Many people simply assumed that quarterback Sam Darnold would fail when the Seattle Seahawks played their most important games this season. The narrative written for him during his career was that he was a skilled passer but mentally weak in big games. He would surely have too many turnovers that would keep his team from the Super Bowl.
Instead, against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, the quarterback had arguably the best game of his career at the most pivotal time in his career. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't have a turnover. His quarterback rating was 127.8.
He is now the third quarterback in Seahawks history to take his team to the championship game. Seattle will play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. If Darnold plays as he did against LA, Seattle could very well win its second championship.
Mike Macdonald makes his stance on Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold crystal clear
One thing seems certain now: Many fans and pundits likely changed their minds about what Sam Darnold is capable of against LA, and that is true greatness. Head coach Mike Macdonald obviously felt strongly about Darnold's performance and put his observation succinctly after the NFC Championship.
Macdonald said, "He just shut a lot of people up tonight."
Darnold certainly did. The game against the Rams wasn't just his first great game this season, of course. While his statistics wouldn't jump out at anyone against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, they didn't need to. The quarterback simply needed to manage the game and take what San Fran gave him without turning the ball over.
While the quarterback's brilliant performance against the Rams led the Seattle Seahawks to within a step of a championship, he changed two narratives. One was that he couldn't perform at an elite level in the big games.
The other was that he had a mental hitch against the Los Angeles Rams. While he struggled against LA in the playoffs last season and threw four interceptions in Week 11 against Sean McVay's team, Darnold showed that he could dismiss the past and play in the moment. No one would have known he previously had problems with LA.
The expectation against the Patriots should be that Sam Darnold will be good again. Disrespecting him moving forward would be a mistake. He's earned the respect of others, and he will most certainly earn even more in Super Bowl LX.