Sam Darnold completed his first 17 passes and threw four touchdown passes before his first incompletion as the Seattle Seahawks rolled to a 38-14 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.
By halftime, Darnold had gone 16-for-16 for 282 yards and four scores, guiding Seattle (6-2) to a 31-7 lead.
He finished 21 of 24 for 330 yards before being replaced late in the game.
The win kept the Seahawks tied with the Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West.
“Someone at halftime said to me that I hadn’t thrown an incompletion,” Darnold said. “So I think he’s to blame for throwing an incompletion in the second half.”
Seattle was without injured receiver Cooper Kupp but didn’t seem to miss him.
Rookie Tory Horton caught two of Darnold’s touchdowns, including a 4-yard grab to open the scoring and a 25-yard strike in the second quarter.
Elijah Arroyo and Cody White also hauled in touchdown passes before halftime, with White breaking loose for a 60-yard catch-and-run.
Washington (3-6) lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a serious arm injury in the fourth quarter when his non-throwing arm bent awkwardly as he was tackled near the Seattle goal line.
Daniels rushed for 51 yards but threw for only 153 with one interception before exiting.
“Just thinking about him and what he’s going through right now,” Darnold said after the game. “I just wanted to say that.”
Seattle’s offense dominated early, even overcoming penalties that added up to more than 100 yards on their opening drive.
After Horton’s first touchdown, the Seahawks quickly added two more scores — including a 26-yard pass to Arroyo just 11 seconds after Washington fumbled the ensuing kickoff.
“Just an unacceptable performance by us tonight,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “We missed it by a mile.”
Tight end AJ Barner added a short touchdown on a push play in the third quarter to extend Seattle’s lead to 38-7.
Chris Rodriguez scored Washington’s final points after Daniels’ injury.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 129 yards and tied Steve Largent’s franchise record with his sixth 100-yard game of the season.
Darnold became just the fourth quarterback since at least 1991 to throw four touchdown passes before his first incompletion, joining Lamar Jackson (2019), Ryan Tannehill (2015) and Tom Brady (2007), according to Sportradar.
“Believe me when I say it: I’m not surprised,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “We watch Sam every day and how he operates. He’s the same guy every day, which is what you love about him. We’re chasing it. The guys are determined, and it’s fun to watch.”
At halftime, Washington honored Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk by retiring his No. 81 jersey.
Monk played for Washington from 1980 to 1993, winning three Super Bowls and retiring with 940 career receptions.
The Seahawks will host the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday. Seattle beat Arizona 23-20 in September.
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