Sam Darnold has a meltdown with 4 interceptions and Rams hang on to beat Seahawks
Sam Darnold has had nine mostly fantastic games for the Seattle Seahawks this season. He has had one undeniably bad one, and that will overshadow the rest.
How do we know? That's what happened last season when his fine 16-game run with the Minnesota Vikings was forgotten due to two bad games to end it.
The Los Angeles Rams seem to have Darnold's number. They beat Darnold and the Vikings in the playoffs last season, with Darnold taking nine sacks and throwing an interception. On Sunday, in a huge game for the NFC West race, Darnold had by far his worst game of the season at the worst time.
Darnold threw four interceptions as the Seahawks fell 21-19 to the Rams. And despite all of Darnold's turnovers, the Seahawks had the ball at the end, trailing by just two points. Darnold got the Seahawks in position to try a 61-yard field goal as time expired, but it was wide right and the Rams held on. Darnold's performance reminded everyone of his poor final two games last season, in losses to the Lions to end the regular season and the Rams in the wild-card playoff round. The Rams are 8-2 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC West after the win, while the Seahawks fell to 7-3.
And with that, the entire narrative of Darnold's season changed. Just like it did last season.
Sam Darnold's issues start in 1st halfThe Seahawks didn't play poorly in the first half. But they settled for field goals while the Rams got touchdowns. And one big mistake by Darnold was costly.
On the Seahawks' first possession, Darnold threw a pick to safety Kamren Kinchens. Kinchens returned it to the 3-yard line and four plays later, Kyren Williams scored to give the Rams a 7-0 lead. The Seahawks got a field goal, but the Rams answered back with a Davante Adams touchdown and they pushed the lead back to 14-3.
The Seahawks moved the ball well enough in the first half, but in the second quarter they settled for field goals of 30 and 22 yards. That's why they trailed 14-9 at halftime despite out-gaining the Rams 171-135.
Seattle's miscues continued into the second half. Darnold threw another interception under pressure, though Seattle got it right back by forcing a fumble. Kenneth Walker III had a touchdown run but it was called back due to holding. After that, the Seahawks settled for another field goal that cut the Rams' lead to 14-12.
The Seahawks' defense was playing well, limiting Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense. Seattle was moving the ball pretty well. But the results weren't showing on the scoreboard.
Rams take control in 2nd halfDarnold's third interception allowed the Rams to open up a two-score lead. Darnold never seemed to see Kinchens as he threw down the seam, the Rams' safety broke on it and had his second interception.
2 INTs for Kamren Kinchens!
- NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025
3 INTs for the Rams!
SEAvsLAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVntpic.twitter.com/aHfIhhew5A
As was the case after Kinchens' first interception, the Rams turned it into a touchdown. Stafford hit Colby Parkinson for a touchdown and the Rams led 21-12 less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Stafford had only 124 yards passing at that point, but he had two touchdown passes and no interceptions, which was the starkest difference from Darnold.
Darnold threw another one right after that. Under pressure, he threw wildly to the middle of the field and Darious Williams had an easy pick. Darnold had six interceptions in Seattle's first nine games, and the mistake to Williams was his fourth on Sunday. The Williams pick was his worst decision on a day full of his bad decisions.
FOURTH PICK OF THE DAY!
- Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 16, 2025
@NFLonFOX | #RamsHousepic.twitter.com/2FbV0hq8rQ
The Seahawks made it interesting after that. A long drive capped by a Walker touchdown cut the Rams' lead to 21-19 with 2:23 left. Then Seattle forced a punt. It was a great punt that landed out of bounds at the 1-yard line, but at least the Seahawks had a chance. For all of Darnold's issues, he had a shot with 1:41 to go to give his team the lead. The Seahawks got to the Rams' 43 and gave Jason Myers a a shot at a 61-yard field goal with one second left. But the long kick sailed wide right and the Seahawks lost.
In a game that close, had Darnold had only two interceptions, maybe even three, instead of the four he did throw then maybe Seattle would have beat the Rams on the road.
It was a big victory for the Rams. The defense did a good job pressuring Darnold and forcing some of those big mistakes. The offense had a big challenge against a good Seattle defense but did enough in the red zone to turn the turnovers into touchdowns.
The Seahawks won't be happy with the loss, but they have a rematch against the Rams at Seattle in Week 16. They'll need their quarterback to play much better in that game. Darnold is sure to hear about his bad game on Sunday until then.