Best of The Herd

It’s a Monday after a classic, wire to wire. I even joked I dreamed Sam Darnold was giving a Hall of Fame speech, and it felt strangely believable. Seattle looks scary long term: real cap room, a head coach entering his prime, Darnold on a team‑friendly deal, and a pack of ascending guys. Say what you want about supporting cast, but he played clean against elite defenses and understood exactly what each game demanded. Versus the Rams he had to rip throws; against New England he had to protect the ball and keep the chains honest. That’s growth. Quarterbacking is command, not hero ball—and the older Sam gets, the more that shows. Meanwhile, Matt Stafford kept finding answers, and Drake May kept searching for the questions.

That hurts. They outplayed us, I love my locker room, we gave everything, and we didn’t play our best.

Drake May reportedly needed a pregame shot, the left tackle struggled, and a chunk of his production came late. New England still feels a draft away up front and at tight end, and the box score flatters what was a lopsided night. Credit to J‑Mac—he called a Seattle blowout.

I’m not sold the Patriots are fine. The AFC’s a gauntlet, and this postseason from May—low completion rate, turnovers, sacks—was rough, especially once they stopped facing cupcakes.

Quick ‘right and wrong’ pulse check: I’ve stood by Darnold’s traits—size, toughness, mobility, humility—and he delivered mistake‑free football. Seattle’s defense and depth ran away with it, New England couldn’t run a lick, and Christian Gonzalez popped. It was also a great year for defensive head coaches, with Devon Witherspoon looking like a tone‑setting star. Stafford walks to the line and knows the why; May’s still learning the what—that’s the difference maturity brings.

On the field, did it feel like Seattle just had another gear?

It did, but early it was field goals, not touchdowns, and that can mess with momentum. New England’s defense held the line, then the offense stacked three‑and‑outs and the dam broke. Eight punts will gas any defense, and Kenneth Walker’s downhill work wore them out.

You’re close with Mike Macdonald. Should the head coach keep calling it if he’s that dialed in?

He was hired for that superpower. They rushed four all year, then flipped the script and brought timely, disguised pressures with corners and ‘backers. Witherspoon in the slot is a menace; he times it like an edge. Great defenses try to score on defense, and Seattle played like that.

New England jumped routes early, trying to bait ‘old Sam.’ What did that tell you?

Veteran, savvy defense. They’re not deep, but they’re smart and sticky on the outside. The problem was complementary football—Seattle’s physical run game kept sending them back out before they could adjust. Load management ended and K‑9 got unleashed.

How do you keep Seattle hungry with cap space, decisions at running back, and potential staff turnover?

Clint Kubiak’s expected to bolt for the Raiders, and the real question is who he takes with him—assistants and maybe players he trusts. That churn is why you might keep Walker; stability helps. Kubiak’s fingerprints are everywhere: vouching for Darnold from San Francisco, pounding the table for Rashid Shaheed as a field‑tilter. You can replace a coordinator; it’s tougher to replace your culture overnight.

People throw around ‘game manager’ with Darnold. Fair?

I call it a game commander. The ball is everything, and he played like it. When you know you’re the guy, you don’t chase 350 yards every Sunday. He trusted the plan, the room respected it, and that unselfish style travels in January.

Worried about Drake May after that?

He didn’t look fully right, protection fell apart, and the plan lacked answers. You needed wrinkles, quick game, misdirection, tricks—something to steal a spark—because this defense might be one we end up mentioning with the greats. Learn from it and move.

Seattle can win rushes with four, they’re twitchy and physical on the back end, and they’re buttoned up on special teams. That’s a complete operation.

Message to young quarterbacks: watch a vet like Philip Rivers. See it, say it, snap it—get the ball out, protect your line, and hate fumbles as much as picks. They don’t test that at the combine, but it’s how you survive nights like this.

At the stadium it felt like a Seattle lean, and Darnold looked comfortable right away. J‑Mac, you buy the idea that May’s health skewed the picture?

If he needed a shot after two weeks off, that’s concerning. Maybe I’m overreacting, but the tape wasn’t kind.

The plan needed more tight ends, three‑step throws, and gadgets. Hunter Henry should’ve been a volume target, with swing passes to get Seattle in space. Meanwhile Seattle, as the favorite, dialed up misdirection and fakes. Macdonald has cooked young quarterbacks; file that for early‑season betting—fade inexperience against this defense.

On roster building, Walker has market value, but Kubiak leaving could argue for keeping him to steady the room. Shaheed felt like a one‑year splash for a contender; that’s not the Raiders’ timeline. They need a steady eighty‑catch type, not a pure burner. Seattle? That’s a Super Bowl roster, and Darnold played exactly to the moment.