Sam Darnold's latest collapse has intensified calls for the Seattle Seahawks to consider a quarterback change after their painful 17-14 overtime defeat to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
Although the veteran's costly interceptions deserve serious criticism, benching him immediately might not solve Seattle's deeper offensive problems.
Fernando Mendoza opens up about his NFL debut
The Seahawks fell to 3-3 after surrendering another winnable game, despite their defense delivering an outstanding performance.
Denver managed just 168 total yards, while Seattle generated 353. Yet the visitors couldn't capitalize on their statistical advantage, with Darnold's mistakes ultimately proving decisive.
Seattle trailed 14-3 before mounting a fourth-quarter comeback. George Holani scored a one-yard touchdown, and Rashid Shaheed caught a successful two-point conversion to narrow the deficit.
Jason Myers subsequently connected on a 34-yard field goal with four seconds remaining, forcing overtime.
However, Darnold's second interception of the night ended Seattle's hopes. Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted his pass during the extra period, setting up Wil Lutz's winning 53-yard field goal.
The quarterback finished with 278 passing yards and two interceptions, extending a worrying run of turnovers that has undermined Seattle's recent performances.
Seattle's protection problems complicate the decision
Darnold has thrown seven interceptions in four games since returning from a glute injury in Week 3, matching his seven touchdown passes during that stretch.
His mistakes against Denver followed two interceptions against San Francisco just five days earlier. The pattern makes frustration understandable, particularly when Seattle's defense is giving the team chances to win.
After the loss, Darnold accepted responsibility, saying he couldn't keep turning the ball over.
"I just think it's B.S for me to keep turning the ball over," he told reporters. "It's not fair to our defense, it's not fair to our special teams group, not fair really to the entire team. So I've got to be better that way."
He also admitted he bypassed an available short pass to Cooper Kupp on the overtime interception. He needs to show more patience, trust his reads and recognize when a checkdown is the smarter choice.
"The first one, I feel like I had [Cooper Kupp] in the flat, thought his man might have been driving it," said Darnold.
"Just wanted to progress and felt like I had some good options, especially in their man coverage on that play specifically, and just got a little bit of pressure and it forced me to make an errant throw, and the guy made a good play as well."
Still, Seattle's offensive line cannot escape scrutiny. Denver sacked Darnold five times and recorded 17 quarterback hits, following another five-sack outing against San Francisco.
Protection breakdowns have repeatedly left defenders closing in, while the running game produced just 74 yards on 25 carries against Denver.
Replacing Darnold with Drew Lock wouldn't automatically fix those weaknesses. Lock would inherit the same pressure, limited rushing support and play-calling concerns.
Seattle needs to protect its quarterback and help him make quicker decisions instead of expecting him to overcome every problem alone.
The defense forced seven consecutive punts after Denver's second-quarter scoring drives, making the offensive waste even more painful.
That resilience gives Seattle reason to stay competitive, but it can't keep compensating for giveaways. If Darnold continues forcing throws into tight coverage, the coaching staff will have to reconsider its options.
Darnold will keep the starting job, but his margin for error has narrowed.