Sam Darnold, a ghostbuster at QB, is now a possible MVP

Sam Darnold no longer sees ghosts. He does the haunting, rather than being haunted. He played a key role in making Northwest Stadium a house of horrors Sunday night for the Washington Commanders, their fans and their defense, only two days late for Halloween.

One of the biggest moves of the NFL offseason came when Darnold left the Minnesota Vikings for the Seattle Seahawks in free agency in March. The Vikings, after also losing Daniel Jones and declining to join the pursuit of Aaron Rodgers, went with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback. All of that has left plenty to unpack, for this season and beyond.

But one thing is clear two months into Darnold’s first season with his fifth team: It’s working out just fine for him and the Seahawks.

The bewildered young quarterback who was overheard admitting on the sideline to “seeing ghosts” in 2019 during a pitiable five-turnover performance against the New England Patriots while with the New York Jets has become one of the NFL’s most reliable passers.

He was on target Sunday night, completing 21 of 24 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns as the Seahawks overwhelmed the Commanders, 38-14, to improve to 6-2. The frightful night for the Commanders included significant injuries suffered by quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Their run to last season’s NFC championship game seems like a fading memory.

The Seahawks’ performance solidified their status as a viable NFC contender.

“There’s times where you…can feel that kind of flow and feel like every single play that we’re calling is for the exact defense that they’re rolling out there,” Darnold said. “So, yeah, sometimes that flow just happens. It feels good when it happens. But you’ve just got to take advantage of it when you get those looks for those plays that are being called.”

Darnold is the NFL’s third-rated passer and should be solidly in the league MVP conversation. He completed his first 17 passes Sunday before throwing his first incompletion of the game a minute and a half into the third quarter. In the first half, he connected on 16 of 16 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns, generating a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

“Sam’s execution right now is just ridiculous,” Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald said.

But 16 for 16?

“Believe me when I say that I’m not surprised,” Macdonald said. “We watch Sam every day and how he operates. And he’s the same guy every day, which is what you love about him. And we’re chasing it. The guys are determined. And it’s fun to watch. When the team comes together, that’s the type of stuff that you can do – when you play the right way, you prepare the right way. … It all came together.”

Darnold said he didn’t realize he hadn’t missed a throw until being told at halftime.

“Obviously, I can feel the flow of the game and understand that we’re doing really good on offense,” Darnold said. “But, no, I didn’t know that I hadn’t thrown an incompletion. But it was pretty cool. Someone at halftime said to me that I hadn’t thrown an incompletion. So I think he’s to blame for throwing an incompletion in the second half. I’m not going to say who it was.”

Said Seahawks wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game: “We stay away from him a little bit and just let him do his thing. Somebody may have broke the news to him. Honestly didn’t know. We were just such in a flow. He was just out there dealing.”

Earlier Sunday in Detroit, McCarthy returned to the Vikings’ lineup after missing five games because of an ankle injury. The second-year quarterback, who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury, played reasonably well, completing 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The Vikings beat the Lions, 27-24, to even their record at 4-4.

But it was not the virtuoso performance Darnold gave. The Vikings with McCarthy at quarterback are not the NFC powerhouse they were last season with Darnold.

McCarthy is only three starts into his NFL career. He may develop into a standout. But for now, there is room to wonder if the Vikings might have been better served by making a stronger effort to retain Darnold.

Darnold revived his sagging NFL career last season while with the Vikings, bolstering Coach Kevin O’Connell’s reputation as a quarterback whisperer. Darnold, to that point, was trending toward being remembered as an NFL draft bust after being chosen third overall by the Jets in 2018. He was bordering on journeyman status after spending three seasons with the Jets, two more with the Carolina Panthers and one as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.

He was a star in Minnesota, being selected to his first career Pro Bowl and helping the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record. But he struggled in a loss to the Lions to close the regular season, with the NFC’s top seed at stake, and in an opening-round playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Vikings declined to use their franchise player tag on Darnold. They tried to re-sign him, but he exited for a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks, who are now tied for the best record in the NFC. The Vikings also tried but failed to re-sign Jones, the former New York Giants starter who finished the season with them. Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent.

The Vikings spoke to Rodgers while he was a free agent but did not pursue him before he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They chose instead to commit to McCarthy, their prized first-round draft pick from last year.

The Seahawks, Colts and Steelers now have a combined record of 18-7. Jones has the Colts tied for the AFC’s best record at 7-2, although he threw three interceptions in their loss Sunday to the Steelers. Rodgers has played better than many had expected for the Steelers and has them atop the AFC North at 5-3. And Darnold has the Seahawks tied for the NFC’s best mark.

“He’s just a pro,” Smith-Njigba said. “I love playing with him. He’s going to be ready throughout the week. He’s going to make sure everybody…(is) ready. And he’s going to go out there and execute. He’s going to play his hardest. That’s all you can ask. … We’re all going to follow him. He’s just been great for us.”