Sam Darnold Takes Responsibility for Seahawks’ Denver Loss: ‘It’s Stupid for Me to Keep Turning the Ball Over’

DENVER — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t wait for questions when he met with the media after Thursday night’s loss. It’s not like he didn’t know what was going to happen.

“No way to sugarcoat it, that one sucked,” said Darnold, who threw two late interceptions in a 17-14 loss to the Denver Broncos, including a crucial one in overtime. “I can’t turn the ball over, that’s obviously a priority in my mind.”

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He was then just as direct with his teammates. He took responsibility for the interceptions. He was then asked why he felt the need to address the team.

“I just think it’s stupid for me to keep turning the ball over,” Darnold said. “It’s not fair to our defense, it’s not fair to our special teams group, not really fair to the whole team. I have to be better that way.”

Last season, Darnold redefined his career by helping Seattle win the Super Bowl. But he hasn’t given up his turnover habit, at least in the regular season. He had 14 interceptions and a league-high 11 fumbles, losing six. Like magic, he didn’t turn the ball over in the last playoffs. But this season, he has seven interceptions despite playing only four full games. It cost a lot on Thursday evening.

The Seahawks held the Broncos to 38 yards of offense in the second half and overtime. Their special teams made plays, including a long punt return late in regulation that set up a tying field goal. Darnold’s turnovers weren’t the only reason Seattle lost, and the other Seahawks pointed that out repeatedly. But the Seahawks are 3-3, with three losses in close games, and one of the main reasons is that Darnold is making too many big mistakes.

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“We have to take care of the ball,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said. “Sam knows that, he told the team. I have to take care of the ball.”

Sam Darnold ‘got greedy’ during OT interception

Darnold’s first interception seemed to end the game. He was pressured and rushed a pass that was recovered by Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine at the Denver 31-yard line, with Seattle trailing 14-11 with 1:31 left in regulation.

But the Seahawks defense came through, forcing a quick three-and-out. Seattle led in the final minute and equalized to send the game into overtime. The Seahawks got the ball back first and Darnold tried to force a pass in Cover 2, but it was played well by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian and recovered at the Seattle 43-yard line. The Broncos gained 8 yards, kicked a field goal and escaped with the victory. He said he should have hit Cooper Kupp underneath for what he thought was a first down.

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“I just got greedy,” Darnold said.

While Darnold took responsibility for the turnovers, others pointed out several issues within the offense. Macdonald said several times that “our quarterback was hit too hard today.” Denver recorded 17 quarterback hits and five sacks. The lack of a running game has been a problem for most of the season for a Seahawks team that let Kenneth Walker III leave in free agency, although Seattle recorded a reasonable 113 rushing yards Thursday night. There is an over-reliance on star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the passing game.

All of this puts a lot of pressure on Darnold, and that’s not good for a quarterback who has had turnover issues throughout his career.

“There’s going to be a lot riding on Sam for the bottom line, but we’re all with him and we all have a responsibility,” Kupp said. “We all play a role in protecting the football. He’s going to own it, because that’s what he is, but we’re not doing a good enough job offensively of allowing him to play in rhythm, not doing a good enough job of allowing him to get into a flow, turning small plays into big plays, not doing a good enough job in the running game, not doing a good enough job of protecting him. There’s a lot of things to improve on.”

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Seahawks already match last season’s loss total

This season’s Seahawks will constantly be compared to last season’s title team. This happens to all reigning champions, especially if they struggle. Last season was a tremendous year for a dominant champion who only lost three games. They have already lost three games this season.

It’s difficult to replicate a season as dominant as the Seahawks’ 2025. The loss of Walker, along with running back Zach Charbonnet, who has yet to play after tearing his ACL in the playoffs, has affected the offense. Everything with this unit seems more difficult. On Thursday night, Seattle was down to three points until its first touchdown with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter.

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“I’m not going to compare last year and this year. They’re the 2026 Seahawks,” Darnold said. “There are a lot of things we need to improve on and I’ll leave it at that.”

The Seahawks are 3-3 and while the frustration is evident, they also talked about how they fought Thursday night to take the game to overtime and how close they were in all three losses. The three defeats ended by a total of eight points.

“I feel like we’re doing well, we’re showing what type of team we are at times, but we’re not doing enough to close out these games like we should be,” Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams said.

Macdonald talked about Seattle’s advantage in playing complementary football in all three phases, and that lies not only in the quarterback’s play, but also in running the ball and protecting it better. But Darnold also needs to not turn it over at a surprising rate.

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“It wasn’t a good enough performance to win the game. From our team. But the quarterback leads the team,” Macdonald said. “I bet Sam would be the first to tell you.”