Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Commentator Richard Sherman signals to fans prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Richard Sherman points finger where it belongs after Seahawks' close Week 5 loss

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 8:22 PM ET

It can be difficult to sort out who's responsible for losing any close game in the NFL. It is, after all the ultimate team game and a dizzying number of factors come into deciding who goes home a winner and who doesn't. Then again, sometimes folks come up with some truly caliente takes after a three-point loss like the one the Seattle Seahawks suffered today.

Despite Sam Darnold having thrown for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, some analysts are blaming him for the loss Tampa - even though without him they'd likely have lost by at least 20 points.

The biggest culprit in this one was Seatte's defense, which just couldn't keep up with a near-perfect day from Baker Mayfield and the Bucs' loaded wide receiver corps, especially once their defensive backfield was down to the dregs due to injuries.

Seahawks legend Richard Sherman got it right after the game when he pointed the finger at all the explosive passing plays the defense gave up, today.

What a game. A lot of Positives for the Seahawks Offensively but a lot of question marks Defensively with all of the injuries you expected to give up some plays but not to the degree it happened today. Too many explosive passes allowed today.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 5, 2025

All the injuries were certainly a factor, especially in the second half when the situation got truly desperate in the secondary.

However, the bigger issue with all those deep passing plays was the fact that the Seahawks were getting little to no pressure at all on Mayfield throughout the game. To some extent you have to credit Tampa's excellent offensive line, but we've seen far better from Seattle's pass rush than this.

Another angle worth considering is Mike Macdonald being a little too slow to adjust - while he did start bringing blitzes eventually he probably should have been a little quicker on the draw once he saw his front four weren't getting any pressure.

It would have been nice if Darnold hadn't thrown the ball off a helmet and gotten intercepted at the worst possible moment- but those blaming him need to keep in mind that the Seahawks would never have been remotely close to being in that position if not for an A+ performance by Darnold.

The same goes, to a much lesser extent - for Darnold's fumble at the end of the Week 1 loss to the 49ers. That one was a defensive slugfest, whereas this was a classic shootout. However, the point is true in both cases that Darnold had played a clean, sharp game right up until that point - and in both cases he was feeling pressure. Darnold is not the scapegoat, here.

Hopefully this is a loss the Seahawks will learn from. If it is, then they won't be but a step or two away from competing at the highest level in this league. This game proved that they can take even great teams right down to the wire.