Seahawks’ Sam Darnold throws 4 first-half TDs in blowout win

LANDOVER, Md. – At halftime of the Seattle Seahawks’ blowout victory over the Washington Commanders Sunday night at Northwest Stadium, Sam Darnold had four touchdown passes and zero incompletions, having completed all 16 of his attempts.

He didn’t know until someone told him – a no-no in football, much like talking about a no-hitter in baseball.

“Obviously I can feel the flow of the game and understand that we’re doing really well on offense, but no, I didn’t know I didn’t throw a miss,” Darnold said after the 38-14 victory. “It was pretty cool. Someone at halftime told me I didn’t throw a miss, so I think he’s responsible for throwing a miss in the second half.”

By the time Darnold first missed, the Seahawks were well on their way to a victory that improved their record to 6-2 — and increased their quarterback’s MVP chances in the process.

“I’m not going to say who it was,” Darnold said with a smile, declining to reveal the culprit.

Darnold finished 21 of 24 for 330 yards, four touchdowns and an interception before being pulled in favor of Drew Lock with just over seven minutes left. That was good enough for a total QBR of 97.8, the best of any game in his eight-year NFL career.

According to ESPN Research, there have been four instances where a player recorded a QBR of 97 or higher in a game this season, and Darnold has three. The others are his performances against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 (97.4) and against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3 (97.3). Darnold’s three games are tied with Tom Brady (2007), Tony Romo (2014) and Lamar Jackson (2019) for the most by a starting quarterback in a season since ESPN began tracking Total QBR in 2006.

“Sam’s execution right now is just ridiculous,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “All the things we talked about, but decisive, making smart decisions, our receivers do a great job, I thought the protection was really good.”

The Seahawks were shorthanded at receiver, with Cooper Kupp, Jake Bobo and Dareke Young inactive. It didn’t seem like it, though, with Darnold throwing touchdown passes on each of Seattle’s first four possessions. He connected twice with rookie Tory Horton — who assumed Kupp’s role as No. 2 receiver — before hitting rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo and veteran receiver Cody White.

Darnold’s 87.5% completion rate was the second-highest in a game in Seahawks history (minimum 10 attempts), behind only Russell Wilson’s 88.6% in 2020. By completing his first 17 passes, Darnold tied the franchise record set by Warren Moon in 1998, who was also scheduled to start the game.

“Believe me when I say, I’m not surprised,” Macdonald said of Darnold’s hot streak. “We watch Sam every day and how he operates, and he’s the same guy every day, that’s what you like about him. We go after him. The guys are determined and it’s fun to watch. When the team comes together, that’s the type of thing you can do when you play the right way, you prepare the right way. Our coaches deserve a lot of credit. I thought [offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak] called a great game.”

Jaxon Smith-Njigba extended his NFL receiving lead with 129 yards on eight catches, marking the sixth time in eight games that he has topped triple digits.

Smith-Njigba was asked about the etiquette observed with a quarterback who gets off to a perfect start.

“We kind of stay away from him and let him do what he does,” he said. “I think maybe someone would have told him the news, but yeah, I honestly didn’t know. We were just in such a flow and we were just doing business, so it was great to see that.”

According to ESPN Research, Darnold entered the day with a 60-to-1 odds of winning the MVP award, according to ESPN BET. Those odds improved to 18 to 1 by the end of the match.

With the win, the Seahawks are 4-0 on the road this season and 11-1 since the start of last season.

Seattle lost middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV to a knee injury and cornerback Josh Jobe to a concussion in the second quarter. Macdonald said of Jones’ injury: “It’s not the end of the season, but we’ll see how it goes.”