Just a year ago, Sam Darnold was a quarterback with a reputation - and not the kind you want heading into the postseason. He could light up the stat sheet in the regular season, sure, but when the lights got brighter, the performances got shakier.
Fast forward to today, and that narrative has flipped on its head. Darnold isn’t just managing games anymore - he’s leading the Seattle Seahawks into Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots, and doing it with a level of poise and command that few saw coming.
This turnaround didn’t happen overnight, and it certainly didn’t happen by accident. According to those inside the Seahawks’ building, the biggest shift in Darnold’s game has been his processing speed.
He’s simply playing faster - not in terms of rushing decisions, but in how quickly he’s seeing the field and reacting to what defenses throw at him. His time from snap to throw has dropped significantly, and that’s been a game-changer.
The result? A quarterback who’s far more comfortable taking what the defense gives him.
Instead of forcing the deep ball or trying to make something out of nothing, Darnold is checking it down when he needs to, avoiding unnecessary hits, and keeping the offense on schedule. That doesn’t mean he’s been perfect - his 20 turnovers during the regular season led the league - but the highs have been undeniable.
Take Week 16, for example. Seattle was down 16 points to the Rams, and it looked like the game - and maybe the season - was slipping away.
But Darnold dug in, rallied the team, and led a furious comeback that ended in a 38-37 overtime win. That game wasn’t just a highlight - it was a statement.
Darnold showed he could deliver when it mattered most.
And it’s not just about one game. Seahawks coaches point to the way Darnold is working through his progressions now - faster, smarter, and more efficiently.
One play that’s stuck with the staff came in that same overtime win against the Rams. On a crucial two-point conversion, Darnold found tight end Eric Saubert - the fourth option in the progression - and fired a strike for the score.
That’s not a fluke. That’s a quarterback seeing the whole field and trusting the system.
Inside the Seahawks’ locker room, the message to Darnold each week is simple but telling: Protect the ball. Listen to your feet.
Find the open guy. It’s a mantra that’s helped him settle into the best version of himself - a steady hand who can still make the big throw when it counts.
And if you need more proof of Darnold’s rise, just look at the betting lines. As of Friday morning, he was the favorite to take home Super Bowl MVP honors, sitting at +120 on DraftKings. That’s a far cry from the quarterback who tossed four picks in a loss to these same Rams back in November.
Redemption stories don’t come easy in the NFL, but Darnold’s is real - and it’s still being written. If he caps it off with a Super Bowl win, it won’t just be a comeback. It’ll be a career-defining moment.