The Seattle Seahawks earned a huge victory against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night, clinching a spot in their first Super Bowl since 2015.
Ironically, that matchup was also between both Seattle and the New England Patriots, with New England getting the better of the Seahawks 28-24.
That said, it was Sam Darnold who showed out Sunday, dueling with Rams' quarterback Matthew Stafford. Although he finished with slightly fewer passing yards than Stafford, Darnold played an incredible game, finishing 25-of-36 for 346 yards, three touchdowns, no turnovers and a quarterback rating (QBR) of 82.9.
His connection with Jaxon Smith-Njigba was strong as usual, as the duo combined for 10 catches on 12 targets for 153 yards and a score. Cooper Kupp also saw the end zone against his former team, scoring a pivotal touchdown in the third quarter.
Following the game, head coach Mike Macdonald understood the meaning of Darnold's performance saying: “He just shut a lot of people up tonight.”
Despite Darnold becoming the second quarterback in NFL history (Tom Brady being the other) to record two straight 14+ win seasons, Darnold still faced doubts heading into the NFC Championship game.
A lot of those doubts were due to Darnold's six interceptions against Los Angeles in two NFC West matchups this year. However, Darnold answered the call Sunday, providing Seattle with a clean game.
Now, Darnold will make his first Super Bowl appearance against the Patriots in February. In addition to Darnold, Seattle's star-studded defense will be ready to go as the Seahawks hope to get their long-awaited revenge on New England.
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