Throughout NFL history various quarterbacks have had the number of specific opponents. Recent examples that come to mind are Tom Brady vs. the Buffalo Bills, Aaron Rodgers vs. the Chicago Bears, and Ben Roethlisberger vs. the Cleveland Browns, but on a much smaller scale, it's important to acknowledge that for whatever reason, whenever Sam Darnold plays against the Houston Texans, it's like he's putting together an audition tape for Canton.
In his career, Darnold is 2-1 in three starts versus Houston, and interestingly, all three of those games have came with a different team. But regardless of if he was in New York, Carolina or Minnesota, Darnold seems to have the number of the Houston Texans.
Game | Sam Darnold's Stats | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
Houston Texans at New York Jets (Dec. 15, 2018) | 24-38, 253 yards, 2 touchdowns, 100.0 passer rating | Texans 29, Jets 22 |
Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans (Sept. 23, 2021) | 23-34, 304 yards, 95.7 passer rating | Panthers 24, Texans 9 |
Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings (Sept. 22, 2024) | 17-28, 181 yards, 4 touchdowns, 119.2 passer rating | Vikings 34, Texans 7 |
Now, as Sam Darnold prepares for his 7th start with the Seattle Seahawks, it's worth wondering whether this trend will continue on Monday night, or if the Texans' league-best defense will be able to keep Darnold and this unexpectedly dynamic Seahawks aerial attack in check.
Seahawks offense poses major challenge for Texans D
After six weeks, Sam Darnold ranks third in the NFL in both passing yards and passer rating. He's one of seven quarterbacks completing at least 70 percent of his passes, and he's leading the NFL in yards per completion, many of which have gone to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is currently on pace to break Calvin Johnson's single season receiving yardage record.
But when DeMeco Ryans had the chance to discuss the challenges Seattle's offense will present for his defense, the Texans head coach quick to point to Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose father Gary Kubiak coached Ryans for all six seasons he spent as a player with the Houston Texans.
“For Seattle, they're good at the play-action pass game because [Klint] Kubiak has done a good job wherever he's been as a play caller," Ryans said. "He's done a really good job of establishing the outside zone scheme. With the outside zone scheme comes the keepers off of the outside zone action. So, he's done a really good job of marrying both run game and passing game, meaning they both look very similar."
Although Klint Kubiak's approach is certinaly paving the way for Seattle's success, others in the Emerald City are eager to shift the focus onto Sam Darnold.
"Sam's fantastic," Seahawks tight end AJ Barner said of Darnold, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. "He's doing a heack of a job. Just how consistent he is, how hard he plays, how he leads. We have a very special quarterback here, and I think people are starting to find that out. We're going to continue to ride with him."
"It speaks to Sam's poise, his confidence right now, and the preparation he is doing," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said of his quarterback. "You don't just show up on Sunday and these plays come to life. You've got to make them happen. We've got to be able to move and shake at the line of scrimmage. We've got to be able to operate at a high level, and Sam's doing that."