Why coach Mike Macdonald, Seahawks see Sam Darnold as a 'solution' more than a problem

RENTON

In Sam Darnold, they trust.

That his coach's clear message heading into Seattle's latest challenge from an undefeated team.

The Seahawks (3-3) returned from their mini-bye weekend off to begin preparing for their game Sunday night against the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs with assurance from Mike Macdonald that Darnold will remain the team's starting quarterback. That is after Darnold threw two more interceptions, his sixth and seven picks in four games, in Seattle's 17-14 overtime loss at the Denver Broncos last Thursday in Colorado.

Four days earlier he threw two interceptions in the Seahawks' 32-29 loss at home to unbeaten San Francisco.

"When you have a defense (allowing the fewest yards in the NFL) and special-team group that's playing the way that they are for us, for me, I've just got to protect the football," Darnold said.

"I just think it's b.s. for me to keep turning the ball over. It's not fair to our defense. It's not fair to our special-teams group. It's not fair, really, to our entire team."

"So I've got to be better that way."

His latest interception, Darnold forcing a pass out of the Seahawks' half of the field into coverage intended deep down the field for Rashid Shaheed on their only possession of overtime, handed Denver the winning field goal last week.

Yet his head coach says Darnold will start for Seattle against Kansas City this week -- and not veteran backup Drew Lock, the NFL's second-ranked passer in the two games he played for the injured Darnold last month.

"We have a lot of faith in Sam," Macdonald said, before the players time off this past weekend. "Sam has played great football for us. He’s done a lot of great things this year.

"He’s obviously turned the ball over more than we want to. There are things on our end that can help him play better football and he’s part of the solution rather than the opposite.

“There are things that we can all do to help Sam play better football."

Macdonald's leadership intent was clear: Use the coach's first public comments Friday morning upon the team's return from the loss in Denver to eliminate any doubt Darnold's teammates may have had over the long weekend off that he's still 'The Guy.'

The 39-year-old head coach reminded all that Darnold won Super Bowl 60 leading the Seahawks just eight months ago.

"We won a world championship with him," Macdonald said. "We believe in the guy. We see him every day. We see what he does. We see the plays that he’s been able to make. We see the talent. All those things.

"That’s where my mind is.”

Macdonald's mind is also on helping Darnold, with a more effective running game and better synergy between the quarterback's and his coaches' intents.

Seattle's rushing offense has been in fits, not at all as consistent as it was during Seattle's surge to the NFC West title, the conference's top playoff seed and the Super Bowl late last season. That was with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet as the top running backs.

Walker is playing Sunday night at Lumen Field -- for the Chiefs. Macdonald and general manager John Schneider decided last offseason to stay with the franchise's habits at the running-back spot and not spend lavishly on free agents but drafting younger, cheaper ones, instead. That, and Walker's dissatisfaction from the job share the Seahawks put him in with Charbonnet during Walker's contract season last year, are why Walker signed for $14 million per season with Kansas City a month after he was Seattle's Super Bowl MVP.

Walker leads the NFL with 665 yards rushing. That's the most in league history for a back over his first four games with a team.

Seattle drafted Jadarian Price in the first round of this spring's draft. He fumbled twice in two games last month. He got benched during the team's loss at Washington in week three. Price is now on injured reserve with what Schneider has called an upper-rib injury. The first game he's eligible to return is Nov. 2, against Chicago.

In the meantime Emanuel Wilson, signed this offseason to be the Seahawks' short-yardage back, has been slow to get to the edges in Seattle's outside-zone blocking system. George Holani has been miscast playing well beyond his usual special-teams and third-down roles in the backfield. Both Wilson and Holani have lost fumbles.

Velus Jones Jr. has barely played (four carries all season) after being a wide receiver early in training camp this summer. The team signed Robert Henry Jr. onto the active roster off Washington's practice squad two weeks ago, but the undrafted rookie has yet to play.

Macdonald chose Brian Fleury as the Seahawks' new offensive coordinator this past offseason to continue what Seattle's offense was for Darnold while winning it all last season: a run-based team in the Shanahan outside-zone system. Though they went effective throughout the 2025 season with Klint Kubiak calling running plays, the Seahawks were among the most run-heavy offenses all last season. They ran it 50% of the time, more running than any other NFC teams and just behind Baltimore and Buffalo for most often in the league.

This season through six games, with Price benched and/or out injured for three of them and a hodgepodge of back-up rushers remaining, the Seahawks are running the ball the 10th-most times in the NFL. They 18th in rushing offense at just over 107 yards per game on the ground.

That's not why Macdonald hired Fleury.

"I felt like it was going to be a great continuation of what our identity was on offense," Macdonald said.

"That’s what our focus is right now, is making sure that we’re playing the Seahawks style of offense that we all envisioned when we all decided to work together."

CHARBONNET RETURNING?

Zach Charbonnet jogged onto the field to join Darnold and their teammates for stretching at the start of what the team calls a "bonus" Monday practice coming off their weekend off.

Charbonnet is in the third week of his 21-day practice window while he remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list. He had reconstructive knee surgery in February, following his major injury in the team's divisional-playoff win over San Francisco in mid-January.

Macdonald has said how good Charbonnet looks in his rehabilitation, and how all inputs on his health, strength and recovery will determine if he makes his season debut Sunday night against the Chiefs.

The team has until Thursday of this week to decide whether to activate Charbonnet off the PUP list or keep him on it for the remainder of the season. Charbonnet coming off the PUP list this week onto the active roster doesn't mean for sure he will play Sunday night, or how extensive his debut may be. He is still just eight months removed from a knee reconstruction.

ANTHONY BRADFORD BACK

Right guard Anthony Bradford jogged onto the field and joined Abe Lucas plus other linemen in beginning stretching before practice.

The Seahawks designated him to return to practice off injured reserve Monday. He's been on injured reserve for the past month, following hip and knee injuries.

Christian Haynes has started and rookie Beau Stephens has alternated in about 30-35% of the offensive snaps in the four games Bradford has missed.

It appears from what he looked like Monday and what Macdonald has said that Bradford will start against Kansas City this weekend. That would be the first time since the opener Sept. 9 against New England the Seahawks would have their starting five offensive linemen playing together.

That would only help the running game -- and thus, Darnold, the offense and the 3-3 defending champions.

"We trust Sam. We believe in him," Macdonald said. "We feel like he’s definitely part of the solution, in terms of us playing better football on offense and at quarterback.”