Overview
- The Seahawks announced they will start Sam Darnold for the Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, maintaining the coaching staff’s public commitment to him despite recent struggles.
- Darnold has thrown seven interceptions across a recent multi-game stretch and produced multiple multi-interception games, a spike that has coincided with losses and weak offensive output.
- Head coach Mike Macdonald defended keeping Darnold as the starter and praised Drew Lock as a strong backup, saying Lock has shown turnover-free play but will remain the reserve option for now.
- Darnold met with new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury as the team tries to align play-calling, protection schemes and Darnold’s reads to reduce turnovers and improve consistency.
- The offense’s troubles also reflect missing staff and personnel — the departure of former OC Klint Kubiak and the absence of key running backs — and those gaps could shape decisions before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.