Seahawks sing Darnold's praises after GW drive

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- After their vaunted defence allowed the Arizona Cardinals to people 17 consecutive points, tying the people precocious successful the 4th quarter, the Seahawks managed to propulsion retired a 23-20 triumph Thursday nighttime astatine State Farm Stadium successful ample portion owed to the poise their caller backmost showed.

Facing a second-and-10 from their ain 40 with 23 seconds left, Sam Darnold deed receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba down the near sideline for a 22-yard gain, mounting up Jason Myers' game-winning tract extremity from 52 yards retired arsenic clip expired 2 plays later.

"Sam made a cleanable throw, honestly," Smith-Njigba said. "Back enarthrosis throw. The country was connected apical of me, truthful helium conscionable placed it perfectly, and it was an casual grab."

Darnold and Smith-Njigba positioned the Seahawks to enactment the crippled distant connected their erstwhile drive, connecting for a 36-yard summation down the close sideline connected different perfectly placed throw. But Myers missed wide close connected a 53-yard tract extremity effort that would person enactment Seattle up 23-13, and Arizona past drove for the tying touchdown.

The Seahawks started the ensuing thrust astatine their ain 40-yard enactment aft Arizona's kickoff failed to scope the landing zone, and Darnold made them pay.

Like each Seahawks contracts, the three-year, $100.5 cardinal woody they gave Darnold successful March aft trading Geno Smith gives the squad a imaginable retired aft 1 season, putting unit connected their caller backmost to present contiguous results successful 2025.

And helium is.

After completing 18 of 26 attempts for 242 yards and a touchdown Thursday night, Darnold present has 5 TDs to 2 interceptions portion starring Seattle to a 3-1 start.

"Sam's playing retired of his caput close now," manager Mike Macdonald said. "You spot him, he's conscionable specified a chill customer. But he's a feline connected a mission. He's truthful determined for america to beryllium a large squad and a large offense, and he's doing a large occupation starring us."

One of the astir awesome aspects of Darnold's debut play successful Seattle truthful acold has been his quality to flight unit and make large plays portion connected the run, which helium showed again against Arizona.

Late successful the 2nd quarter, helium recovered rookie choky extremity Elijah Arroyo for a 32-yard summation portion scrambling to his right. On the adjacent play, helium saw an unfastened swath of turf connected a bootleg and ran for 24 yards.

Those 2 plays positioned the Seahawks for a Zach Charbonnet touchdown tally that enactment them up 14-3 astatine halftime.

"I'm truly blessed helium came down with that 1 due to the fact that I deliberation I had 20 yards successful beforehand of maine of greenish grass," Darnold said of his propulsion to Arroyo. "So I'm truly blessed helium made that play."

The Seahawks' halftime pb would person been larger than 11 points if not for 3 miscues. Coby Bryant fumbled distant an interception backmost to Arizona, chap information Julian Love dropped an casual prime and moving backmost Kenneth Walker III took Seattle retired of tract extremity scope with a taunting penalty.

The Seahawks were nevertheless successful implicit power until Arizona stormed back, driving for touchdowns connected consecutive possessions successful the 4th fourth and necessitating the late-game heroics.

The Seahawks had a accidental for a akin decorativeness successful their play opener, erstwhile Darnold's 40-yard completion to Smith-Njigba got them successful the reddish portion against the San Francisco 49ers. But the crippled ended erstwhile Read Entire Article