SEATTLE -- Sam Darnold's job as the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback is not in jeopardy, according to coach Mike Macdonald.
When asked during his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710 Friday morning if he would consider a change at quarterback, Macdonald said, "No, no." Darnold threw his sixth and seventh interceptions of the season on Thursday night during Seattle's 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos.
"I think we have a lot of faith in Sam," Macdonald said Friday via Zoom. "Sam's played a lot of great football for us. He's done a lot of great things this year. Obviously turned the ball over more than we want to. I feel like there's things on our end that can help him play better football, and I think he's definitely part of the solution rather than the opposite."
If Macdonald were to bench Darnold, which doesn't appear to be in the cards, backup Drew Lock would be next in line. When Darnold sat out most of the Seahawks' season opener and their Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with a glute injury, Lock completed 72.9 percent of his attempts for 422 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in two Seattle wins.
The Seahawks have gone 1-3 with Darnold since he returned in Week 3. He has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,033 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, which is tied with Justin Herbert and Drake Maye for the most in the NFL.
When asked why Seattle's offense was cleaner with Lock, not Darnold, under center, Macdonald said the team's challenges go beyond who's at quarterback.
"I respect the question," Macdonald said. "To make it a one-for-one, 'Hey, this is the same, and this is different, and it's one person,' I don't think that's doing the whole thing justice. There's definitely more to the equation."
The Seahawks have 12 total turnovers through six games. Only the Los Angeles Chargers, who haven't won a game yet, have more.
In 2025, Darnold led the NFL with 20 turnovers -- 14 interceptions and six lost fumbles. He felt compelled to tell his teammates he must protect the ball after breaking down the Seahawks' huddle in the visiting locker room following Thursday's loss.
"I think it's BS for me to keep turning the ball over," Darnold said. "It's not fair to our defense. It's not fair to our special teams group. Not fair, really, to the entire team."
Macdonald said the Seahawks as a whole can do more to help Darnold, who was under pressure all evening. The Broncos racked up five sacks and 17 QB hits of Darnold, who said he feels good physically after missing time earlier in the season.
Seattle rushed for 113 yards on Thursday, marking the third time in six games the team has eclipsed the century mark. But overall, the Seahawks have struggled to establish a consistent rushing attack, with rookie Jadarian Price and veteran Zach Charbonnet, the team's most talented runners, sidelined by injury.
"I think there's a sense of urgency to get better in several areas of our football team," Macdonald said. "A lot of those are on offense, operationally, how we're protecting the quarterback, how we're running the ball."
Seattle is 16th in the NFL in total yards (332.2) and 11th in points per game (24.7). The Seahawks defense, meanwhile, has picked up where it left off after allowing the fewest points per game in the league in 2025. No team has allowed fewer yards per game than Seattle's 237.3. The defense limited the Broncos to just 168 total yards.
The Seahawks are eighth in scoring defense (20.3 points per game), but they could easily be among the NFL's best in that category if their opponents hadn't scored a whopping 47 points off turnovers. No team has allowed more points off turnovers this season.
If the Seahawks want to improve upon their 3-3 start, they'll need to cut down on their turnovers. Darnold recognizes that cleaning up the offense starts with him, and his coach fully backs him.
"I think there's things we can all do to help Sam play better football," Macdonald said. "And we trust Sam. We believe in him. And we feel like he's definitely part of the solution in terms of us playing better football on offense and at quarterback."
Other notes
• Macdonald said injured right guard Anthony Bradford has a "really good chance of being back this week." Bradford has missed Seattle's last four games with hip and knee injuries.
• Tight end Elijah Arroyo underwent testing on Friday to learn more about the shoulder injury that prompted his exit from Thursday's game.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
