Did you notice that the Seahawks’ bet on Sam Darnold has paid off?
So, how have they done it?
Through five weeks, the Seahawks have the highest explosive pass rate in football, establishing themselves as one of the more pleasant surprises of the young season.
Their success starts with Darnold, who’s playing as well as any quarterback in the league. Darnold’s talent has never been a question, but this is the cleanest he’s played.
Darnold is getting sacked less often than at any point in his career and he’s put the ball in harm’s way at one of the lowest rates in the NFL.
But it’s Darnold’s accuracy, especially down the field, that has separated him from his peers. Darnold has the highest on-target percentage of any QB in the league and has been accurate on a stunning 15 of 16 deep passes.
Seattle’s vertical shots have turned into long handoffs and it’s made them a potent downfield passing offense.
Consistently creating chunk plays down the field requires more than just the QB. Seattle has seen significant — and surprising — contributions from its offensive line, pass catchers and play caller.
For years, the Seahawks’ offensive line has been among the most maligned groups in the league, allowing the second-most quick pressures in the NFL last season.
This year, Darnold has been pressured at a below-average rate, which is a credit to both his offensive line and the situations the staff has put them in.
Both tackles and rookie guard Gray Zabel have been standouts in pass protection, but the Seahawks’ new scheme has also made their lives much easier.
Helping his offensive line is just one of the many ways offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has given his team subtle advantages so far this season. Kubiak has also manipulated personnel and formations to create simpler defenses and matchup advantages.
So far, the Seahawks rank dead last in their use of three-wide receiver sets. By playing with much heavier personnel that includes multiple tight ends and a fullback, Seattle has seen the highest rate of base defense in the NFL by a significant margin.
That has left defenses with more linebackers and less speed on the field and forced them into simple coverages less focused on slowing down the passing game.
Kubiak’s approach has created advantageous passing looks for a QB looking to push the ball down the field.
By stretching opponents horizontally, Kubiak has created space in the middle of the field for quick receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba to feast on defenses.
Smith-Njigba’s ascension has been the final piece of the puzzle for the fast start from Seattle’s passing offense. Having well-designed schemes is nice, but having the best players usually helps.
Coming out of Ohio State as a first-round pick, JSN was mostly known as a hyperproductive slot receiver whose role might be limited to inside snaps in the NFL.
In his first two seasons with Seattle, Smith-Njigba played from the slot on about 75 percent of snaps and recorded a decidedly below-average 7.8 air yards per target.
This year, JSN has aligned in the slot on less than a quarter of his routes and established himself as a dangerous outside, vertical receiver. After recording just seven catches of 20-plus air yards in 2024, Smith-Njigba already has six of those plays this year.
While he remains one of the NFL’s most impressive short-area threats given his excellent route-running and short-area quickness, Smith-Njigba’s growth as a vertical target has provided Darnold with one of the league’s most explosive downfield receivers.
The final result has helped turn the Seahawks’ passing offense into one of the early success stories of the 2025 season.