Seahawks are paying $100 million to learn what Vikings already knew

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was in the middle of a monster performance with over 300 yards passing and four touchdown tosses against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday when an old habit from his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings made an unwanted appearance.

With the contest tied at 35 in the fourth quarter, Darnold and the Seahawks offense got the ball with around a minute left in the game at their own 23-yard line. Two plays into the drive, the former Vikings quarterback threw a bad interception that ultimately resulted in the Bucs escaping Seattle with a 38-35 victory.

Pressure continues to be the kryptonite for Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold after leaving Minnesota Vikings

In 2024, Darnold had a marvelous season with Minnesota, but his inability to make the right play in the face of pressure made the Vikings question whether or not it was worth it to re-sign him to a lucrative contract.

Eventually, the Seahawks decided to give Darnold a multi-year deal worth $100.5 million, and on Sunday, they learned exactly why Minnesota was okay with letting the veteran quarterback walk out the door.

As good as Darnold was against Tampa Bay, he wasn't able to lead Seattle to a win. The Bucs knew he would eventually make a mistake if they were able to get a defender in his face to pressure him, and it worked.

This same strategy worked multiple times for opposing defenses in the 2024 campaign when Darold was the Vikings' starting quarterback, and even though he helped lead the franchise to 14 wins in the regular season, his struggles against pressure played a big part in Minnesota's first-round playoff exit.

Sunday's interception was an unfortunate one because Darnold really was having an impressive performance against a talented Tampa Bay team. But just as it was the case when he was with the Vikings last season, those stats don't mean anything if they don't lead to wins.