Sam Darnold earns another bump in latest NFL quarterback power rankings

No Justin Jefferson, no Kevin O'Connell, no Vikings offensive line, no problem. It's only taken Sam Darnold six weeks to dismantle just about every narrative about why he couldn't succeed with the Seattle Seahawks as their starting quarterback this year.

It certainly hasn't hurt that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is outplaying Jefferson, along with every other wide receiver in the NFL this season. However, the rest of the supporting cast for Seattle remains inferior compared to Minnesota's, but Darnold is still thriving.

Following Sunday's road win over a tough Jacksonville team, Darnold has gotten another bump in CBS Sports' weekly quarterback power rankings. He's up from No. 10 last week to No. 9 now.

CBS ranks Sam Darnold QB9

"Does anyone think the Seahawks regret swapping Geno Smith out for Darnold now? The latter has brought an even sharper zeal to Seattle's aerial attack, helping elevate Jaxon Smith-Njigba to superstar material. His 116.0 rating ranks third."

You can also make a pretty strong case that Darnold should be ranked ahead of Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love and Jared Goff. That's what we would do in any case, which would put Darnold at No. 5 in the league, trailing only Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes and Matt Stafford.

Darnold deserves credit for playing a clean, turnover-free game against a Jaguars defense that came into last week leading the league in takeaways.

Up next, Darnold will be facing his toughest test yet this season against the Houston Texans. Going into Week 7 they rank first in scoring defense and fifth against the pass.

The Seahawks offensive line will have to up their game, of course. However, Darnold has been far better than advertised making plays under pressure this season. In fact, some of Darnold's best work has come when the pocket breaks down and he's forced to make throws on the run.

With Geno Smith's game falling apart in Vegas, the offseason debate between these two has been definitively settled. They won't be in any rush to do a new deal this year, but the Seahawks front office should already have seen more than enough to keep Darnold around for the long run.

CBS ranks Sam Darnold QB9

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