NFL analyst predicts fall-off is coming for Seahawks QB Sam Darnold

The Sam Darnold train left the station around Week 3 of the 2024 season, when he lit up a tough Houston Texans defense for four touchdowns in a dominant 34-7 win for the Minnesota Vikings. It kept on going through the rest of the year, right up until the crash that coincided with his first playoff start.

As impressive as Darnold was for the vast majority of the season, some analysts never bothered to get on-board. Now that he's with the Seattle Seahawks (and a theoretically inferior supporting cast) some of them are predicting a total meltdown from Darnold in 2025.

One of them is Matt Johnson at Sportsnaut, who had this to say about Darnold in his new power rankings, which have the Seahawks at a disrespectful 24th in the league.

'Fall-off for Sam Darnold coming'

"The fall-off for Sam Darnold is coming. He looked great in perfect circumstances last year, but the environment with the Seattle Seahawks isn’t nearly as ideal. Darnold’s kryptonite is being pressured, and he’ll face a lot of it this season behind a bad Seahawks offensive line. On the bright side for Seattle, this defense will almost single-handedly win them six-plus games."

He may be wrong but at least he's consistent - Johnson has been one of the Darnold signing's most-fierce critics this offseason and hasn't wavered for a minute.

Darnold may not reach the heights he did last year with Justin Jefferson and the Vikings, but we'd be very much surprised if he turns back into the pumpkin he was early in his career with the Jets. The biggest x-factor in determining this is Seattle's offensive line - and right up until we actually saw them on the field this month it was fair to expect that unit to continue to, well, suck.

However, what we witnessed the firsr two games of the preseason was more than just a radically improved offensive line - it was utterly dominant in a way even the rosiest projections couldn't have imagined. The Seahawks were especially impressive across the board blocking for the run, which will be a key factor in helping Darnold continue his high level of play from Minnesota.

Just because a line can block well for the run doesn't necessarily mean they can pass protect at a high level too, but it certainly won't hurt when it comes to takng the pressure off of Darnold against aggressive defenses like the one they'll face Week 1.

Assuming that offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak dials up a passing attack that utilizes Seattle's weapons and isn't predictable like his predecessor's, this has a chance to be the single most-surprising offensive unit in the league this year.

'Fall-off for Sam Darnold coming'

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