Moments after clinching a Super Bowl berth, Sam Darnold strolled over for his obligatory television interview. He was thrilled; the Seattle Seahawks had just toppled the Los Angeles Rams in a 31-27 thriller. But he was also measured. Unlike receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who would follow and was teeming with emotion, Darnold simply spoke about his love for his teammates. And when asked about his improbable journey, he replied, “I haven’t really thought about it that much.”
He may not have, but the rest of us have. And whether Darnold likes it or not, his comeback story will be the prevailing storyline of Super Bowl 60. How can it not, especially after the quarterback saved what may have been the best performance of his life for Seattle’s third, and most important, tilt with the Rams this season.
He completed 25 of his 36 passing attempts for 346 passing yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers, but those stats are just one part of the story. It was Darnold’s decision-making under pressure, lack of mistakes, and execution of Klint Kubiak’s aggressive play calls that are the key reasons Seattle will be playing for the Lombardi Trophy. Per NextGenStats, Darnold was the first NFL quarterback to throw three touchdowns under pressure in a playoff game. In his previous two meetings with the Rams this season, Darnold had thrown zero touchdowns and three interceptions under pressure. That contrast is a microcosm of Darnold’s career.
In two weeks, Darnold will not only take the field as a starting quarterback on football’s biggest stage, but he’ll also return to Levi’s Stadium. San Francisco is one of Darnold’s many former homes, and it was also the start of his career resurrection.
Before San Francisco, Darnold was just another failed Jets quarterback. The third overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, he was plagued by turnovers and crumbled under a dysfunctional franchise that didn’t give him much of a supporting cast. Darnold’s most memorable moment with New York was a live mic recording him saying he was “seeing ghosts” during a blowout loss to the New England Patriots. Darnold was eventually shipped off to Carolina and New York would turn to another young quarterback, Zach Wilson, who would also be crushed by the Jets’ misery machine.
Darnold’s two-year Carolina tenure was marked by injuries and turnovers, including 16 interceptions in 18 games. He wasn’t exactly atop any free-agent lists but he chose to join San Francisco as a backup to Brock Purdy in 2023.
Darnold was only in San Francisco for a season but it changed his career. He recently gushed about studying under Kyle Shanahan’s system. San Francisco is also where Darnold bonded with Kubiak, who was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator that season. He didn’t play much – most of his time came in a meaningless Week 18 game – but it was enough for the Vikings to sign him as a bridge quarterback for rookie JJ McCarthy at the start of last season. Still a laughing stock in many NFL circles, Darnold’s time as a starter was predicted to be short lived. Until McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury.
All Darnold did in Minnesota was put up an MVP-caliber season, throwing for 4,000 yards, 35 touchdowns and a 102.5 passer rating. Yes, having the brilliant Justin Jefferson as his No 1 receiver helped, but Darnold displayed more fire and confidence than he had in any of his previous stops. His fairytale season came to a crashing halt in last year’s wildcard loss to the Rams. The pumpkin came in the form of nine sacks and two turnovers, and the general consensus was that although Darnold had improved, he would always wilt in the biggest moments.
When Minnesota decided to turn their focus back to McCarthy, the Seahawks ignored predictions of Darnold’s doom loop. In fact, they treated him like a legitimate starting quarterback with a three-year, $100m contract. And “Ginger Cuz” – as one famous Seahawks alumnus dubbed him – was thrilled to be reunited with Kubiak, now the offensive coordinator in Seattle. “Just being able to work with Klint, having talked with Klint a ton in San Francisco about what we like and dislike. We have so much in common when it comes to football,” Darnold said upon signing with the Seahawks.
While his regular season numbers didn’t jump off the page as much as they did in Minnesota, he led an efficient, balanced offense that earned the No 1 seed. And now, not only are the Seahawks headed to the Super Bowl, they are there because Darnold balled out when it mattered most. Seattle didn’t win in spite of Darnold on Sunday, they won because of him.
Maybe Darnold doesn’t think much about his eight-year, five-team journey. Or about the fact that among 2018’s quarterback draft class it is he, and not NFL MVPs Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, who has led a team to the Super Bowl.
