What's holding Sam Darnold back from becoming top-five NFL quarterback?

Seattle's gunslinger was on a remarkable run, until turnovers caught up with him.

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) participates in early pregame warmups against the Indianapolis Colts at Lumen Field | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

When Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold has been at his best this season, he's had no peer among NFL starters. Darnold has carried over his lethal deep ball from Minnesota, in addition to a searing accuracy on tight window throws and generally aggressive instincts.

Problem is, no quarterback at this level can play at their very best for an entire season, and occasional bad games and cold streaks happen to everybody, Darnold included.

While he hasn't been terrible all the time, Darnold's game took a sharp turn for the worse in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams, and he's yet to fully recover. In the latest quarterback power rankings from CBS Sports, Darnold is in the same spot as last week, coming in at No. 7. Garrett Podell says the thing holding him back from the top five are his turnover issues.

Sam Darnold still ranked QB7

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes against the Indianapolis Colts during the second quarter at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

"Sam Darnold struggled against the Indianapolis Colts defense in a narrow 18-16 victory. His co-league-leading 16 turnovers are holding him back from being truly considered as a top five QB, but both his expected points added (EPA) per dropback (0.14, eighth-best in the NFL) and passer rating (102.0, fifth-best in the NFL) have him locked into the top 10."

Even after this bad run from Week 11 to present, Darnold is nowhere near the depths that he began his NFL career at with the Jets. For the season he still has a respectable 2/1 touchdown to interception ratio, and he ranks ninth in QBR and fifth in passer rating.

Still, the trend is abundantly clear - and when you look closer it began even before the four-interception debacle against the Rams. Remember, Darnold was also shaky in the second half of the blowout against the Arizona Cardinals.

Darnold wasn't at his best, but still sharp against Atlanta and Tennessee - but that only comes out to two quality starts in his last five games. Since his struggles began he has thrown six interceptions to go with six touchdown passes.

Sometimes the best medicine is the thing that made you sick in the first place. Darnold can get a taste of the dog that bit him tonight when he gets a rematch against the Rams. A strong outing against their tough defense would go a long way towards answering the questions that have arisen from his recent play.

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) forces a fumble out of bounds by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Image

More Seahawks on SI stories

Seattle Seahawks slip in power rankings after close call vs. Colts

Seahawks studs and duds from a narrow home win over the Colts

Richard Sherman shares details of Percy Harvin-Golden Tate fight

Odds revealed for critical Seahawks vs. Rams Thursday night game