The first time Sam Darnold dropped back to pass on Sunday, he had to escape pressure, running to his left to buy time as receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke off his initial route to get open for his scrambling quarterback.

Running to his left, Darnold flicked an accurate pass to Smith-Njigba that traveled about 25 yards in the air, resulting in a 29-yard gain for the Seahawks on an opening drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba.

That escape and pass to Smith-Njigba set the tone for what was a very efficient and explosive day for Darnold in his third start as a Seahawk, a dominant 44-13 win over the Saints. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Darnold threw downfield (10-plus air yards) on 44.4 percent of his pass attempts, completing 6 of 8 attempts for 146 yards and a

See Full Page