If he did, he may not believe it was possible.
Co-MVPs of the week
New England’s entire defense. To call the Pats chippy entering the AFC championship game in Denver would be an understatement. All they’ve heard this postseason is the greatness of their opponents. But after another dominating performance, the Patriots defense is no longer sneaky good. They were otherworldly on Sunday, holding Denver to just 181 total yards in a 10-7 win to clinch New England’s first Super Bowl berth in seven years. New England’s defensive mastery was needed as Drake Maye struggled with the windy weather turning into an all-out blizzard.
The Patriots manhandled Denver’s o-line, hitting quarterback Jarrett Stidham seven times and collecting three sacks. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, responsible for one of those sacks, also grabbed a key interception.
In three games this postseason, New England have forced eight turnovers, and only allowed two touchdowns and 26 points. This defense, an impressive combination of homegrown talent such as Gonzalez and Christian Barmore alongside key free agent pickups that include Milton Williams and Carlton Davis III, is no longer a secret.
Stat of the week
332. That’s the number of receiving yards put up by Puka Nacua this postseason. Nacua was excellent again for the Rams on Sunday, picking up 165 yards from nine receptions. His chemistry with Matthew Stafford remains excellent and helps propel the Rams offense. Stafford turns 38 in February, and Nacua will play a crucial role in deciding how long he keeps on playing. Meanwhile, Nacua’s fellow Rams receiver Davante Adams had tears in his eyes after the loss: he is 0-5 in conference games after Sunday’s defeat. “It’s tough to focus [on the future] right now,” he said.
Video of the week
Denver had fourth-and-one on the New England 14 in the second quarter, and sure, analytics may tell you to go for it. But not when you’re trying to eke out points with a backup quarterback who hadn’t thrown a real pass in two years. Not when you have a shot at going up 10-0 with your defense playing lights out. Not when your opponent’s defense has been dominant this postseason. And not when the forecast is for snow, which will make points much harder to come by.
Perhaps worse than Sean Payton’s decision to go for it in pre-blizzard conditions was his play-action bootleg call. The Broncos were averaging 3.3 yards per carry at that point and not exactly sporting Josh Allen under center.
“There’ll always be second thoughts,” Payton told reporters after the game. You think?
Leaving Milton Williams unblocked on 4th-and-1?
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) January 25, 2026
Alright then. pic.twitter.com/ktu7lPJeCs
Elsewhere around the league
• The Bills’ head coaching vacancy, arguably the most attractive gig in the league a week ago, has taken a bizarre turn. Owner Terry Pegula and GM Brandon Beane held a disastrous midweek press conference that featured throwing rookie wideout Keon Coleman under the bus, admitting to players learning of Sean McDermott’s firing through the media, and Pegula unable to answer how he evaluates coaching v roster construction. Why did he fire McDermott and not Beane? Then the duo joined with Allen to interview Philip Rivers, who appeared to be an actual candidate to replace McDermott before reportedly withdrawing from consideration on Monday. Then again, at least one Pegula is having a good week.
• Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel cancelled his Bills interview, as well as a second interview with the Browns, to reportedly take the Chargers’ offensive coordinator job. According to the Athletic’s Dianna Russini, McDaniel told coaches in the NFL that “he is moving west and taking the job to coach Justin Herbert”. But no deal has been signed, and McDaniel is still reportedly in the mix for the Raiders job.
• In a departure from hotshot hires, Mike McCarthy was named just the Steelers’ fourth head coach since 1969. McCarthy’s longevity and ability to develop quarterbacks impressed team president Art Rooney II. We’ll see if McCarthy reunites with Aaron Rodgers, who has yet to confirm whether he will play next season. In 2024, Rodgers told a Jets reporter that he wanted to land “wherever Mike McCarthy ends up.”
• Very cool anecdote from the CBS broadcast of the Patriots-Broncos game. The only Super Bowl Drake Maye has ever attended was Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara. Then 13, Maye and his dad showed up to the game without tickets but wound up getting into the stadium to cheer on Maye’s hero Cam Newton. Ten years later, Maye will return to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara as the second-youngest quarterback to start the big game (Dan Marino holds the record).
