Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is starting to change minds of NFL critics

After the Seattle Seahawks signed him, a lot of folks were skeptical about what Sam Darnold could do removed from a very favorable scene in Minnesota. Darnold may not have a superstar receiver like Justin Jefferson (although JSN is playing better right now) or a top-five playcaller like Kevin O'Connell, but so far the gamble is paying off big-time for the Seahawks.

Darnold's numbers may not quite match what he did with the Vikings, but watching him it's very difficult to come up with legitimate criticisms. Very few of his passes are off-target, he's mixing the right combination of aggression and caution and he's coming through with plays when Seattle needs them the most.

In fact, Darnold is playing so well that he's starting to change the tone of some critics. Matt Johnson at Sportsnaut was consistently hard on Darnold and the Seahawks this offseson, but he's starting to come around.

Sportsnaut on Sam Darnold

"First, we were critical of the Seahawks’ investment in Sam Darnold coming into the season. That was based on the situation he was entering—a quarterback prone to imploding when pressured and being put behind a woeful offensive line... What’s become clear is that the pass protection is sufficient, and Darnold has taken some of what he learned from the Minnesota Vikings with him to Seattle."

Most analysts stick with their initial priors no matter what a quarterback does over the course of the season, so credit Johnson for keeping his eyes and mind open to changes.

It's still early in the season, but we're fully prepared to take victory laps after defending the Darnold signing this offseason to the bitter end. Darnold is simply performing at a significantly higher level than what we saw from Geno Smith the last few years, and even with a mediocre run game it's clear this team is capable of making a deep playoff run with him leading the charge.

Sportsnaut on Sam Darnold

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