Suggesting a team try to emulate the Carolina Panthers isn’t a common occurrence yet here we are.
I’m talking specifically about the 2022 Panthers, late in the season. Sam Darnold was the quarterback after replacing Baker Mayfield. Steve Wilks replaced fired Head Coach Matt Rhule in October.
A struggling 3-8 team finished the season on a 4-2 run with Darnold under center. They were arguably the most physical team in the league during that period. Their running game was king, ably supported by a strong defense. Darnold just had to manage the game and he did it well.
It’s this spell of Darnold’s career that I think is significant and not talked about enough from a Seahawks perspective. His year in Minnesota has been dissected. The positives — his touchdown numbers and team record. People have discussed his favourable environment — playing for Kevin O’Connell and with Justin Jefferson. Then there are the negatives — the way his season capitulated in the final two games.
By looking at his short spell at Carolina you can judge a period of six games where he didn’t play for a top offensive Head Coach, didn’t throw to a talent like Jefferson, didn’t play on a good team and had a job to do to bring everything together.
In the first five games of this spell, he threw seven touchdowns and only one interception. Darnold had just three turnover worthy plays compared to 10 big time throws.
Consider that he did all this in a non-ideal situation — coming in as a late-season starter for an offense that wasn’t necessarily quarterback friendly. These are good results and show that he’s very capable of being a facilitator.
It’s not all positive. His completion percentage in those five games was only 61.5% and the sixth and final game of the season — a lacklustre 10-7 win in New Orleans — included a 5/15 passing performance with only 43 yards and two awful interceptions. It is worth noting he was sacked twice and faced a season-high 14 pressures in the game.
Even then there’s some context. Curtis Allen pointed out to me that in his first five starts Darnold threw the ball away 15 times (three per game). The league average in 2022 was 1.24 throwaways per game. His mediocre completion percentage was, arguably, a sign of a quarterback protecting the football.
The Panthers ran for 166 yards per game during the six Darnold starts and that undoubtedly helped. He ended with nine total touchdowns and three picks. That feels like the route to success for Seattle in 2025.
It’s not going to be about Darnold throwing it around the yard for massive yardage and loads of touchdowns. It’s going to be about putting him in a position to succeed. The running game will be critical, complementing Mike Macdonald’s defense. Then, Darnold’s just got to read his keys and execute. He’s got to get the job done in the red zone. I think he’s going to be more like a Shanahan quarterback this year, with a Seattle team far less dependant on their quarterback in a way they haven’t been since the 2014 season.
He’ll probably benefit from having a full, proper pre-season as the expected starter — not to mention genuine familiarity with the offensive play-caller. Therefore, he might not have to be quite as restrained as he was in Carolina.
If the Seahawks do play like the late-season 2022 Panthers, they’ll win a lot of games. I’d argue they have far better personnel on both sides of the ball — so if they just manage to emulate their physical style of play — and if they can run the ball — they’ll have a great chance to be a serious player in the NFC this year. Darnold will also have a good opportunity to play a solid brand of football — which might be all the Seahawks need.
