Sam Darnold had a disastrous Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks while throwing four interceptions in a high-stakes loss to the Los Angeles Rams. 

The effort tanked long-shot MVP chatter for the former first-round castoff, who'd previously revived his career for a second straight year after making his first Pro Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. 

It also recalled another high-stakes meltdown in which Darnold committed two turnovers and took nine sacks while running an ineffective offense in last season's 27-9 playoff loss to the Rams. That in addition to the presence of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy ultimately prompted the Vikings to let Darnold walk as a free agent to Seattle.

Perhaps most concerning, Sunday's effort elicited recollections of Darnold seeing "ghosts" during his dreadful stint with the New York Jets team that drafted him.

At least one Seahawks teammate wasn't hearing any of it. 

Ernest Jones: Darnold's 'our quarterback'

Linebacker Ernest Jones delivered a frank and impassioned defense of his quarterback during his news conference following Seattle's 21-19 loss. Fair warning, his choice of language is NSFW.

"If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam's had us in every f***ing game," Jones said. "So for him to sit there and say 'it's my fault,' no it's not. There were plays that defensively we could have made plays, opportunities where we could have got better stops. 

"It's football, man. He's our quarterback. We've got his back. If you've got anything to say, quite frankly, f*** you."

That's the kind of teammate you want not just in football, but in life. Darnold had his worst day of the season on Sunday, and Jones was there to pick him up. It speaks well of a Seahawks team that lost by just 2 points to the Rams in spite of Darnold's four interceptions. 

The Rams and Seahawks were arguably the most impressive teams in the NFC heading into Sunday's matchup. Darnold has been a big reason for Seattle's success in a season in which he'd completed 71.1% of his passes for 251.3 yards per game with 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions prior to Sunday's four-interception day. 

Barring more performances like Sunday's, the 7-3 Seahawks project to contend for the NFC, and Darnold is on track for another Pro Bowl nod. But even amid his success, skepticism around Darnold remains. And it's fair. See last season's playoff loss to the Rams. 

Darnold has a long track record of imploding that's difficult to shake, even amid sustained success. But he's surrounded by talent — and teammates like Jones — intent on ensuring he continues that success.