Macdonald Stands by Struggling Sam Darnold

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is refusing to consider a change at quarterback despite a difficult season for Sam Darnold, as CBS Sports first reported. Speaking during a radio appearance, Macdonald explicitly rejected the idea of switching to backup Drew Lock, stating he believes the offense can find its way with Darnold as the starter.

Darnold has struggled since returning from a gluteal injury suffered in the season opener. According to CBS Sports, the quarterback has completed 60.4% of his passes with an average of 6.9 yards per attempt. He has thrown seven touchdowns and a league-high seven interceptions. His struggles peaked during a Thursday night game against the Broncos, where he completed 52.9% of his passes at 5.5 yards per attempt and threw two interceptions, one of which set up Denver's winning field goal.

While Drew Lock completed 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns across most of two games, CBS Sports notes that this performance deviated from his career trajectory. Macdonald acknowledged that the team needs to evaluate its offensive approach before facing the undefeated Chiefs in Week 7. This evaluation falls on new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who replaced Klint Kubiak (now the Raiders head coach).

Via Seattle Sports, Macdonald described Fleury as smart and well-prepared but admitted the staff must examine what they are asking of their players. This follows a season where Darnold led the team to a Super Bowl victory despite 14 interceptions, though he was more efficient then with a 67.7% completion rate and 8.2 yards per attempt.