Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is standing behind Sam Darnold as the team's starting quarterback despite seven interceptions over the past four games. "I think we have a lot of faith in Sam," Macdonald said Friday. "Sam's played great football for us. He's done a lot of great things this year but obviously turned the ball over more than we want to."
Darnold threw two interceptions in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, then had passes picked off in the fourth quarter and overtime of a 17-14 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Back-to-back defeats have dropped the reigning Super Bowl champions to 3-3. Since returning from a glute injury in Week 3, Darnold ranks 26th in Total QBR (43.8). Backup Drew Lock posted the league's fourth-best QBR (84.7) over the first two weeks and did not turn the ball over while filling in. Macdonald said he was not considering a change, calling Lock a tremendous quarterback but insisting the team must take care of the football with Darnold at the helm.
The Seahawks' offensive problems extend beyond Darnold. Seattle has committed five other turnovers via fumbles, including one by wide receiver Rashid Shaheed on Thursday night. The run game has struggled with its top two options, rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price (chest) and Zach Charbonnet (knee), sidelined. Darnold has also been sacked five times in each of the last two games, due to both pass-protection breakdowns and holding the ball too long.
Macdonald said right guard Anthony Bradford (hip/knee), who has missed the last five games on injured reserve, has a "really good chance" to play in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Price must miss at least one more game but should return "sooner rather than later" after that matchup. There was no update on Charbonnet, who has been practicing since Oct. 1 and must be activated off the physically unable to perform list by next Thursday.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing