Sam Darnold Isn’t Backing Down - And Neither Are the Seahawks
As the Seattle Seahawks gear up for their biggest game of the year - an NFC Championship showdown with the Los Angeles Rams - Sam Darnold is making one thing crystal clear: his foot’s staying on the gas.
“I think I’ve been saying it all year that I’m going to turn it loose,” Darnold told reporters this week. “If it’s there and we get the coverage for the right play, and I feel like it’s there, I’m going to let it rip.”
That’s not just quarterback-speak. It’s a mindset - aggressive, confident, calculated - and it’s been the engine behind Seattle’s 14-3 season. Even with the stakes at their highest and the Rams looming once again, Darnold isn’t blinking.
Let’s be honest: this matchup carries some baggage. The Rams have had Darnold’s number lately.
They ended his 2024 campaign in brutal fashion, sacking him nine times in a playoff game - tying an NFL postseason record. And earlier this season, they picked him off four times in a narrow 21-19 loss for the Seahawks.
That’s not ancient history. That’s fresh, painful tape.
But if you think those ghosts are haunting Darnold, think again. Despite a lingering oblique injury that’s limited his throwing routine, Seattle isn’t scaling back the playbook - and Darnold isn’t playing scared.
The offense still runs through its dynamic group of pass-catchers: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, and tight end AJ Barner. That’s a group built to stretch defenses and test secondaries, not dink and dunk their way to survival.
And that’s exactly what they did the last time these two teams met. In Week 16, with the Seahawks trailing by 16 in the final 10 minutes, Darnold led one of the most thrilling comebacks of the season.
He found Smith-Njigba for a touchdown, then hit Eric Saubert for a clutch two-point conversion in overtime to seal a wild 38-37 win. It was a gutsy, high-wire performance - and a reminder of what this offense can do when it’s firing on all cylinders.
Darnold’s not just talking the talk, either. He’s adjusted his pregame routine to manage the oblique issue, opting to throw in the locker room rather than risk aggravating it during warmups. It’s a small detail, but it speaks to a larger truth: he’s doing whatever it takes to stay on the field and keep this team rolling.
Yes, the turnovers have been there - Darnold led the league in giveaways this season. But so has the production.
So has the resilience. And in the divisional round, he and the Seahawks left no doubt, dismantling the 49ers with a statement win that sent a message to the rest of the NFC.
Now it’s the Rams again. A familiar foe.
A familiar challenge. And for Darnold, a familiar mindset.
Take care of the football? Absolutely. But if the look is there, and the read is right, he’s going to let it rip.
That’s who he is. That’s who the Seahawks are. And that’s what they’re betting on to punch their ticket to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX.