Sam Darnold bounced back from a rough outing a week ago and helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 30–24 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
Darnold, who was intercepted four times in last Sunday’s loss to the Rams, threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
His biggest moment came in the second quarter, when he connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 63-yard touchdown that put Seattle ahead for good.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Darnold’s response after last week set the tone.
“He was a spark for us,” Macdonald said. “The big touchdown to Jax, to see his emotion and his excitement I thought really got the team going, which is something that we needed. Like we said, same guy. Just ripped it, did a great job.”
The win gave Seattle (8-3) its fifth victory in six games and improved the team to 5-1 on the road.
It also kept the Seahawks in control of the NFC’s top wild-card spot.
Even with the win, Darnold wasn’t satisfied with everything.
Seattle built a 16-3 lead on three Jason Myers field goals, and the quarterback said the offense has to finish more drives.
“We were able to move the ball up and down the field, and we’ve just got to finish when we’re in the red zone,” Darnold said.
Seattle’s defense added pressure on Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, sacking him four times.
Derick Hall brought Ward down on the final sack, a stop that helped the Seahawks turn the Titans over on downs with just over six minutes left.
Tennessee (1-10) found some offense late. Ward threw for 256 yards, added his first rushing touchdown in the third quarter and hit Chimere Dike on a 1-yard score with 43 seconds remaining.
But the Titans’ final chance ended when linebacker Dorian Mausi touched the onside kick before it traveled the required 10 yards.
Smith-Njigba delivered one of the best performances of his young career.
The NFL’s leader in receiving yards finished with eight catches for a season-high 167 yards and two touchdowns, earning a game ball.
His production pushed him to 1,313 yards on the season — breaking DK Metcalf’s franchise single-season record of 1,303 yards, set in 2020, and doing it in only 11 games.
“It means a lot,” Smith-Njigba said. “This is a great organization, and great receivers have come through here. Honestly, I look at it as a team award, because, without Sam, without the protection, without Sheed and Coop, this doesn’t happen.”
Seattle opened the second half with another burst, starting with a 56-yard completion from Darnold to Smith-Njigba.
Moments later, they connected again for a 13-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 23-3.
Zach Charbonnet added a 6-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 30-10.
Tennessee responded with a 90-yard punt return touchdown from Dike early in the third quarter, his second return TD of the season.
But the Titans couldn’t close the gap enough to end their losing streaks — six straight overall and 10 in a row at home.
Their last home win came on Nov. 3, 2024.
“We’ve each got to be more consistent because these guys fought their tails off once again up until the very end,” Titans interim coach Mike McCoy said. “But got to be more consistent throughout a game.”
Smith-Njigba also extended another milestone streak: 11 consecutive games with at least 75 receiving yards. Only Marvin Harrison (14 in 2002) and Cooper Kupp (13 in 2001) have longer single-season streaks in NFL history.
Seattle dealt with several injuries: Linebacker Chazz Surratt left early with an ankle injury. Running back George Holani exited with a hamstring issue, and safety Ty Okada was ruled out in the second half with an oblique injury. The Titans also saw several starters leave, including left tackle Dan Moore Jr. (knee), defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (concussion protocol) and center Lloyd Cushenberry (foot).
The Seahawks return home to face Minnesota on Nov. 30.
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