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Sam Darnold is totally dominating NFL peers in most advanced stats

The Seattle Seahawks have a surprise MVP candidate in their backfield.
Tim Weaver|
Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws downfield against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Lumen Field.
Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws downfield against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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There are no guarantees at this level of competition. That said, we were pretty confident all offseason that Sam Darnold would prove to be an upgrade for the Seattle Seahawks at quarterback. Now six weeks into the season, we have a pretty clear answer to that debate.

As Geno Smith is imploding down in the desert with a league-high nine interceptions, Darnold has not only matched what he was doing last year in Minnesota, he's actually elevated his game.

While his traditional numbers might not be elite as of yet, Darnold aces the eyeball test with flying colors, and the advanced stats show he's performing at a level that nobody else can match. Observe.

Sam Darnold dominating advanced stats

For those not counting at home, that chart has Darnold No. 1 in PFF grade, EPA/play, success rate, CPOE, and turnover-worthy play rate.

It doesn't really matter which way you slice the stats - Darnold is balling out in every situation - from early downs to late downs and everything in-between.

In fact, the only guy who's remotely in Darnold's league is this year's Sam Darnold. That would be Daniel Jones, who's broken out with the Indianapolis Colts in a way no reasonable analyst could have even imagined given what we saw from him with the New York Giants.

If Darnold is going to stay in the MVP conversation, the Seahawks are going to have to start closing out games better than they have. They blew a late lead against the 49ers in Week 1 and another last week against the Buccaneers - and they came awfully close against the Cardinals.

Some analysts are blaming Darnold for those crunch-time collapses. While it's true he turned the ball over against Tampa and San Francisco on the final drives, it's much more accurate to point the finger at Mike Macdonald's defense, which has made a bad habit of coverage lapses in the fourth quarter.

If they can figure that out, this team could be close to impossible to beat - and Darnold is going to get more than a few MVP votes along the way.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.