Sam Darnold is picking up where he left off with the Minnesota Vikings at the Seattle Seahawks. The understanding between the quarterback and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is likely to cause concern for their opponents. And the defense is also hitting its stride week after week.

The Arizona Cardinals recently experienced firsthand just how fast the Seattle Seahawks can be.

After six short plays, Sam Darnold and his offense were still 43 yards away from the end zone. Then the quarterback fired a deep ball right into the arms of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the first touchdown of the day was perfect.

“An incredible throw,” marveled teammate Cooper Kupp, who later caught a 67-yard pass. But Darnold is capable of making these throws across half the field or even further. “And he’s been doing that his entire career,” praised the star receiver: “It’s part of his game.”

Why the Seahawks look like real contenders in the fall of 2025. Before the season, quite a few experts dismissed the Hawks when they sent their starter Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract.

It wasn’t enough for the big win, they said. Even though the 28-year-old is known like no other signal caller for perfectly timed deep balls.

Seattle Seahawks as contenders: Darnold picks up where he left off with the Vikings

However, this only really became apparent in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, when he had the most completions of any quarterback over 20 yards with 62. The third pick in the 2018 draft even completed ten passes for more than 40 yards – another top-10 statistic. However, in the public perception, these figures were almost exclusively attributed to the special circumstances and the outstanding job done by head coach Kevin O’Connell. This gave the impression that Darnold was simply in the right place at the right time to position himself for a big contract. The fact that Minnesota built around the long-injured J.J. McCarthy and let the supposed bridge quarterback go seemed to underscore this theory.

But it has long been clear that Darnold, who was significantly undervalued at the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, can also perform without the QB whisperer on the sidelines. That’s because in Seattle, defensive expert Mike MacDonald is in charge.

In just his second year as head coach, he has formed one of the best defenses in the league. Currently, only the Houston Texans (150), the Los Angeles Rams (153), and the Kansas City Chiefs (159) have allowed fewer points than the Seahawks (172).

The showpiece is the rushing defense, which was strengthened in the offseason with DeMarcus Lawrence. In the recent 44-22 win over the Cardinals, the defensive end carried two fumble recoveries into the end zone. Only the Texans (813) allow fewer rushing yards than Seattle (816), and only the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns (3.6 each) allow fewer yards per carry than the Seahawks (3.7).

And the secondary is also doing its job: ten yards per reception is the third-best figure after the Green Bay Packers (nine) and the Chiefs (9.9), who are in a league of their own here. So, the legendary “Legion of Boom” sends its regards.

Seattle Seahawks on their way to the Super Bowl? “JSN” like Calvin Johnson once was

On the other side of the ball, Darnold and Smith-Njigba seem to have found each other. After just nine games, “JSN” has 1,041 receiving yards thanks to formidable passes like those against Arizona.

He has already tied the franchise record of six 100-yard games in a season. His current average is an incredible 115.6 yards – if the 23-year-old maintains this, he would narrowly beat Calvin Johnson’s NFL record of 1964 receiving yards.

The interplay on the really long balls is particularly outstanding. Smith-Njigba has already caught six passes of more than 40 yards from Darnold. No one else has caught more than three balls over this distance. In total, the quarterback has already completed nine such passes – the highest number in the league.

“I honestly have no idea how he does it, but he’s a competitor,” Darnold’s favorite target praised after their latest touchdown combination: “And he reaches for the stars.” The same can be said for the entire franchise.

But it’s not just the seemingly blind understanding between the quarterback and the number one receiver that makes the Seahawks offense so dangerous. In every segment of the field. With the defense also playing big and tackling hard week after week – allowing more than 20 points only twice – Macdonald’s team’s performances have been remarkably well-rounded in the first half of the season.

Seattle Seahawks on the verge of a big win: Rams game as a preview of the playoffs

Only their own rushing game still shows room for improvement. But with eleven rushing touchdowns already, that seems like complaining on a high level. The ingredients for a deep playoff run seem to be in place.

Week 11 could provide a first taste of what’s to come, as the division duel with the Rams is just around the corner. Both teams have won seven of their first nine games and have literally taken their opponents apart in recent weeks. The Californians can rely on Matthew Stafford, currently the best quarterback in the league.

Even before the kickoff of the top game in the NFC West and the entire NFL, it’s clear that the Seahawks are a force to be reckoned with. This team has everything a Super Bowl contender needs. And they may already be poised to make a big splash this season. No one is currently as reliable as Darnold.