Two years ago, no one was asking the question: Can Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl? Darnold and "Super Bowl" never fit together in the same sentence, until now, because, of course, Darnold showed with the Seattle Seahawks that he can win a Super Bowl, and did.Â
If Darnold was able to pull that off, what else can he pull off? In a world where Darnold's contemporaries go by the names of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Matthew Stafford, it may be a fool's errand to link Darnold's name to the MVP conversation. Like the Super Bowl question, how many are truly asking if Darnold can win an MVP?
The likely answer is not many, not many at all. That's no shade thrown at Darnold; he's become a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, but is likely still underrated by most. That said, an MVP candidate? Darnold would be a dark horse if there ever was one. Perhaps that's the best position for him to be in next season, though, and if he were to win an MVP, two key factors would have to land his way.
A blistering Seattle Seahawks offense could launch Sam Darnold's name into next season's MVP discussion
Darnold proved last season that he belonged in at least the top 10 quarterback conversation. He ranked fifth in yards passing (4,048) and tenth in touchdowns (25) among all active quarterbacks. The production was there for him, but many believe and expect that Darnold's numbers can rise significantly higher next season.Â
If Darnold is to sneak into the MVP conversation, the question is, how can he get there? For one, Darnold needs to take care of the football. He was third in interceptions last season (14) and led the league in total turnover (20), losing six fumbles along the way.
The Seahawks as a team were able to overcome some of Darnold's blunders, but cleaning up those mistakes next season would be crucial to his success.Â
The second factor that could help Darnold's MVP case would be an explosive offense similar to last season, but even better. That's where Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed come into the picture. We can expect great numbers from Smith-Njigba; we can expect his and Darnold's connection to only grow next season, but what the Seahawks get from Kupp and Shaheed will be key.
The spotlight will be more on Shaheed than Kupp, given the latter's veteran status and the fact that of the Seahawks three main wide receiver options, Shaheed might overtake Kupp in the pecking order, which isn't a bad thing if Seattle wants their offense to ignite on every and all cylinders next year.Â
If Smith-Njigba and Shaheed can rack up the numbers and touchdowns, Darnold's MVP chances increase. Seattle's offense has to be really clicking, week in, week out, for Darnold to have any shot. He already surprised the NFL by winning a championship. What more surprises might Darnold have up his sleeve? He might be the perfect dark horse.
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