‘Dangerous’ Sam Darnold drops in QB rankings after turnovers vs. Texans

There’s a logjam atop the NFC West at the moment. The San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams are own 5-2 records. It’s interesting to note that Kyle Shanahan’s club is the only team in action in this week. When Mike Macdonald’s club last took the field, the Seahawks’ defense came up big in a 27-19 win over the visiting Houston Texans. It limited DeMeco Ryan’s club to 254 total yards and one offensive touchdown, the latter coming with just 2:04 remaining in the game.

Macdonald’s defense also had to overcome a shaky evening by a Seattle offense that committed four turnovers on the evening. Two of those were by starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who was picked off once and also fumbled in the end zone. Houston edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. recovered the miscue for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports came out with his weekly quarterback rankings. The Seahawks’ signal-caller slipped out of the Top 10 despite the team’s victory.

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs with the ball against Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

“For most of his 2024 Vikings’ stint,” explained Benjamin, “Darnold was surprisingly resilient even when his aggression got him in trouble. That’s carried over to Seattle, where he hasn’t allowed turnovers to break his will. He and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are dangerous.”

Of course, that didn’t stop Benjamin from knocking Darnold down two spots, from No. 9 to No. 11. The Seahawks have won two straight games following the 38-35 home loss to the Buccaneers in Week 5. The eight-year pro had a costly interception late in the fourth quarter that set up Tampa’s game-winning field goal.

Back in Week 1, also at Seattle, Darnold fumbled late in the game deep in 49ers’ territory and the turnover proved costly in a 17-13 setback to the rival 49ers. To Benjamin’s point, Darnold and his team followed both of those losses with road wins.

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