Are Seahawks encouraging QB Sam Darnold to run more on passes? Should they?
Sam Darnold rolled out to his left. He had open, green turf to his outside.
He only needed 1 yard for the first down. Yet last weekend in the first half of what was a slog for Darnold and his Seahawks at the Atlanta Falcons, the quarterback stopped running on that roll out. He waited. He waited. Instead of decisively taking off running early in the play past the edge defender for the first down, Darnold waited for an open receiver.
None came.
Then he forced a high pass into coverage at rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo. It glanced off four hands into the arms of a Falcons defensive back. Interception.
In the second half, Darnold began running when he got outside. He did it twice, gained first downs, and Seattle out-scored Atlanta 31-3 after halftime to improve to 10-3 in a rout.
Was the NFL’s leader with 16 turnovers in 13 games making a concerted effort to run more instead of throwing after his latest giveaway last weekend?
“I just tried to take some of the opportunities that the defense gave me,” Darnold said Thursday. “I was going through my reads, and if something wasn’t there, it was just not panicking and just understanding that I could get out of the pocket and make something happen with my legs.”
It’s a skill if not strength in Darnold’s game. The eighth-year veteran has been an accurate passer on the run, particularly to his left throwing across his body to the right. He’s also been a productive runner in his career, when necessary and prudent. He averaged 6 yards per run in 2020, his third and final season as the New York Jets’ starter to begin his career.
Yet entering the Seahawks hosting the Indianapolis Colts (8-5) Sunday at Lumen Field (1:25 p.m., CBS television, KIRO-7 locally), Darnold has just 19 rushes in 13 games. He’s on pace to finish his first season as Seattle’s QB with his fewest carries as a full-time starter in the NFL, by far. This is also his first season in the league he hasn’t run for a touchdown.
Then again, Darnold has spent most of this season leading the league in yards per pass attempt. His waits and deep throws are why Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receiving yards.
With four games left in the regular season to a possible NFC West title, are his Seahawks coaches encouraging him to run more, to reduce his turnovers? Are they asking him to turn covered pass routes on drop backs and rollouts into 2- or 4-yard runs instead of interceptions?
Coach Mike Macdonald was asked that in Atlanta immediately after the team’s win there last weekend. Specifically, he was asked if at halftime against the Falcons the coaches told Darnold to run more.
“Yeah,” Macdonald said. “He’s so good at extending plays. Just go be a playmaker, man. Go do the things that you do. Get excited about it. Just kind of build him up on that front.
“You can’t make too big of these things. Just encourage him to go do what he does and make it happen.”
That was a week after veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the former Super Bowl MVP with the Rams, suggested publicly Darnold and the offense could avoid the season high in sacks and batted passes by defensive linemen he took against Minnesota’s blitzes in Seattle’s 26-0 home win over the Vikings.
How? By moving the QB outside and around those blitzers.
In other words: Darnold running more.
Klint Kubiak on Sam Darnold running
Offensive coordinator and play caller Klint Kubiak didn’t dispute that’s going to be in Seattle’s plans late this season.
“Sam’s got great mobility. We’re always encouraging that part of his game.,” Kubiak said following practice Thursday. “When number one and number two aren’t there in the (pass-read) progression, you get to your third hitch, take off and run.”
Kubiak was encouraged by Darnold’s second touchdown pass of the second half in Atlanta to Smith-Njigba. To avoid oncoming defenders the quarterback ran straight up in the pocket, the near the line of scrimmage. That bought him and Smith-Njigba time for a changed route across the goal line to get open for the scoring pass.
“Really pleased with what he did in that last game, especially in the red zone stepping up and getting a ball to ‘Jax.’” Kubiak said.
“But that’s always a part of how we talk to Sam.”
The Colts enter the Seattle game in the top 10 in the league in sacks. But they are just 23rd in pressure rate. That suggests how good their coverage has been on receivers and how long opposing quarterbacks have held the ball before getting sacked.
But the Colts’ best cover guy, All-Pro cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner the team acquired from the Colts midseason, hasn’t practiced this week. He has an injured calf. Darnold may have a chance to show off his coaches’ support, if not outright encouragement, to run more on pass plays Sunday at Lumen Field.
Or not. Again, running more could come at the cost of not throwing as many deep passes after waiting for Smith-Njigba to break free from the myriad coverages NFL defenses have tried and, except for Minnesota (when JSN had season-lows of two catches for 28 yards), failed with.
“At the end of the day you can’t be thinking about all that while the ball is getting snapped and while you’re trying to evade rushers and going through your progressions,” Darnold said. “It’s definitely something that’s a learned skill. You know, for kids and for me, people that have played football their entire lives, you have an innate ability to just go out there and make plays.
“Sometimes you don’t need to go make a play. Sometimes you just need to throw the ball away and live for the next down.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
