Seahawks QB Sam Darnold among NFL’s biggest losers in Week 11

Keep in mind that this is said with the utmost respect The four horsemen of Bleacher Report’s NFL staff (analysts Brent Sobleski, Gary Davenport, Kristopher Knox and Moe Moton) passed out their latest weekly assessment (winners, losers, and top takeaways) when it came to the NFL’s most recent slate of games.

Entering Week 11, the headliner was the NFC West showdown between the 7-2 Seattle Seahawks and 7-2 Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Sean McVay’s team held on for a 21-19 victory, a win somewhat gifted to them thanks to a miserable showing by Mike Macdonald’s starting quarterback.

“Quarterback Sam Darnold has spent most of this season proving last year’s Pro Bowl campaign with the Minnesota Vikings was no fluke,” explained Sobleski. “Sunday likely reminded fans of why Minnesota was willing to let him walk this offseason."

The 28-year-old will still make the occasional bad decision," added Sobleski, "especially when under duress. His four picks against L.A.—two of which came in Seahawks territory and led to Rams points—were the difference in this game.”

That latter sentence may be an understatement. Seattle ran 79 offensive plays, 29 more than Los Angeles (50). The Seahawks won the total yardage battle, 414-249. The Rams were a mere 2-of-11 on third down. But coordinator Chris Shula’s defenders managed to steal four of Darnold’s passes. The loss brought the Seahawks’ 10-game road winning streak to a screeching halt.

The two-point setback dropped Macdonald’s team to 7-3 and in second place in the NFC West. The Seahawks now own a 2-2 divisional record, and do have a home rematch with the Rams on a Thursday night in Week 16. It’s safe to say that the ‘Hawks can’t afford another disappointing showing from Darnold, who has 14 of the team’s 20 turnovers this season.

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