2026
2026 season · QB · #14 · 9th season
Sam Darnold
Age 29 · 6'3" · 225 lb · USC · Pick 3 overall (2018). Listed QB1 on the 3WR 1TE depth chart. Snap share 85% across 6 games.
- How goodDarnold's -4.4 EPA is 25th of 38 quarterbacks.
- Where it comes fromThe biggest share comes after the catch (+84.1, 70th percentile per dropback).
- Fantasy12.5 standard points a game, QB27 of 34.12.5 half-PPR points a game, QB27 of 34.12.5 PPR points a game, QB27 of 34.
- How he's usedMotion is part of the plan: 62% of his dropbacks come with pre-snap movement (league 51%).
- LatelyDropbacks are climbing: 39.3 a game over his last three against 31.8 for the season.
- This weekA middle-of-the-pack matchup: the Bears rank 15th vs the pass, allowing +0.01 EPA per dropback.
How good is hehis line against the league at his position
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per dropback | -0.05 | 25th of 38 | 36th | |
| CPOEcompletion over expected | -3.2 | 30th of 38 | 22nd | |
| Sack rateper dropback, lower is better | 7% | 22nd of 38 | 43rd | |
| Yards per attempt | 7.3 | 14th of 38 | 64th | |
| TD rateper attempt | 5% | 19th of 38 | 51st | |
| INT rateper attempt, lower is better | 5% | 35th of 38 | 9th |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth of targetair yards per attempt | 6.9 | 32nd of 38 | 17th | |
| Rush EPA per game | +0.90 | 14th of 38 | 64th | |
| Success rate | 44% | 21st of 38 | 46th | |
| ANY/A | 5.20 | 29th of 38 | 25th | |
| Total EPA | -4.4 | 25th of 38 | 36th |
How this is measured
Each bar is the league at his position; the marker is him. Right is better, the dashed line is the median. Ranks are out of the qualifying pool, ties shown as T-, and move every week as the pool changes.
Darnold scores 12.5 standard points a game, QB27 of 34 QBs with enough games. Most weeks land between 8.3 and 14.0; 1 boom week (25+) and 3 busts (under 12). This week the Bears allow the 8th-most standard points to QBs, 19.3 a game.
Darnold scores 12.5 half-PPR points a game, QB27 of 34 QBs with enough games. Most weeks land between 8.3 and 14.0; 1 boom week (25+) and 3 busts (under 12). This week the Bears allow the 8th-most half-PPR points to QBs, 19.3 a game.
Darnold scores 12.5 PPR points a game, QB27 of 34 QBs with enough games. Most weeks land between 8.3 and 14.0; 1 boom week (25+) and 3 busts (under 12). This week the Bears allow the 8th-most PPR points to QBs, 19.3 a game.
How this is measured
Fantasy points are nflverse's standard and full-PPR scoring (6 points for a rushing or receiving touchdown, 4 for a passing touchdown, minus 2 for an interception or a lost fumble); half PPR is the average of the two. Ranks are points a game among players at his position with at least half the most games played. Most weeks is his 20th to 80th percentile game. Bars are green on a boom week and red on a bust; the dashed line is the starter line, the points a game of the QB12 in a 12-team league. The format you pick is remembered on this device.
How he's usedhis fingerprint, where the ball finds him and when
Motion is part of the plan: 62% of his dropbacks come with pre-snap movement (league 51%). Play action is a staple: 23% of his attempts come off a fake (league 21%). He works under center more than most: 73% of his dropbacks come from the gun (league 79%).
How this is measured
Every trait is a share of his own dropbacks, so volume does not move it. The marker is him among the league's qualifying quarterbacks; the dashed line is the median. Styles are not grades: a high or low percentile is a description, not a verdict. Play action, screen, RPO, motion and blitz flags come from FTN charting and read low in a week it has not published.
Darnold's -4.4 EPA is 25th of 38 quarterbacks. The biggest share comes after the catch (+84.1, 70th percentile per dropback). Interceptions cost him more than most (-40.5, 1st percentile).
career -0.01 over 2018–2025 · his 6th best of 8
How this is measured
Every dropback and run this season, split by what happened. Completions divide at the catch: the yards in the air, and his credited share of what came after (nflverse's air EPA and QB EPA). Per dropback counts scrambles as dropbacks. The percentile is him among the qualifying quarterbacks, higher is better, so a cost smaller than most ranks high. The parts add up to the totals above; the career strip counts seasons with at least 50 attempts.
He throws intermediate middle 1.8× as often as the league (11% of his attempts against 6%) and gains +0.44 EPA a throw there.
How this is measured
Every pass attempt with a charted depth and direction this season; sacks and throws with no charted direction are left out. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. Cells with fewer than three throws show no EPA.
