By admin 
Talk radio around Puget Sound spent the days after Thursday’s loss asking whether Drew Lock should take over, and Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald shut that idea down quickly. In a Friday appearance on Seattle Sports 710, Macdonald made clear he isn’t benching Sam Darnold, even after an overtime loss in Denver left Darnold with a league-high seven interceptions. He’s making the right call.
Read more Jordan Mason’s Return Eases Vikings’ Need for a Running Back Trade
Macdonald isn’t letting his quarterback off the hook, either. “We have to take care of the ball. Sam knows that, he told the team that,” Macdonald said after the game. He followed it with the other half of the problem: “The quarterback is getting hit way too much, everybody sees that.”
Why benching Darnold would backfire now
Lock was sharp filling in early, completing 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions in wins over the Patriots and Cardinals. That is a 48-attempt sample. Over his career, Lock is 11-18 as a starter with 38 touchdown passes, 28 interceptions and an 81.0 passer rating, per Pro Football Reference. His lone full season as a starter, in Denver in 2020, produced 15 interceptions in 13 games.
Darnold also isn’t getting much help. He has been sacked 10 times in the last two games and was hit 17 times by the Broncos. Cooper Kupp said the offense is “not doing a good enough job offensively to allow him to play in rhythm,” and he also called out the run game and protection.
Read more Damian Lillard, Ja Morant lead new-look Blazers vs. Suns
The flaws show up in the data. Darnold’s 64.2 overall grade ranks 22nd of 35 quarterbacks, and he has 10 turnover-worthy plays against seven big-time throws, per PFF. He’s still feeding Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has 49 catches for 717 yards and seven touchdowns through six games, including 12 catches for 134 yards at Denver. This is also the same quarterback who went 14-3 with 25 touchdown passes and 4,048 yards last season.
Seattle’s defense ranks second in EPA per play at -0.18, according to SumerSports, and the three losses came by a combined eight points with 10 turnovers. A roster that close needs Darnold to protect the ball. If the line steadies and the interceptions keep piling up over the next two weeks, Lock deserves a real look. Until then, Macdonald has the right quarterback.
Read more Sacramento ranks among the best college towns and cities in US. Where did it fall?
More on the Seattle Seahawks
- Will Zach Charbonnet Play vs. the Chiefs? Seahawks’ 3.9 Yards per Carry Says They Need Him
- Seahawks Could Make Up for Loss of Kenneth Walker III with Blockbuster Trade Ahead of Deadline
- NFL Makes Final Decision on Sam Darnold Incident
- Seahawks’ Real Problem Is Sam Darnold’s Turnovers, Not the Offense
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published October 20, 2026 at 2:45 PM.