Despite win, Sam Darnold has to take better care of the football

The Seattle Seahawks escaped Pittsburgh with a 14-point victory on Sunday. Their new starting quarterback has had some early-season issues with ball security.

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale (96) pressures Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold’s first two games with the Seattle Seahawks have looked somewhat similar to the veteran signal-caller’s final two appearances with the Minnesota Vikings. Fortunately for Mike Macdonald’s club, the ‘Hawks gathered themselves and turned a 14-7 halftime deficit into a 31-17 road victory last Sunday.

Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobleski gave out his Week 2 grades for the 32 starting quarterbacks around the league. When it came to Darnold, he gave the eight-year veteran a B-minus.

“Nothing Sam Darnold did in particular swung momentum in the Seattle Seahawks' favor Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A special teams’ blunder turned the tide in the Seahawks' favor. But Darnold and the offense put in the work during the second half to capture an impressive victory in the Steel City.” Seattle finished the afternoon with 395 total yards—more than half of that (207) coming after intermission.

The 2024 Pro Bowler, who struggled in his final two games with the Purple Gang, and lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter in the setback to the Niners in Week 1, bounced back from throwing a pair of interceptions (1 touchdown pass) in the first half in Pittsburgh.

QB Sam Darnold has not been sharp in his last four appearances

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) scrambles with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

“There were just a couple bad plays (in the first half) on my end that I’m obviously going to clean up, watch the tape and get better from," explained Darnold (via the Associated Press) “But I felt like (at halftime) there was a lot to go into the second half optimistic about.”

“Sunday's performance might not have been perfect,” added Sobleski, “but outscoring the Steelers 24-3 in the second half on the road is impressive.”

Still, Darnold’s last four contests—two each with the Vikings and Seahawks—are somewhat concerning. He’s completed just 59.1 percent of his passes for 856 yards, and just as many TD passes as interceptions (3). Darnold has been sacked 14 times and lost both of his fumbles, one of those returned by the Rams’ defense for a touchdown in Minnesota’s 2024 playoff loss.

Room for improvement indeed.

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