On the field
By depth of target
Who he works withthe connection, and the rest of the huddle
By depth
Week by weekthe shape of his season, the game log and the defenses behind it
The game
vs BearsLumen Field
SEA −3 · O/U 46.5
The defense vs the pass
a middle-of-the-pack matchup
His history
First meeting this season
His status
A middle-of-the-pack matchup: the Bears rank 15th vs the pass, allowing +0.01 EPA per dropback. He has averaged 211 yards a game against middle defenses this season.
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Snap | Cmp/Att | Yds | TD | INT | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs NE W 13-1022nd D | 22nd vs the pass | 10% | 1/2 | 13 | -2.1 | ||
| 2 | at ARI W 31-7Did not play · Out (glute) | |||||||
| 3 | at WAS L 31-3317th D | 17th vs the pass | 100% | 31/45 | 379 | 4 | 2 | +4.1 |
| 4 | vs LAC W 30-2310th D | 10th vs the pass | 100% | 13/22 | 168 | 2 | 1 | -5.2 |
| 5 | vs SF L 29-3218th D | 18th vs the pass | 100% | 18/29 | 195 | 1 | 2 | -12.0 |
| 6 | at DEN L 14-176th D | 6th vs the pass | 100% | 27/51 | 278 | 2 | -6.7 | |
| 7 | vs KC W 20-312th D | 12th vs the pass | 100% | 20/28 | 257 | 1 | 1 | +12.2 |
| 8 | vs CHIMon Nov 2 · this week | |||||||
| 9 | vs ARISun Nov 8 | |||||||
| 10 | at LVSun Nov 15 | |||||||
| 11 | Bye week | |||||||
| 12 | at SFSun Nov 29 | |||||||
| 13 | vs DALMon Dec 7 | |||||||
| 14 | vs NYGSun Dec 13 | |||||||
| 15 | at PHISat Dec 19 | |||||||
| 16 | vs LAFri Dec 25 | |||||||
| 17 | at CARSun Jan 3 | |||||||
| 18 | at LASun Jan 10 | |||||||
| 6 games | 85% | 110/177 | 1290 | 8 | 8 | -9.8 |
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | EPA/DB | CPOE | aDOT | Sk | Sk % | Rush EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs NE W 13-1022nd D | 22nd vs the pass | -0.69 | -24.2 | 7.5 | 1 | 33% | 0.0 |
| 2 | at ARI W 31-7Did not play · Out (glute) | |||||||
| 3 | at WAS L 31-3317th D | 17th vs the pass | +0.09 | +5.3 | 6.6 | 0% | +1.6 | |
| 4 | vs LAC W 30-2310th D | 10th vs the pass | -0.21 | +0.3 | 7.1 | 3 | 12% | -2.9 |
| 5 | vs SF L 29-3218th D | 18th vs the pass | -0.35 | +0.1 | 6.3 | 5 | 15% | +1.6 |
| 6 | at DEN L 14-176th D | 6th vs the pass | -0.12 | -4.6 | 8.3 | 5 | 9% | +1.8 |
| 7 | vs KC W 20-312th D | 12th vs the pass | +0.43 | +4.0 | 5.3 | 0% | +3.3 | |
| 8 | vs CHIMon Nov 2 · this week | |||||||
| 9 | vs ARISun Nov 8 | |||||||
| 10 | at LVSun Nov 15 | |||||||
| 11 | Bye week | |||||||
| 12 | at SFSun Nov 29 | |||||||
| 13 | vs DALMon Dec 7 | |||||||
| 14 | vs NYGSun Dec 13 | |||||||
| 15 | at PHISat Dec 19 | |||||||
| 16 | vs LAFri Dec 25 | |||||||
| 17 | at CARSun Jan 3 | |||||||
| 18 | at LASun Jan 10 | |||||||
| 6 games | -0.05 | -3.2 | 6.9 | 14 | 7% | +5.4 |
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | INT | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs NE W 13-1022nd D | 22nd vs the pass | 1 | 2 | 50% | 13 | 6.5 | 70.8 | ||
| 2 | at ARI W 31-7Did not play · Out (glute) | |||||||||
| 3 | at WAS L 31-3317th D | 17th vs the pass | 31 | 45 | 69% | 379 | 8.4 | 4 | 2 | 105.7 |
| 4 | vs LAC W 30-2310th D | 10th vs the pass | 13 | 22 | 59% | 168 | 7.6 | 2 | 1 | 94.5 |
| 5 | vs SF L 29-3218th D | 18th vs the pass | 18 | 29 | 62% | 195 | 6.7 | 1 | 2 | 64.6 |
| 6 | at DEN L 14-176th D | 6th vs the pass | 27 | 51 | 53% | 278 | 5.5 | 2 | 52.6 | |
| 7 | vs KC W 20-312th D | 12th vs the pass | 20 | 28 | 71% | 257 | 9.2 | 1 | 1 | 96.9 |
| 8 | vs CHIMon Nov 2 · this week | |||||||||
| 9 | vs ARISun Nov 8 | |||||||||
| 10 | at LVSun Nov 15 | |||||||||
| 11 | Bye week | |||||||||
| 12 | at SFSun Nov 29 | |||||||||
| 13 | vs DALMon Dec 7 | |||||||||
| 14 | vs NYGSun Dec 13 | |||||||||
| 15 | at PHISat Dec 19 | |||||||||
| 16 | vs LAFri Dec 25 | |||||||||
| 17 | at CARSun Jan 3 | |||||||||
| 18 | at LASun Jan 10 | |||||||||
| 6 games | 110 | 177 | 62% | 1290 | 7.3 | 8 | 8 | 80.5 |
Dropbacks are climbing: 39.3 a game over his last three against 31.8 for the season. The yards are edging up with it: 243 a game lately against 215. At or above a starter's median in yards in 3 of 6 games.
