It couldn't have seemed real. Not to Sam Darnold and not to many NFL pundits. But to the Seattle Seahawks as a whole, everything went as expected. The team defeated the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LX. The defense led the way, but Darnold more than played his part.
The quarterback's numbers against the Pats weren't overly impressive. He completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating was just 74.7, but he didn't do the one thing many had dogged him about for many years: He didn't turn the ball over.
And not just in the Super Bowl, but at all in the postseason. In fact, fewer and fewer passes were put in harm's way. He also appeared to have better ball control in the pocket, limiting his opportunities to have the ball hit out of his hands when he is pressured.
Sam Darnold proved why the Seattle Seahawks were right to have belief in him
To be sure, Darnold was pressured a lot against the Patriots. Seattle's offensive line has improved, but New England's defense is very good. At times, the New England defensive line just overwhelmed the interior of Seattle's O-line. It happens.
But a quarterback less under control or less confident in what he is supposed to be doing could have folded and set his team up for failure. One of the most underrated aspects of Sam Darnold's game is his ability to be even-keeled. He makes a mistake, doesn't dwell on the issue, and moves on. He is the anti-Geno Smith.
Just imagine, Seahawks fans, where the team was at the end of 2024. Smith was the quarterback, and DK Metcalf was still a valuable wide receiver, but both had volatile tempers and could be divisive in the locker room. Head coach Mike Macdonald, Darnold, general manager John Schneider, and some key veterans helped reset the culture in one offseason. It was a miracle.
So was Sam Darnold's play at the end of the season. The Minnesota Vikings gave up on him after last year, just as every other team in his career had done before. The Seattle Seahawks aren't going to do that. Not now. Not after the quarterback has just led his team to a championship.
Who would guessed that for Darnold's first six years, he could be the leader a team needed to win a championship? Very few. But the Seahawks believed, and that belief has turned into the franchise's second Super Bowl victory.