Sam Darnold Keeps It Simple Ahead of High-Stakes Seahawks-49ers Game: “It’s Just Football”

Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks have the chance to be crowned as the champions of the NFC West if they defeat the 49ers in Week 18.

Sam Darnold Keeps It Simple Ahead of High-Stakes Seahawks-49ers Game: “It’s Just Football”

Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy (Image via IMAGO)

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Sam Darnold finds himself in familiar circumstances as last season. He and the Minnesota Vikings were one win away from sealing the NFC North and the number one seed. Twelve months on, Darnold has the opportunity to make the Seattle Seahawks the champions of the NFC West with a victory against bitter rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.

The winner of Sunday’s clash at Levi’s Stadium will not only win the division but also earn a bye and home advantage in the playoffs. Darnold is as ready as he has ever been. However, there’s bound to be some lingering doubt at the back of his mind.

For context, the Vikings lost to the Detroit Lions in the final game of 2024 and conceded the division. The defense played its part, forced two turnovers and recorded two sacks on Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff.

It’s the offense led by Darnold that let the team down. Darnold completed just 43.9% of his passes for 166 yards and threw zero touchdowns. All three of Minnesota’s scoring drives ended with field goals. The Vikings lost 31-9.

[It’s a] great point about going through it last year for myself, just having that experience of going through a game like that. I think the biggest thing is just treating it like another game.

Sam Darnold said earlier this week

He can’t rewrite the past, but the Pro Bowler has the chance to lock down his first division crown and the Seahawks’ first since 2020. Despite knowing the stakes of Sunday’s fixture, Darnold sees it as just another regular-season game.

At the end of the day, it’s just football. And I think that’s the best part about it, is people want to make it a little bit bigger than it is, but we’re just going out there, we’re playing against the [San Francisco] Niners… A really good football team, a team that we’re going to be prepared for, and it’s going to be great, though.

Sam Darnold said (H/T: The Seahawks official transcript)

It’s also a homecoming for Darnold, who spent the 2023 season as the backup to Brock Purdy. In an interview, Darnold revealed that the experience helped him become a better quarterback.

My job is to be the point guard and get the playmakers the ball. That’s where it unlocked for me.

Darnold said

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan loved hosting Darnold on the team.

[Darnold’s] such a good athlete, so tough, can make any throw. And I really enjoyed working with him. I thought he got better throughout the year.

Shanahan said

Past experiences have played a significant role in shaping Sam Darnold’s career

After leaving the Niners, Darnold spent the following year in Minnesota, which ended in the wildcard round with a defeat against the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings let him go soon after, and the Seahawks quickly signed him.

Sam Darnold Keeps It Simple Ahead of High-Stakes Seahawks-49ers Game “It’s Just Football”
Sam Darnold (Image via IMAGO)

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak played a big role in bringing the former first-rounder to Seattle. Under Kubiak’s guidance, Darnold joined an elite group, becoming just the fifth quarterback, alongside Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre, to notch 13 wins in back-to-back seasons with two different teams.

However, one key area Kubiak needs to help Darnold improve is reducing turnovers. Seattle leads the league with 28 forced turnovers, but Darnold is responsible for 20 turnovers himself. The Niners’ pass rush has proven it can deliver a fierce blitz. Darnold must protect the ball better and refrain from giving the Niners any edge in the game.

Sm Darnold’s incentives to be earned

Moreover, Darnold can earn some juicy incentives with a masterful performance. He can earn up to $2 million in incentives if he throws 150+ passing yards, three touchdowns, completes 67.5% of his passes, and ends the season with a 100.0 passer rating.

He has some of the bases covered. In 16 games, he has thrown for 3850 yards, 67.2% completion rate, 28 total touchdowns, and boasts a passer rating of 99.2.

Darnold didn’t have a great outing in the reverse fixture. He threw for just 150 yards and had zero touchdowns on 16 completions. The only silver lining in that defeat is that it was Darnold’s first game for the Seahawks. He and the Seahawks have lost only two more games since then.

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