Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is back in the MVP hunt after a near-flawless performance on the national stage in his team’s blowout victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Darnold completed his first 17 passes in the 38-14 win, finishing 21 of 24 for 330 yards, four touchdown passes and an interception. Following Sunday’s near-perfect performance, Darnold is second in the league in passer rating (116.0) among qualified passers, seventh in passing yards (2,084) and ninth in passing touchdowns (16).
Darnold’s been helped by having the best receiver in the league this year in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The third-year wide receiver has topped 100 receiving yards in six games this season, leading the NFL in receiving yards with 948.
But Darnold’s play is one of the reasons Seattle is undefeated on the road this season at 4-0 (the Seahawks are actually 11-1 away from home since Mike Macdonald took over as head coach in 2024) and why the Seahawks have emerged as a legitimate contender to win the NFC West. He’s averaging a league-best 9.65 yards per attempt, which again speaks to Darnold’s ability to dial up big plays.
Specifically, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has done a nice job of creating chunk plays in the play-action game. Darnold has completed 65% of his passes for 801 yards, with seven touchdowns and two interceptions for a 132.3 passer rating on play-action passes, according to Next Gen Stats.
Kubiak’s help for Darnold goes beyond dialing up play-action passes. Seattle has done a good job of protecting Darnold because of Kubiak’s reliance on running the football. Darnold has been sacked a league-low nine times this season, a vastly lower number than the number of times Geno Smith was sacked last season (50) under pass-happy offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Sam Darnold had a perfect first half in the Seahawks’ win over the Commanders on Sunday. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Darnold hasn’t been perfect, though. He’s thrown five interceptions this season, so how the USC product continues to make big plays while taking care of the football down the backstretch of the season will be critical for the Seahawks.
And hey, Darnold was in the MVP conversation last year when he helped to lead the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins, finishing tenth in MVP voting. However, Darnold struggled in a season-ending loss to the Detroit Lions that would have won the NFC North for the Vikings, then laid another egg in an NFC Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
So yes, while Darnold deserves credit for playing well in his new home in Seattle, how he plays down the stretch into January and the postseason will define his success in the Pacific Northwest.
For now, Darnold was one of the big movers in MVP odds this week, jumping from +5000 to +2000 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Reigning league MVP Josh Allen moved back into the top spot at +180, usurping Patrick Mahomes (+350), Allen and Mahomes are followed by Drake Maye (+425) and Matthew Stafford (+550) on the odds board.
Let’s take a closer look at the top five MVP candidates heading into Week 10.
The Patriots are riding a six-game winning streak, and Maye is the main reason for the team’s success. Maye leads the league in passer rating (116.9) among qualified passers. However, Maye’s been sacked six times in two straight games. He’s also been sacked 34 times this season. Only Cam Ward (38) has been sacked more, so the Patriots must do a better job of protecting their franchise quarterback.
Why Drake Maye is Julian Edelman’s MVP Pick Over Patrick Mahomes & Josh Allen
New England faces a tough test this week, facing fellow MVP candidate Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.
Odds to win MVP: +425
2. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (Last week: No. 4)
Stafford has been on a heater all season. With a league-leading 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions, Stafford is the fifth different player with at least 20 touchdown passes and three or fewer interceptions in his first eight games of a season in league history, joining the likes of Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Y.A. Tittle.
Stafford set a Rams franchise record with nine passing touchdowns over a two-game span and has thrown a touchdown in every game this season, marking eight consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He’s one of five quarterbacks to throw a touchdown in every game this season.
Odds to win MVP: +550
3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (Last week: Unranked)
Allen stepped back into the limelight by leading Buffalo to an important victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at home, completing 88.5% of his passes for 273 yards and three total touchdowns.
Now, Allen and the Bills must turn their attention toward overtaking the Patriots within the division and earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC to assure home-field advantage in the postseason.
Odds to win MVP: +180
Taylor’s MVP candidacy took a step back by posting a season-low 43 rushing yards on 14 carries in a road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9. Pittsburgh held Taylor to 3.2 yards per carry and minus-9 yards before contact, doing a nice job of bottling up Taylor at the line of scrimmage.
Jonathan Taylor wasn’t able to make a significant impact in the Colts’ loss to the Steelers. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By stopping the run, the Steelers were able to turn their attention to creating pressure on Daniel Jones, forcing him to turn the ball over five times. Taylor gets a chance to get back on track against the Atlanta Falcons, who are allowing 124 rushing yards per game ahead of the contest in Berlin.
Odds to win MVP: +2800
5. Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (Last week: Unranked)
Darnold has been particularly effective at targeting in-breaking routes this season. He’s thrown in-breaking routes a league-high 39.4% of the time, completing 76.5% of his passes for 979 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception, according to Next Gen Stats.
Odds to win MVP: +2000
Honorable mention: Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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