Darnold, Smith-Njigba and defense carry Seahawks to 20-12 victory at Jaguars

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Having thrown a combined six interceptions in his last two starts in Jacksonville, Sam Darnold refused to get greedy this time around.

He played it safe and ended up with a turnover-free performance.

Darnold threw for 295 yards, with touchdown passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, and Seattle dominated both lines of scrimmage on its way to a 20-12 victory against the Jaguars on Sunday.

“I told myself I was going to take what they give me, and if they give me a checkdown, take it,” said Darnold, whose late interception last week proved costly against Tampa Bay. "I felt like I did a pretty good job of that.”

Smith-Njigba finished with eight catches for 162 yards as the Seahawks (4-2) rebounded from a last-second loss to the Buccaneers and improved to 22-6 over the last decade in 1 p.m. kickoffs on the East Coast.

The Jaguars (4-2), meanwhile, looked every bit like a team that spent the week reveling in a Monday night victory against three-time AFC champion Kansas City. Jacksonville’s first three snaps set the tone: a sack, a holding penalty and a 3-yard loss.

The Jags were penalized 10 times for 76 yards. Trevor Lawrence was sacked a season-high seven times. Travis Etienne was held to 27 yards on 12 carries. Brian Thomas Jr. dropped a third-down pass late with no defenders on him. And the Jaguars had a 54-yard TD pass from Lawrence to Thomas nullified because rookie Travis Hunter lined up offsides.

“It's an undisciplined operation at the moment,” coach Liam Coen said. “What's standing in our way? Right now, it's us.”

Jacksonville still made it close in the fourth quarter following Lawrence’s 26-yard TD pass to Tim Patrick. It helped that Seattle went 1 for 11 on third downs.

But the Seahawks sealed it by forcing three punts in the fourth and then Darnold connected with tight end AJ Barner for a 61-yarder, which allowed them to run out the clock after another penalty on Jacksonville.

“We obviously didn’t play our best ball,” Lawrence said. “A lot of mistakes. A lot of self-inflicted wounds like we’ve talked about in the past. We’ve got to clean it up.”

It was the first time this season that the Jaguars failed to notch a takeaway. They entered the week leading the league with 14.

“That was critical,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “We knew they would do that going into the game. They’re an opportunistic team. The numbers speak for themselves. I thought our ball security was tremendous.”

Newly acquired Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome made a less-than-ideal first impression. Smith-Njigba torched Newsome for a 61-yard TD reception on Newsome’s first snap with Jacksonville.

“I knew (Newsome was in the game)," Smith-Njigba said. "But that was good to take advantage of that look and execute.”

The Jaguars traded cornerback Tyson Campbell for Newsome on Wednesday night.

Jaguars defensive end and team captain Josh Hines-Allen had a special helper for the coin toss.

Hines-Allen brought his 8-year-old son, Wesley, to midfield as part of the NFL’s “Crucial Catch” program, which is dedicated to fighting cancer and saving lives. Wesley was an honorary captain two months after completing treatment for pediatric cancer.

Wesley was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in December and underwent chemotherapy for six months.

Seahawks: DT Jarran Reed injured his left leg in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks played without three starting defensive backs: S Julian Love and CBs Devon Witherspoon and CB Tariq Woolen.

Jaguars: LB Devin Lloyd felt “a little tight," but the team never reported an injury and later said he was on the bench because of a coaches' decision. DE Travon Walker was active less than two weeks after having wrist surgery. He played mostly on passing downs while wearing a club on his left hand.

The Seahawks stay in the AFC South and host Houston next Monday night.

The Jaguars “host” the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium in London next Sunday.

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