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Sam Darnold came a long way to get to this moment.
He was drafted third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was deemed a bust for the New York Jets. He flamed out in Carolina, was forgotten about in San Francisco, and discarded by the Minnesota Vikings.
On Sunday, he proved each of those franchises wrong and made all of his critics look foolish. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams, and a spot in Super Bowl LX.
“I mean, he just shut a lot of people up tonight,” Seattle head coach Mike MacDonald said. “So I’m really happy for him.”
Darnold made throw after throw, matching wits with MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. He connected with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to spin the momentum in the Seahawks’ favor. He found wide receiver Jake Bobo across the middle to help Seattle capitalize on Los Angeles’ disastrous special teams’ gaffe. He ripped a spiral through the Rams’ zone to find Cooper Kupp for a 13-yard touchdown that proved the difference.
Darnold had a masterclass, and Seattle made just enough plays on defense and special teams to outlast Los Angeles. Devon Witherspoon had consecutive pass break-ups inside the 6-yard line to keep the Rams out of the end zone and for a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks’ special teams forced two muffed punts from Rams’ returner Xavier Smith, hopping on the second one to set up that Bobo touchdown.
“It’s a team win,” MacDonald said. “And then, you can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback.”
When his best was needed, that’s what Darnold delivered. He continued to rewrite the narrative of his career with Sunday’s performance, and can stamp it two weeks later in Santa Clara.
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