INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Sam Darnold had just taken full blame for his interceptions, a career-high tying four of them, that doomed the Seahawks’ quest for the NFC West lead.
As he walked away from reporters documenting his postgame comments Sunday at the bottom of SoFi Stadium, the quarterback came across Ernest Jones, the middle linebacker and QB of Seattle’s defense.
“We gotchu,” Jones told Darnold as they passed each other.
Then Jones had a colorful proclamation for anyone who saw the Seahawks’ 21-19 loss at the Los Angeles Rams and came away blaming Darnold.
“Man, Sam’s been ballin’,” Jones said. “If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam’s had us in every (frickin’) game. So for him to sit there and say, ‘Oh, that’s my fault,’ no, it’s not. There were plays that defense, we could have made plays. …
“He’s our quarterback. We’ve got his back.
About a half hour earlier, Darnold slammed his blue helmet onto the top notch of the bench.
He had just thrown his third bad interception into tight and double coverage deep in his team’s end of the field. The same team that ended Darnold’s wondrous 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings was altering his previously glowing 2025 with the Seahawks. Teammate and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu came up to Darnold on the sideline.
“We’ve got your back, Sam,” Nwosu told his quarterback. “Don’t worry about it. We’re built for this.
“No matter what happens, we’re going to have your back. That’s what we train for all offseason, to have each other’s backs, to be 12 as one.”
And then on his next drive, with his team in position to score to stay in the game, down 21-12 in the fourth quarter, Darnold did it again.
A fourth interception, a jump pass intended late in a play for rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo while trying to avoid a sack on the edge of field-goal range, and still down 21-12. That led to his second slam of the helmet onto the bench, and a long exhale.
Darnold said he never saw the cornerback who intercepted it, because a defensive lineman was in his view. “I’ve got to just dirt that one,” he said.
In his biggest game yet as the franchise’s quarterback, Darnold flopped. His performance at the Rams was as alarming as it was decisive. For this game, anyway.
Darnold’s four interceptions and the offense driving into L.A.’s 20-yard line twice yet scoring only field goals, not touchdowns, ruined coach Mike Macdonald’s defense throttling Sean McVay’s offense for most of Seattle’s second loss in eight games, to the now first-place Rams at SoFi Stadium Sunday.
“Can’t turn the ball over as much as I did today,” Darnold said after his Seahawks fell a game behind L.A. for the NFC West lead with six games to play.
Darnold now has 10 interceptions and four lost fumbles, 14 turnovers, in 10 games. That’s tied with Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa for most in the NFL. His rate of turnovers on 4.7% of plays he’s the primary ball carrier and thrower is second-worst in the league.
“I feel like I’ve got to play better,” Darnold said.
“I’ve got to not turn the ball over, simple as that. …The biggest takeaway for me is just taking care of the football.”
Darnold tried to rally Seattle late. He drove the Seahawks to Kenneth Walker’s 1-yard touchdown run with 2:27 left. Then, after his defense stopped the Rams on third down, Darnold started a drive at his own 1-yard line down 21-19 with 1:41 and two timeouts remaining.
A 12-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba got Seattle to its own 38. But only 17 seconds and one timeout remained.
A pass-interference penalty on the Rams put the ball at the L.A. 49 with 5 seconds to go. Darnold completed a pass to Rashid Shaheed and got the ball to the Rams 43. Seattle called timeout with 1 second left.
Jason Myers lined up for a 61-yard field goal, which would have tied his career high he set in 2020 on this same, indoor, turf field. The kick was well short, and wide.
“We’ve got a heck of a group,” Macdonald said. “Fought to the very end. We were about 3 yards short from putting ourselves in a great position to go win the game, given all the things that happened in the game.”
Darnold completed 29 of 44 passes for 279 yards, no touchdowns with the four interceptions. The four picks tied the 28-year-old eighth-year veteran’s career high. They were his most since he threw four in his failed, rookie season with the New York Jets in 2018 and again in his second NFL season of ‘19.
It’s been nine years since a Seahawks quarterback threw so many interceptions. Russell Wilson threw five at Green Bay in 2016. Geno Smith never threw more than the three he threw in a game last season — against the Rams.
The Seahawks traded Smith after that, and signed Darnold from Minnesota to a three-year contract worth up to $100.5 million.
“We knew going into the game that we had to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the red zone,” Macdonald said.
The Seahawks failed to score touchdowns twice on two drives inside the Rams’ 20.
“We knew we had to, obviously, take care of the football,” Macdonald said.
“Obviously, we didn’t do that” either.
Smith-Njigba had nine catches for 105 yards on passes Darnold completed to his teammates. Walker rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries, including a 25-yard burst in the second half for Seattle (7-3).
The Seahawks’ next game is next weekend at Tennessee (1-9).
“I think we’re a good team. You turn the ball over four times, we lost by two points,” Jones said. “We had a touchdown taken back…
“We’re a good team. We just didn’t execute, capitalize. We had mistakes. And they didn’t…and they got the win.
“But as a team? I think we’re in good shape. We’re still in a good spot, I believe. One loss doesn’t define us. We’ve got a lot of football left.”
Seattle’s missed chances
Seattle had two drives inside the Rams 20-yard line produce only field goals, not touchdowns, to end the first half and early in the second.
Darnold began the second half by throwing his second bad interception of the day. He forced a pass toward Smith-Njigba into tight coverage while L.A.’s top pass rusher Byron Young hit him. Cornerback Cobie Durant intercepted the pass and returned it to the Seattle 34.
