Sam Darnold kept the football out of Kansas City’s hands for the entire second half of Seattle’s prime-time win over the Chiefs, and for a quarterback buried in turnover talk, that clean stretch told the real story.

The Seattle Seahawks starter finished 20-of-28 for 257 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Patrick Mahomes and the previously unbeaten Chiefs. After halftime, he completed 7 of 10 throws for 79 yards and picked up 10 yards on a third-down scramble that kept a third-quarter field goal drive breathing.

His defense made that caution count. Leonard Williams and the front held Kenneth Walker, the NFL’s leading rusher and a former Seattle draft pick, to 36 yards on 14 carries. Kansas City scored three points.

Mark Schlereth, an offensive lineman with three Super Bowl rings, went on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Monday and called it “a redemption game.” The lone blemish came late in the first half, when Darnold threw a red-zone interception that took at least three points off the board.

Mark Schlereth Explains Sam Darnold’s End-Zone Pick and Why the Rebound Matters

Schlereth did not pin the red-zone pick entirely on the quarterback. He described a mesh concept, where receivers entering from opposite sides should cross about five or six yards deep. Seattle’s two targets instead collided on the end line.

“But that’s one you gotta just fire out the back of the end zone,” Schlereth said.

“The bottom line, though, is your ability to bounce back from that and not let it affect you, I think is huge,” he said. “He did look the part. He looked really, really sharp.”

That rebound followed a rough stretch. Darnold missed time with a glute injury while Drew Lock impressed over two games.

In Week 3, Darnold threw two interceptions against the Washington Commanders, including a fourth-quarter pick-six in a 33-31 loss. After beating the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle dropped three-point games to the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos as he tossed two picks in each.

“He’s just gonna make less of those boneheaded mistakes going forward,” Schlereth said. If he is right, chatter about Seattle escaping the final year of that contract should fade.

Seattle handed him a $100.5 million contract over three years, and he repaid it with the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. He is now tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions and ranks near the bottom among starters in passing yards and passer rating. Lock, through seven seasons, has yet to prove himself a true QB1.

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