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The Seattle Seahawks dropped a pivotal Week 11 NFC West matchup to the Los Angeles Rams after struggles from starting quarterback Sam Darnold shaped the 21-19 result. Fans expected a sharper outing, but Seahawks offense issues surfaced at the worst time. The game also showed how Rams defensive pressure forced mistakes that ultimately shifted the outcome.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald spoke on Monday during his day-after press conference. After reviewing every interception, he outlined a detailed evaluation that explained the costly swings. His insight pointed to moments where the eight-year veteran signal caller pressed late in downs instead of taking the safer play. The Athletic’s Michael Shawn-Dugar posted the breakdown to X (formerly known as Twitter), where he shared the perspective from the head coach in a complete sentence that framed Darnold’s up-and-down approach.
“The majority of them came late in downs where we just need to get to the next play. Sam has played on time and in rhythm a lot this year and he’s made a lot of plays for us doing that. He’s also made a lot of plays off-schedule. You don’t want to take the playmaker out of him but you also understand when we need to be able to get to the next play versus putting the ball in jeopardy down the field.”
The message from Macdonald reflected a larger theme. Darnold threw four interceptions in the Week 11 loss after entering the game with only six on the season. Many of the mistakes came when he tried to extend broken plays instead of resetting for the next snap. Those decisions shifted a NFC West divisional matchup that carried major playoff implications.
Seattle now sits in second place in the NFC West with a 7-3 record. The response from Darnold will shape the coming weeks, especially with another important matchup ahead. The team needs him to maintain the playmaker edge without embracing hero ball that invites turnovers. How he adjusts will determine whether the Seahawks stay in the NFC mix or not.
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