INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- It was hard to know which version of Sam Darnold showed up Sunday afternoon in the Seahawks’ 21-19 loss to the LA Rams (8-2). There was the version who turned the ball over multiple times — and then the version who nearly led them to a comeback win.
It wasn’t the quarterback many experts believed was playing at an MVP level heading into the matchup riding a four-game win streak. Instead, it was shades of the quarterback who lost to these same Rams in last January’s NFC wild-card round, who was sacked nine times and turned the ball over twice along with two turnover on downs.
Darnold threw four interceptions, leading to 14 Rams points. The four picks give him ten on the season with seven games left. He threw only 12 all of last season, and looks well on his way to surpassing that.
He has now thrown an interception in four straight games, but what happened at SoFi Stadium was on another level.
“It stings,” Darnold said after the game. “It sucks. It should suck. But I’m just going to continue to grind and learn from this one.”
The craziest part?
Darnold still had a chance to win the game for the Seahawks (7-3) late. He led the offense on a touchdown drive and set up a long field-goal attempt to steal the victory. But that doesn’t erase how poorly he played completing 29-for-44 for 279 passing yards and four interceptions.
His troubles began immediately—on the opening offensive drive, for the Rams. On the third play, Darnold dropped back and, throwing off his back foot toward a double-covered Cooper Kupp, was intercepted by safety Kamren Kinches, who returned it 31 yards to set up first-and-goal at the Seattle 3-yard line.
Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune
Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Sam Darnold (14) breaks a sack during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on November 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
Darnold was forced off his back foot because center Olu Oluwatimi was driven into him by Rams defensive lineman Tyler Davis. Instead of moving in the pocket or throwing it away, he forced the pass—and paid for it.
On Seattle’s third drive, Darnold showed signs of life. He converted a 3rd-and-6 to Zach Charbonnet, then moved the offense into the red zone with completions to AJ Barner and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But after reaching the Rams’ 14-yard line, two straight incompletions stalled the drive, settling for a 30-yard Jason Myers field goal to cut the deficit to 14-6.
"Sam's like an ultimate competitor and so he’s going to be pissed," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said. "That's what we loves about him. But he's going to ‘bow up’ and he going to keep rocking back. That's how we had to play to go try to win the game.”
The Seahawks' defense responded with a key three-and-out after giving up touchdowns on two of the first three drives.
Kenneth Walker ripped off a 25-yard run to get the next drive started, who had a combined 19 touches for 111 yards and one touchdown. Two plays later, Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for a spectacular one-handed 28-yard gain. Seattle reached the Rams’ 7-yard line and ran play action on 2nd-and-goal. Darnold threw to the outside for a 4-yard gain to Smith-Njigba, but missed Barner breaking open underneath. Myers kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 14-9.
Coming out of halftime, facing 3rd-and-9 from his own 36, Darnold threw his second interception—this time under pressure from Byron Young, with cornerback Cobie Durant jumping the route for the pick. The Rams started at the Seattle 35.
But Puka Nacua fumbled two plays later, forced by Coby Bryant and recovered by Drake Thomas.
Darnold took advantage, moving the offense with passes of 21 and 13 yards to Rashid Shaheed and Barner. Once again, the offense stalled in the red zone, and Myers hit a 29-yard field goal to make it 14-12.
After three straight punts by both teams, Darnold threw his third pick trying to squeeze a pass into tight end Elijah Arroyo. Kinches was baiting him the whole way. The Rams turned that into a touchdown—Matthew Stafford hitting Colby Parkinson for a 6-yard score to go up 21-12.
Seattle marched again, including an 18-yard catch-and-run by Walker. But on the next set of downs, under pressure, Darnold tossed a reckless jump pass intended for Arroyo that cornerback Darious Williams intercepted—his fourth turnover of the game.
“Yeah, I was just trying to get the ball out of my hands," Darnold admitted. "Just a poor decision There was a lineman in the way. I didn't see the DB. I tried to make a jump pass and it just didn't work out. I’ve just got to dirt that one.”
Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune
Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Sam Arnold (14) makes a jump-pass to avoid a sack during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on November 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
Even with all of that, Darnold still had a shot. Down nine, he orchestrated an 84-yard drive with gains of 23 yards to Walker, three passes totaling 23 yards to Kupp, and two completions for 22 yards to Smith-Njigba, who had 9 catches for 105 yards. Walker punched in a 1-yard touchdown to make it 21-19.
The Seahawks’ defense delivered another stop after an 18-yard run by Nacua, forcing a punt. Punter Ethan Evans buried Seattle at the 1-yard line with a perfect 50-yard kick.
Darnold moved the offense with small gains and benefitted from a 13-yard pass interference penalty on Emmanuel Forbes. That set up a 61-yard attempt for Myers—but it fell at least six yards short, sealing the loss.
If there’s a silver lining, Seattle held a high-powered Rams offense to just 249 total yards and 21 points—14 of which came directly off turnovers.
“Keep ripping it, man," Macdonald said. "We love you and we got your back.”
Darnold admitted afterward he needs to be better. And he does.
Even though Sam Darnold made several mistakes on Sunday, his defensive teammates constantly came over to reassure him, echoing the same message as head coach Mike Macdonald: “We got your back.” Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV took it a step further.
“Sam’s been balling,” Jones said after the game. “If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam’s had us in every fucking game. So for him to sit there and say, ‘That’s my fault,’ no it’s not. It was plays that defensively we could have made . . . opportunities where we could have gotten better stops. It’s football, man. He’s our quarterback. We’ve got his back, and if you’ve got anything to say, quite frankly, fuck you.”
If the Seahawks want to compete for the NFC West crown, they can’t afford games like this—or a quarterback who turns it over four times.
Seattle now travels to Tennessee next Sunday and won't be seeing the NFC West leading Rams again until December 18th at home. For Darnold, it’s time to turn the page.
"I felt like I could have hit some throws as well," Darnold said. "I felt like I could have moved on in some progressions and been able to check the ball down. There are a lot of different variables that go into it and like I said, we will learn from it and move on.”