Sam Darnold says Seahawks 'never out of the fight' with superb defense

What Sam Darnold told Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated following Sunday's comeback win over the Steelers.

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

It took about seven and a half quarters, but the Seattle Seahawks finally got to see flashes of the Sam Darnold that the Minnesota Vikings got last year when he was their starter. On a third and nine, Darnold made a near-impossible escape and completed as pass to AJ Barner to keep the drive alive.

On the next play, Darnold delivered his best pass yet in a Seahawks uniform: a 43-yard dart to star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That catch put Seattle within scoring range, and Kenneth Walker III finished the drive with a touchdown run that effectively ended the game.

After it was over, Darnold spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. He admitted to his mistakes, but also said the Seahawks are never out of it thanks to their defense.

Sam Darnold on Seahawks defense

"Going into Year 8, I’ve seen so many different situation—we have a lot of guys in our locker room that also have seen those situations,” Darnold told me. “You’re never out of the fight, especially with the way our defense played today. Our special teams also played lights out. And we were able to drive the ball down the field as an offense. Obviously, I had plays, miscues that turned into turnovers. But, other than that..."

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

So far Seattle's defense has been every bit as good as we expected coming into this season - meaning they should finish as a top-five scoring defense.

As long as the Seahawks can also run the ball effectively, they don't even need Darnold to perform the way he did last season with the Vikings. All they need him to do is avoid the kind of turnovers that we saw in the first half against Pittsburgh.

Every quarterback is going to throw an interception every now and then - but if Darnold can avoid making it a habit, it's going to be really tough to beat this team.

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