The Seahawks were in danger of falling behind two scores in the third quarter.
Then Coby Bryant hit L.A.’s Puka Nacua hard with his shoulder pads after his catch. The ball popped free to Seattle linebacker Drake Thomas for a huge fumble recovery.
It was as if Darnold never threw the second pick.
On the ensuing drive he fired a dart to new wide receiver Rashid Shaheed for 21 yards across midfield. Darnold then connected with AJ Barner for 13 more yards inside the Rams 30.
The Seahawks and Walker thought he had run 15 yards for a touchdown and the lead to end that drive. But officials rightly penalized rookie tight end Nick Kallerup for holding L.A. linebacker Nick Hampton outside as Walker was running around them to the end zone.
Instead of leading 16-14, Seattle had first and 20. The possession ended in Jason Myers’ fourth field goal instead of the TD. The Rams still led 14-12.
While the offense chopped incrementally into L.A.’s lead, Macdonald’s Seahawks defense held the Rams to 61 total yards on four drives with only two first downs allowed. Those Los Angeles possessions from the second quarter into the fourth period were to a punt, fumble, punt and punt. “Man, they’re phenomenal,” Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp said. “Put them in a lot of short field positions. And big stops over and over and over again.
“We’ve got to find a way to capitalize on the momentum swings that can happen with that that are huge.”
Darnold said: “Our defense has been doing a great job all year,” Darnold said.
“I’ve just got to not turn the ball over. …I’ve got to do my job. Protect the football…
“I feel like we will always be in position to win if I just do that.”
Long drives get Seattle back in it
Down 14-3 and getting dominated early in the second quarter, the Seahawks righted themselves back into the game. A three-and-out on defense thanks to defensive tackle Byron Murphy’s brilliant, open-field tackle of Rams running back Kyren Williams from behind and two scoring drives of 13 and 15 plays to field goals. Those marches used 14:47 of the 15:00 of the second quarter to get Seattle back in the game. Smith-Njigba had a fantastic catch of Darnold’s line-drive pass with one hand while deftly getting both feet down just inside the left sideline. That 34-yard gain by the NFL’s leader in yards receiving allowed the Seahawks to run out the final 2-plus minutes of the first half.
Seattle received the second-half kickoff trailing only 14-9.
Seahawks’ poor start, for a change
Seattle had out-scored its previous three foes 42-0 in the first quarter entering Sunday.
The Texans, Commanders and Cardinals are absolutely not the Rams.
Sunday in the first quarter the Rams gained 134 yards to the Seahawks’ 44. L.A. ran 21 offensive plays to Seattle’s 10.
Darnold’s mostly splendid first two months as Seattle’s quarterback was the opposite of that to start Sunday. His second pass was bad, toward Cooper Kupp in the left slot with two Rams double-covering him on either side. Safety Kamren Kinchens — the Ram who intercepted Geno Smith and ran it back 103 yards for the play that sent L.A. past Seattle at Lumen Field last season in a loss that ultimately cost the Seahawks a playoff berth — intercepted Darnold’s poor throw early Sunday.
Kinchen’s 31-yard return of his first of two interceptions Sunday, to the 3-yard line, set the Rams off to a quick 7-0 lead, on Kyren Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal.
Darnold completed only three of his six passes in the opening quarter. Two short-hopped Rashid Shaheed and Kupp. Kupp’s was on a third and long in L.A. territory one drive after Darnold’s early interception. Seattle settled for Myers’ 57-yard field goal to cut L.A.’s lead to 7-3.
Briefly.
On a fourth and 1, the Rams’ Williams ran off left tackle past Seattle’s Leonard Williams and Jones, returning from a knee injury to start against his former team, at the point of attack. Williams ran 34 yards to the 1.
Jones blamed himself for that long run.
Cornerback Riq Woolen, playing much of the first half as the extra, then starting, second cornerback instead of healthy-again starter Josh Jobe, broke up Stafford’s pass outside to Davante Adams on first and goal. But then Adams broke inside Woolen to catch Stafford’s quick pass on second down for the 1-yard touchdown pass. Los Angeles led 14-3.
Grey Zabel injured
Grey Zabel, the Seahawks’ standout rookie left guard and first-round draft choice, injured his leg on Walker’s 1-yard touchdown run with just over 2 minutes left. It appeared Zabel had teammate Olu Oluwatimi at center pushed into him and fall over his legs at the end of that play.
Zabel stayed down for a couple of minutes, on both knees. Two trainers on either side of him helped him walk slowly to the sideline and eventually the blue medical tent behind the Seahawks bench. Macdonald said after the game he won’t know more until more imaging tests for Zabel.
Cooper Kupp’s mostly quiet return
The Rams played a tribute video for Kupp on the giant video board above the field well before the game, before the former Rams Super Bowl MVP and eight-year L.A. wide receiver came out for pregame warm-ups.
Kupp’s first catch came with under 6 minutes to play. He had three receptions for 23 yards on Seattle’s drive versus L.A.’s prevent defense to a touchdown late, Walker’s 1-yard run with just over 2 minutes to go. “We’ve got to do better as players to make these plays come to life,” Kupp said.
“Man, there’s so much to fix, so much to get better at. We’re a good football team. We’re a real good football team …
“By our standards, offensively we played a very poor football game.”
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