The Seahawks’ Sam Darnold threw 4 TDs in the first half in a big win
LANDOVER, Md. — At halftime of the Seattle Seahawks’ win over the Washington Commanders Sunday night at Northwest Stadium, Sam Darnold caught four touchdown passes and none of them were completed, having connected on all 16 of his attempts.
He didn’t know it until someone told him — a no-hitter in football is like talking about a no-hitter in baseball.
“Obviously I can feel the flow of the game and know we’re doing really well offensively, but no I didn’t know I didn’t foul out,” Darnold said after the 38-14 win. “It was great. Someone told me in the first half that I didn’t throw an incomplete, so I think he was responsible for throwing an incomplete in the second half.”
By the time Darnold missed the first time, the Seahawks were on their way to a win that improved their record to 6-2 — and boosted their MVP prospects in the process.
“I’m not going to say who it is,” Darnold said with a smile, refusing to reveal the culprit.
Darnold finished 21 of 24 for 330 yards, four touchdowns and one interception before being pulled in favor of Drew Lock with just over seven minutes remaining. That was good enough for an overall QBR of 97.8, the best in any game of his eight-year NFL career.
According to ESPN research, there have been four instances in which a player posted a QBR of 97 or higher in a game this season, and Darnold has three of them. The others are his performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 (97.4) and the New Orleans Saints in Week 3 (97.3). Darnold’s three games are tied with Tom Brady (2007), Tony Romo (2014) and Lamar Jackson (2019) for the most by quarterbacks in a single season since ESPN began tracking QBR totals in 2006.
“To execute Sam now is ridiculous,” coach Mike McDonald said. “All the things we talked about that he was doing, but decisiveness, making smart decisions, our receivers are doing a great job, and I thought the protection was really good.”
The Seahawks were short at receiver, with Cooper Kupp, Jake Bobo and Dareke Young inactive. However, that didn’t seem to be the case, as Darnold threw touchdown passes on each of Seattle’s first four possessions. He connected twice with rookie Torrey Horton — who took over Kupp’s role at WR2 — before hitting rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo and veteran receiver Cody White.
Darnold’s 87.5% completion rate was the second-highest in a game in Seahawks history (minimum 10 attempts), behind only Russell Wilson’s 88.6% in 2020. By completing his first 17 passes, he tied a franchise record set by Warren Moon in 1998, which was also to start the game.
“Trust me when I say that, I’m not surprised,” McDonald said of Darnold’s completion line. “We watch Sam every day and how he works, and he’s the same guy every day, and that’s what you love about him. We go after him. The guys are determined and it’s fun to watch them, when the team comes together, that’s the kind of thing you can do when you play the right way, prepare the right way. Our coaches deserve a lot of credit. I think [offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak] It’s called a great game.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba extended his NFL lead in receiving with 129 yards on eight catches, marking the sixth time in eight games he has topped triple digits.
Smith-Njigba was asked about the etiquette observed with the midfielder who is off to a perfect start.
He said: “We stay away from him for a little while and let him do what he wants.” “I think someone might have told him the news, but yeah, honestly, I didn’t know. We were in such a flow and dealing out there, so it was cool to see that.”
According to ESPN research, Darnold started the day with 60-1 odds to win the MVP award, according to ESPN betting. These odds improved to 18-1 by the end of the match.
With the win, the Seahawks improved to 4-0 on the road this season and 11-1 since the start of last season.
The Seahawks lost middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV to a knee injury and cornerback Josh Jobe to a concussion in the second quarter. “It’s not season-ending, but we’ll see how it goes,” McDonald said of Jones’ injury.