Sam Darnold has had a tumultuous career, going from top-three pick to perceived bust to redemption story.
At one point, it seemed like Darnold was destined to be a career backup, but he turned his career around to help lead the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks to the playoffs. In fact, Darnold's 28 wins in 2024 and 2025 rivals only Tom Brady's for wins in back-to-back seasons.
However, that level of regular season success doesn't guarantee playoff success. Since Darnold was unable to lead the New York Jets or Carolina Panthers to the playoffs, he made his playoff debut later than most of his fellow NFL starting quarterbacks.
Now that Darnold has settled into being a starter in the league, his next step will be leading his team to playoff success. Here's a look back at Darnold's playoff history so far.
MORE: Breaking down Josh Allen's playoff history
Sam Darnold playoff record
| Year | Playoff record | Result |
| 2024 | 0-1 | L, Wild Card vs. Rams |
Darnold has played in and started one playoff game in his career, a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams as a member of the Vikings. Darnold had a breakout season that year, leading Minnesota to 14 wins, but the team earned just a wild-card spot as a result.
The Vikings went on the road to play the Rams in Arizona, as the game was relocated due to fires in Los Angeles, and Darnold struggled mightily. The quarterback turned the ball over twice and was sacked nine times during the game, with the Rams defensive line dominating the contest for 60 minutes.
MORE: Ryan Fitzpatrick teams timeline
Sam Darnold playoff stats
- Games: 1
- Record: 0-1
- Pass Attempts: 40
- Pass Completions: 25
- Completion Percentage: 62.5%
- Passing Yards: 245
- Passing touchdowns: 1
- Interceptions: 1
- Fumbles: 1
- Passer rating: 77.6
- Sacks: 9
- Carries: 4
- Rushing Yards: 19
- Rushing touchdowns: 0
Despite Darnold's tough playoff debut, his numbers aren't that diminutive in general. However, much of the performance hinged on the two turnovers, one of which was taken back for a touchdown, along with the bloated nine sacks taken.
Darnold was on the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 when they made a run to the Super Bowl, but Darnold never appeared in a playoff game and only served as Brock Purdy's backup.