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He knows he can’t ignore his growing number of turnovers any longer, but quarterback Sam Darnold has a plan to fix the problem ahead of the Seattle Seahawks entering the playoffs.
Before then, Darnold and Co. must tackle the San Francisco 49ers on the road on Saturday, January 3. A game with the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference at stake. Beating the Niners at Levi’s Stadium will require a clean game from Seattle’s QB1, something Darnold hasn’t produced in a long while.
Instead, the Pro Bowler “has 20 turnovers in 16 games,” per Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. Two of those mistakes were made during the 27-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.
Darnold threw an interception and lost a fumble in Charlotte. He was also fortunate not to see another pair of passes picked off, but good luck hasn’t spared Darnold from growing criticism of his penchant for self-destruction.
The veteran knows there’s a problem, and Darnold thinks he knows the solution.
Darnold’s first turnover against the Panthers came about when defensive end Nic Scourton notched a strip-sack in the second quarter.
📺: CBS
The signal-caller attempted to explain the error by admitting, “I dropped the ball. I felt like I was still in the pocket, so it felt like I had a good base and I was in the right spot to be able to make that throw. The defense just made a good play. Got their hand on my forearm or elbow. And, yeah, kind of is what it is,” per Bell.
Those words read like an almost too casual answer from a QB who has lost six fumbles through 16 games. It’s a pattern with definite cause and effect, something Darnold can only correct by properly addressing how he approaches ball security.
Maybe holding the ball in a different way or wearing gloves would reduce the fumbles. Whatever he does, Darnold can’t simply shrug off his latest episode of putting the ball on the ground.
At least Darnold was more earnest when discussing his pick thrown to Mike Jackson. Darnold was aiming for his go-to target, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, only for an overthrow to take a potential touchdown off the board.
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There are two ways for Darnold to avoid a similar mistake in the future. He explained, “I just got to move on in my progression. Or at least make an us-or-nobody throw where ‘Jax’ can go up and get it or it’s incomplete.”
Making quicker and smarter decisions with the ball has been a career-long issue for Darnold. It’s something head coach Mike Macdonald is aware of, but he knows the Seahawks have other ways to protect their quarterback from himself.
Few teams bound for the playoffs are as well-equipped as the Seahawks to cover for a quarterback’s faults. A smothering defense that left Bryce Young and the Panthers exasperated will be a difference-maker in win-or-go-home football.
The same is true of a running game finally hitting its stride at the business end of this campaign. Backup running back Zach Charbonnet powered his way to 110 yards on 18 carries, one week after Kenneth Walker III gashed the Los Angeles Rams for a century of yards on the ground.
Macdonald’s growing confidence in this two-pronged backfield is more good news for Darnold ahead of the trip to San Francisco. Controlling that game on the deck would not only keep a high-powered 49ers offense stewing on the sideline.
It would also limit the amount of times Darnold needs to take chances with the ball. Doing so is how the Seahawks keep winning, both next week and beyond.
