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There was another interception thrown and another slow start for Sam Darnold on Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons.
And for a brief moment, debate surely began to rage whether Darnold was hitting a lull that would call into question how ready he is to lead the Seahawks on what increasingly looks like could be a legitimate run at the Super Bowl.
Then Darnold and the offense sprung to life and the final stats revealed another sparkling game.
After completing just 9 of 15 passes for 67 yards with an interception and no touchdowns in the first half as the Seahawks were locked in a 6-6 tie, Darnold finished completing 20 of 30 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns as they cruised to a 37-9 win. He had two passes dropped.
His touchdowns were his third-most of the season and he rushed three times for 23 yards, his second-highest total of the season.
The interception Darnold threw in the second quarter on a deflected pass intended for Elijah Arroyo was his 11th of the season, tied for the third-most in the league behind the 14 of Geno Smith of the Raiders and Tua Tagovailoa of Miami.
Darnold has 16 total turnovers, most in the NFL, just ahead of the 15 of Smith and Tagovailoa.
“If you just look at how many times we’ve turned the ball over, I think we’d all say it’s too many,” coach Mike Macdonald said Monday. “But I think Sam is playing really good football for us. There’s a couple plays per game where we’ve got to protect the ball a little bit better, but when Sam is clicking, and he has been for the majority of the season, we’re playing really efficient football, and he’s led the charge for us.”
Darnold finished with a passer rating of 111.7, a jump from the 67.5 of the previous week against the Vikings when the Seahawks scored just one offensive touchdown in a 26-0 win.
His overall rating of 103.8 is sixth in the NFL and he continues to lead the league in yards per completion (13.1) and per attempt (8.9). He’s third in touchdown percentage at 6.2 and his 22 TD passes are fifth.
Seahawks receiver Rashid Shaheed said Darnold gave a quick talk to the offense before the second half.
“He brought us all together and let us know we needed to put points on the board,” Shaheed said. “He is a leader. We knew that opportunities were going to come, and he was going to be ready. He played a great second half.”
Darnold completed 11 of 15 passes for 182 yards and all three TDs in the second half for a passer rating of 153.3. He wasn’t sacked after taking two in the first half with the offensive line appearing to get a better lead on how to block against Atlanta’s blitzes.
“I just thought we got a little bit more in rhythm on offense and were more successful on first down,” Macdonald said of the difference in the two halves. “I think it’s really that simple. And credit to Sam and our coaches of just sticking to it. We’re going to work through our game plan and make some adjustments and not get frazzled or discouraged or frustrated and just keep hammering away and eventually we’ll find some things that are starting to click.”
Darnold had just 16 carries for 49 yards before Sunday, when he had two runs for 15 yards in the first half and another for eight in the second.
Macdonald said on his radio show on Seattle Sports 710 there wasn’t an emphasis on Darnold to run, that he did so as a reaction to how the game evolved.
“There were some opportunities that came up where he could extend the play and he took advantage of them,” he said. “Some of the things they were doing on defense allowed him to do that as well. The good thing is he’s not forcing it. He’s letting the game come to him and then he’s playing ball.”
Macdonald cited as an example Darnold’s last TD of the game, a 4-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba which came on a third-and-goal.
Darnold dropped back and when the rush collapsed on him was able to escape up the middle and drew a linebacker to him which gave him an opening to drop the ball off to Smith-Njigba.
“(He) really made some plays where initially nothing was there,” Macdonald said. “Especially on that (TD to Smith-Njigba), his last touchdown pass was a phenomenal play.’’
Arroyo may miss this week
Macdonald said the team was still determining the specifics of a knee injury that knocked Arroyo out after eight snaps but said it could cause him to sit out Sunday against the Colts.
Tight end Eric Saubert is eligible to come off injured reserve from a hamstring injury that has caused him to miss the last five games and he could be an option if Arroyo has to miss any length of time.
Safety Nick Emmanwori left briefly to have his hand examined but returned to the game and Macdonald said he hadn’t heard anything since to indicate there is any issue.
Sundell to return to practice this week
Macdonald said offensive lineman Jalen Sundell will return to practice this week. He has been on IR since Nov. 15 with a knee injury with Olu Oluwatimi taking his place as the starting center.
Sundell can also play guard and Macdonald on Monday said “we’ll see” when asked if Sundell will play guard or center when he returns.
Some have wondered if Sundell could get thrown into the competition at right guard with Anthony Bradford.
Macdonald noted that Bradford had one of his best games of the season Sunday.
“He’s playing hard, he’s got a great punch,” Macdonald said. “I think his overall confidence is probably at a high in his career at this point. He’s practicing well, he practices hard, he’s doing all the steps that it takes to end up putting good football on the field. I know there’s some plays that are minuses or aren’t up to par, but there’s a lot of great plays as well.”
Notes
— Macdonald said a film review determined definitively that it was DeMarcus Lawrence who caused a fumble by Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson in the third quarter Sunday. Jarran Reed also took a swipe at the ball at almost the same moment.
“We had a funny little TV copy debate on who actually got the ball out. Whether it was J-Reed or D-Law, on the forced fumble,” Macdonald said. “It turns out DeMarcus beat him by a hair there. Sorry J-Reed, but next time, buddy.”
— Asked which players were key on Shaheed’s 100-yard kickoff return to begin the second half, Macdonald said: “A lot of great blocks. Brady (Russell) made a great block. Brady played a phenomenal game on special teams, made a great play on (a) punt. Patty-O (Patrick O’Connell) made a great block on that play. There were a lot of great blocks. I can’t single out everybody but then he made a great run as well.”
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