Sam Darnold continues climbing up NFL quarterback power rankings

No quarterback is perfect when they're competing at this level. That said, Sam Darnold's first four starts for the Seattle Seahawks have gone about as well as anyone possibly could have hoped. Darnold committed a few turnovers early on, but he's played totally clean football over the last 10 quarters.

Darnold started out the season in the mid-20s in CBS Sports' weekly quarterback rankings and has been steadily rising since. The latest batch have Darnold up another four spots, putting him at No. 12 in the league going into Week 5.

"Don't look now, but for the second straight autumn, the journeyman looks like the right bet at quarterback for a new team. Resilient and live-armed in the pocket, Darnold currently leads all starters with an average of 9.1 yards per throw."

Darnold's performance is superb in any context - but especially considering how the alternative is doing. Geno Smith enters this week leading the NFL in interceptions and is ranked 10 spots lower than Darnold on CBS's list. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson has already been benched by the Giants.

So, it appears that the Seahawks have once again cut the cord at quarterback at the exact right moment before their starter began to seriously decline.

At just 28 years old, Darnold's dropoff time is still at least five years off, meaning that the Seahawks have found their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.

At the moment, Seattle looks good enough to make a deep playoff run. If they can land a serious upgrade at right guard, we might be able to start talking about another Super Bowl.

First things first, though. To prove they're ready contend in the NFC again they have to get past teams like Tampa, who visit on Sunday.

Sep 25, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks on before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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