarterbacks during the 2026 campaign, according to Next Gen Stats.
Coming into the Broncos game, per NGS, he had been pressured on 42.7% of his dropbacks, at the time the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. Then, in the loss at Denver, he dealt with a 41.4% pressure rate. Granted the Broncos have one of most imposing defenses in the league, but Darnold's workload in those adverse situations is significant.
He finished 6-of-19 passing while under pressure, with a meager 47 yards to his name on those throws, according to NGS. Pressure got to him on his first interception of the night.
That's not to say the blame is all on the Seahawks' offensive line. Macdonald explained that, while the onus can be one group or person to play better, there's usually more to it than that in what's undoubtedly a team game.
In this case, the Seahawks' o-line needs to be better in all facets, including in the run game, Darnold needs to protect the football more and the Seahawks as a whole, are tasked with finding ways to assist each part of the offense.
First-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who replaced current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak this past offseason, is largely responsible for making that last item come to life.
Responding to a question about Fleury on Friday, Macdonald said his hope for the former San Francisco 49ers assistant was for him to continue Seattle's offensive identity.
"So I think that's what our focus is right now is making sure that we're playing the Seahawk style of offense that we all envisioned when we decided all to work together," Macdonald said.
That starts with jolting a rushing attack that, at the moment, is 17th in the league with 107.2 yards per game on the ground, a drop-off from the 123.3 per contest Seattle averaged with eventual Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III.
Walker is now starring for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Seahawks first-round pick Jadarian Price is on injured reserve, working his way back from a chest issue .
Suddenly, Seattle's .500, with the Niners out in front in the NFC West at 5-0. This could be a crux of the Seahawks' 2026 season.
Macdonald explained that he and his fellow coaches aren't going to necessarily reinvent anything when it comes to Darnold and the offense. Right now, they're fixated on doubling down on core fundamentals, particularly in moments of adversity on the field.
Macdonald wouldn't say he's concerned about the state of things on Friday.
"I think there's a sense of urgency to get better in several areas of our football team," he said. "A lot of those are on offense — operationally, how we're protecting the quarterback, how we're running the ball. There's line items on defense, there's line items on special teams. I really do believe that these things are within our control of things that are on the input side of the equation of how we do things throughout the week, what we do throughout the game.
"And, so, to me, I wouldn't say it's exciting, but that does get you going, knowing that, hey, there's a solution out there, and I believe in our people."
Source: Sports
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