The two USC quarterbacks drawing the brightest lights right now are also the two dealing with the roughest early-season headlines.
In Seattle, Sam Darnold is trying to steady a Seahawks team that opened its Super Bowl defense with a thud. After Thursday Night Football ended in a loss to the Denver Broncos, Seattle sits at 3-3.
That already tops the team’s regular-season loss total from its Super Bowl-winning 2025 run, when the Seahawks dropped just two games before rolling through the playoffs. Darnold has not helped settle things down.
He has thrown seven interceptions in six games, which puts him halfway to the 14 he had during Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning season. His accuracy has slipped too, falling from 67.7 percent in his first year with the Seahawks to 60.4 percent so far in 2026.
The schedule has not made life any easier. Seattle has already faced New England, San Francisco, and Denver through the first six games, and the quarterback’s numbers have come against a tough stretch.
The Seahawks will get right back into the spotlight, too, with a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25.
Darnold’s place in USC history is already secure. He became the first former Trojans quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, then became the first former USC signal-caller to win the Super Bowl as his team’s starting quarterback. But the early returns on this title defense are messy.
Caleb Williams’ situation in Chicago is different, but just as notable. The Bears quarterback has not played since Week 2, when Chicago lost to the Minnesota Vikings, and he has now missed three games.
Williams has been working back from a hamstring injury, and he returned to practice before the Bears’ game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Even though he was a full participant, the Bears had not yet announced his status for that Week 6 matchup.
Williams also pushed back on the reporting around his injury when he spoke with the media. He said none of the reports had been accurate and chose not to give the correct details, saying the information was "not deserved."
He did offer a glimpse of where he stands in the rehab process.
"I can move, I can run," Williams said. "I hit a top speed the other day, one of my high speeds I've ever hit and so I can move, I can run, I've got strength. ... Just going through the stress test because obviously fibers and things like that in your hamstrings and muscles have to connect back together to be able to go out there and play a 60-minute game."
USC has 29 former players on active NFL rosters, with more on practice squads, but right now the two quarterbacks under the biggest microscope are Darnold and Williams - one trying to keep a champion afloat, the other trying to get back on the field.
In Other News...
USC Just Earned A Real Shot At A Second-Half Run
USC left Happy Valley with the kind of win that can change the mood of a season. The Trojans beat Penn State 31-23 on the road in Week 6 of the Big Ten schedule, and Jayden Maiava played like a quarterback ready to carry momentum forward, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. For a team trying to establish itself in a new conference, a road result like that matters well beyond the standings.
Lincoln Riley pointed to the value of surviving difficult road environments, and this one fit that billing from start to finish. Christian Pierce helped seal it with a key late play, the kind that can become part of a teams second-half identity if the progress keeps building. With bye weeks ahead, USC has a chance to reset, but the bigger question now is whether this win becomes the start of a run or just the best snapshot of what the Trojans can be. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defender Jide Abasiri Is Earning National Attention Fast
Jide Abasiris rise has become one of the more notable defensive developments in USCs season. The junior defensive tackle has not only produced on the field, but has also grown into a team captain and a steady presence along the Trojans defensive front, giving USC a versatile anchor at a spot that demands both power and discipline.
Now that production and leadership have pushed him onto the list of Quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the attention around Abasiri only figures to intensify. The award, which honors the Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year, moves next to a semifinalist round in mid-November, with the winner to be revealed in December, and USC has a legitimate chance to keep one of its most important defenders in that conversation a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Defense Delivered A Huge Win But One Concern Still Lingers
USCs 31-23 win over Penn State had the feel of a statement, and the defense deserves plenty of credit for making it happen. After a game that looked headed for a grind, the Trojans tightened up in the second half and held Penn State to just six points, smothering the rushing attack and coming through with the kinds of stops that swing a matchup in a hurry.
For a unit that has spent plenty of time under the microscope, it was a meaningful step forward and a welcome complement to the offense. Still, the film left one familiar concern hanging over the celebration: USCs pass defense remains a work in progress, and that issue will be front and center as the Trojans turn their attention to the next game. [Read more 🡒]