Darnold impresses during preseason debut, Seahawks beat Chiefs
SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold looked the part of a franchise quarterback in his first appearance at Lumen Field as the Seattle Seahawks beat the beat the Kansas City Chiefs 33-16 in a preseason game on Friday night.
Darnold, who did not appear in the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, completed 4 of 4 passes for 34 yards on the opening drive.
Darnold, who signed to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle in the offseason, made good use of both his legs and his tight ends during his sole series.
He had no issues rolling out to either his left or right, locating tight ends AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo for short passes, as well as fullback Robbie Ouzts and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for deeper completions.
Backup quarterback Drew Lock impressed in relief of Darnold, throwing a couple of touchdown passes to wide receiver Jake Bobo, and completing 10 of 12 passes for 129 yards.
Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Damien Martinez each added touchdowns on the ground in the first and third quarters, respectively.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, did not play quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and other starters from the team that fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in last season’s Super Bowl.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew found tight end Robert Tonyan for a 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
The Seahawks’ defense in large part held strong, limiting the Chiefs’ reserves to three points in the second half. Kansas City wide receiver Skyy Moore, though, did return a punt for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Scampering Seahawks
After rushing for the fifth-fewest yards as a team in 2024, the Seahawks have made it their prerogative to be more effective on the ground in 2025. They demonstrated on Friday, racking up 268 rushing yards on 48 carries. Five different players rushed for at least 30 yards.
Tight end time
Since Noah Fant is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, tight end remains a key position battle for the Seahawks. Arroyo and Barner combined for three catches and 24 yards on Friday, not letting any passing attempts escape them despite slippery conditions.
Barner is the more veteran player, with 30 catches and 245 receiving yards under his belt from last season. But Arroyo, who was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has been more productive in the preseason. He has four catches for 33 yards through two exhibition games.
Up next
Seahawks: Visit the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 23.
Chiefs: Host the Chicago Bears on Aug. 22.