The Seattle Seahawks edged out the Tennessee Titans 30–24 in their Week 12 matchup, pushing their record to 8–3. And while Sam Darnold made sure to highlight how well the offense executed, he didn’t shy away from calling out the team’s growing penalty problem.

“I thought as an offense we were able to move the ball up and down the field, you know, we just got to finish when we get in the red zone. That’s the story today, you know. And then some things operationally, we can clean up some penalties,” the quarterback said after the game.

The Seahawks looked sharp in most areas on Sunday, but the one thing that stuck with Sam Darnold afterward was the penalties. Seattle committed 11 penalties for 69 yards against Tennessee, and while that alone was frustrating, Darnold’s concern went well beyond just Week 12.

Going into the Titans game, the Seahawks had already stacked up 60 accepted penalties for 500 yards through Week 11, averaging 8.3 flags per game. Add the 11 more they picked up on Sunday (their second-worst totals of the season), and it’s easy to see why Darnold called out the issue. The pattern isn’t new, and at this point, it’s becoming one of the few things holding this team back.

On the other side of the ball, the offense delivered exactly what Darnold highlighted postgame. Seattle moved the ball efficiently, finishing with 353 total yards (239 passing and 114 rushing). Darnold went 16-of-26 for 244 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers, giving the unit steady control throughout.

Kenneth Walker III added 71 yards on 11 carries, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned in one of his best performances of the season, hauling in 8 of 10 targets for 167 yards and two scores. The execution and production were there. The only real blemish? Those penalties that won’t stop showing up. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ head coach caught attention while praising one of his defenders, but in a different way.

Mike Macdonald thinks Derick Hall could have done more

The Seahawks will take the win over Tennessee, especially coming off that Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. But if there’s one player who probably exhaled a little deeper than the rest, it’s linebacker Derick Hall. The 24-year-old finally notched his first sack of the season, a moment he clearly needed. Still, head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t sugarcoat it. He felt Hall had more to give and could’ve impacted the game at a higher level.

“It doesn’t feel like it, it feels like he deserves more than what he has,” the head coach said. “He should have more, but I think we have to finish more on the quarterback.”

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The Seahawks got after Cam Ward all afternoon, piling up four sacks on the rookie. Hall, on the other hand, finally joined that mix late in the fourth quarter, taking Ward down on a 2nd-and-17 with about seven minutes left at the Seattle 31. It was a timely play, sure. But the way things shaped up, the HC clearly expected more from him throughout the game.