Sam Darnold impresses in preseason
debut with Seattle Seahawks, win against Kansas City Chiefs
[August 16, 2025]
By ANDREW DESTIN
SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold looked the part of a franchise
quarterback in his first appearance at Lumen Field as the Seattle
Seahawks beat the Kansas City Chiefs 33-16 in a preseason game on
Friday night.
Darnold, who did not appear in the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason
opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, completed 4 of 4 passes for 34
yards on the opening drive.
Darnold, who signed to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with
Seattle in the offseason, made good use of both his legs and his
tight ends during his sole series. He had no issues rolling out to
either his left or right, locating tight ends AJ Barner and Elijah
Arroyo for short passes, as well as fullback Robbie Ouzts and wide
receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for deeper completions.
“I thought today, first of all, it was awesome just to get out there
in front of the 12s,” Darnold said. “And that atmosphere, too, I
felt like that was kind of a perfect atmosphere. It felt like it was
almost November, December already out there in the rain.”
Backup quarterback Drew Lock also impressed in relief of Darnold on
a slippery Seattle evening, throwing a couple of touchdown passes to
wide receiver Jake Bobo, and completing 10 of 12 passes for 129
yards. Coach Mike Macdonald was particularly complimentary of Bobo’s
performance.
“This guy’s a Seahawk, man,” Macdonald said of Bobo, “The way he
operates and goes and attacks the football."
Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Damien Martinez each added
touchdowns on the ground in the first and third quarters,
respectively.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, did not play quarterback Patrick Mahomes,
tight end Travis Kelce and other starters from the team that fell to
the Philadelphia Eagles in last season’s Super Bowl.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew found tight end Robert Tonyan for
a 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
The Seahawks’ defense in large part held strong, limiting the
Chiefs’ reserves to three points in the second half. Kansas City
wide receiver Skyy Moore, though, did return a punt for a touchdown
late in the fourth quarter.
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws during the
first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Kansas City
Chiefs, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
“Now, we’re chasing perfection as much as you can’t
obtain it,” safety Julian Love said. “That’s kind of what we’re
trying to make the standard on defense.”
Scampering Seahawks
After rushing for the fifth-fewest yards as a team in 2024, the
Seahawks have made it their prerogative to be more effective on the
ground in 2025. They demonstrated on Friday, racking up 268 rushing
yards on 48 carries. Five different players rushed for at least 30
yards.
“The backs ran really hard,” Macdonald said. “Every back today, I
thought, ran the ball hard and going forward, how we finish plays, I
can’t wait to watch it.”
Tight end time
Since Noah Fant is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, tight end
remains a key position battle for the Seahawks. Arroyo and Barner
combined for three catches and 24 yards on Friday, not letting any
passing attempts escape them despite slippery conditions.
Barner is the more veteran player, with 30 catches and 245 receiving
yards under his belt from last season. But Arroyo, who was a
second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has been more productive in
the preseason. He has four catches for 33 yards through two
exhibition games.
Up next
Seahawks: Visit the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 23.
Chiefs: Host the Chicago Bears on Aug. 22.
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