The Seahawks underwent an offensive makeover in one offseason -- is it working?

RENTON, Wash. -- Sam Darnold had thrown his 2nd interception of the time erstwhile Klint Kubiak voiced his displeasure.

It was midway done an organized squad enactment successful aboriginal June, and the Seattle Seahawks' defence -- which had returned astir each cardinal subordinate from a apical 10 portion successful 2024 -- was taking it to their overhauled offense.

Seattle had hired Kubiak to regenerate Ryan Grubb arsenic the violative coordinator, signed Darnold successful escaped bureau aft trading Geno Smith and past turned implicit astir fractional of the starting lineup astir him. And connected this day, the discourtesy looked similar it was starting over.

"Sam Darnold," Kubiak told his quarterback, "your radical is the sh--s close now."

Fast-forward 2 and a fractional months later, during a grooming campy signifier successful mid-August. Kubiak's discourtesy had been making noticeable strides, and successful a reddish portion period, it couldn't beryllium stopped -- a stark quality from that June OTA.

Darnold fired 1 touchdown walk aft another, with 2 successful speedy succession to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and escaped cause summation Cooper Kupp. The defence had nary reply for backup Drew Lock and the second-team offense, either.

This was what Mike Macdonald had hoped to spot erstwhile helium and wide manager John Schneider deed the reset fastener connected an discourtesy that ranked 20th successful points per crippled successful 2024. But astatine this moment, the caput manager was wearing his antiaircraft coordinator hat, and helium had seen enough.

"We are officially getting shredded," Macdonald exclaimed to the defense, his dependable heightening successful a frustrated tone.

The 2 opposing scenes would service arsenic a prelude to the archetypal 3 games of the Darnold-Kubiak era.

Seattle's new-look discourtesy debuted with a 17-13 season-opening dud successful a nonaccomplishment to the San Francisco 49ers. Since then, that radical has totaled 61 combined points successful wins implicit the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, with Darnold throwing 4 touchdowns to 2 interceptions successful that span.

Despite a tally crippled that hasn't rather got going, the Seahawks (2-1) person the NFL's fifth-highest scoring discourtesy heading into their Thursday nighttime crippled against the 2-1 Arizona Cardinals (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) astatine State Farm Stadium. The NFC West showdown volition present a nationalist assemblage to a portion that underwent a translation successful unit and scheme, with Kubiak's strategy representing a instrumentality to an under-center, run-based offense. And it volition beryllium a trial of whether Darnold & Co. tin proceed their upswing against 1 of the NFL's stingier defenses.

"We're connected our way," Macdonald said. "If Klint was lasting close here, I'm definite helium could rattle disconnected astir a twelve things that helium wants to amended on, and that's the mentality we want. We're excited astir the maturation that we've had. We emotion our guys. We emotion going to work. But we recognize that we tin beryllium a truly bully shot team, and we're determined to get there."

THE SEAHAWKS D...