How this is measured
Bars are his week. The shaded band is the league's middle half at his position, every qualifying player-game this season, and the dashed line is its median. The solid line is his trailing three games. An × on the baseline is a game his team played without him; a dotted tick is the bye.
He has faced the 6th-toughest slate vs the pass: his opponents rank 14.2 of 32 on average (league middle 16.6). Ahead: 2 of his next 10 are top-10 vs the pass and 4 are bottom-10, starting with the Bears (15th) in Week 8.
The slate · played solid, ahead dashed
His line by defense faced
| Defenses | G | Att/g | Yds/g | EPA/db |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ranked 1 to 10Top-10 defenses | 2 | 36.5 | 223 | -0.15 |
| 11 to 22Middle | 4 | 26.0 | 211 | +0.02 |
| 23 to 32Bottom-10 | – | – | – | – |
| All games | 6 | 29.5 | 215 | -0.05 |
Yards against the rank of the defense
He has done more against the better defenses (r = -0.44).
Careerseason by season, back to his rookie year
His best year was 2024, 4,319 passing yards in 17 games with MIN. This season's 215.0 a game puts him on pace for 3,655 over 17, short of it.
| Season | Team | G | Cmp/Att | Pct | Yds | TD | INT | Y/A | Rating | EPA/db |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | NYJ | 13 | 239/414 | 58% | 2,865 | 17 | 15 | 6.9 | 77.6 | -0.03 |
| 2019 | NYJ | 13 | 273/441 | 62% | 3,024 | 19 | 13 | 6.9 | 84.3 | -0.03 |
| 2020 | NYJ | 12 | 217/364 | 60% | 2,208 | 9 | 11 | 6.1 | 72.7 | -0.19 |
| 2021 | CAR | 12 | 243/406 | 60% | 2,527 | 9 | 13 | 6.2 | 71.9 | -0.17 |
| 2022 | CAR | 6 | 82/140 | 59% | 1,143 | 7 | 3 | 8.2 | 92.6 | +0.14 |
| 2023 | SF | 10 | 28/46 | 61% | 297 | 2 | 1 | 6.5 | 85.1 | -0.01 |
| 2024 | MIN | 17 | 361/545 | 66% | 4,319 | 35 | 12 | 7.9 | 102.5 | +0.08 |
| 2025 | SEA | 17 | 323/477 | 68% | 4,048 | 25 | 14 | 8.5 | 99.1 | +0.15 |
| 2026 | SEA | 6 | 110/177 | 62% | 1,290 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 | 80.5 | -0.05 |
| Career | 5 tm | 106 | 1,876/3,010 | 62% | 21,721 | 131 | 90 | 7.2 | 86.1 | -0.01 |
How this is measured
Regular season only, from nflverse weekly stats back to 1999. This season is partial and drawn hollow; the pace is his per-game rate over 17 games. Bold cells are career highs.
Intel & playsthe report, his best snaps, his teammates
- Depth chart
- QB1 · 3WR 1TE
- Injury report
- clean
- Red zone touches
- …
- Third down
- …
- Explosive plays
- …
- CPOE
- -3.2 pts over expected
- Sack rate
- 7%
- Play action
- …
- Blitzed
- …
| Player | Touches | Yds | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|
 Emanuel WilsonRB | 120 | 468 · 4 TD | -18.4 |
 Jaxon Smith-NjigbaWR | 81 | 896 · 8 TD | +60.3 |
 George HolaniRB | 50 | 196 · 1 TD | -11.0 |
 Jadarian PriceRB | 35 | 140 | -13.0 |
 Rashid ShaheedWR | 34 | 202 · 1 TD | -15.4 |
 AJ BarnerTE | 33 | 185 · 1 TD | -6.0 |
 Cooper KuppWR | 27 | 199 · 1 TD | +9.4 |
 Tory HortonWR | 10 | 67 · 1 TD | +0.7 |