The Seattle Seahawks are entering a Week 18 matchup agains tthe San Francisco 49ers in what's a winner-takes-all game for the NFC West and the NFC's number 1 seed.
It's a huge matchup, and for Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, it's the second straight season he's had such a final weekend. Last year, he came up short, but now, he can bounce back and win the West for Seattle.
But Darnold might not only be winning the West with a good performance in Week 18, but he might be able to bring home half a million dollars. As Zak Koeppel of NFL.com notes, Darnold is just 150 passing yards away from a $500,000 payday.
Sam Darnold is 150 passing yards away from $500K incentive
Darnold has an incentive tied into his contract, which will pay out $500,,000 if he reaches 4,000 passing yards this season. Heading into Week 18 against the 49ers, he's at 3,850, just 150 yards from this big payday.
Koeppel highlighted just how likely this will be for Darnold. While 150 yards is no certainty, this matchup is a good one to do it in.
"Darnold has 150 or more pass yards in 14 of 16 games this season, but was held to 147 in Week 17 vs. The Panthers." Koeppel writes. "The 49ers have allowed 15 of 16 opposing quarterbacks to pass for at least 150 yards this season. The lone exception, rookie Shedeur Sanders, finished 1 yard short of the mark in Week 13."
San Francisco is by no means an easy opponent, but for Darnold in search of his incentive, there is a very strong likelihood he'll reach 150 yards in Week 18.
More: Seahawks' Sam Darnold has $5 million at stake in incentives this season
The 49ers defense has only stopped one quarterback from reaching that total this season, and it was Sanders, a rookie for the Cleveland Browns, who's struggled a lot at times this season. And even he was just one yard short.
Despite a 147-yard performance in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers, the Seahawks are very likely to need to throw a lot more this week. The 49ers offense is much better than the Panthers, and Seattle likely won't blow out the 49ers this week.
Darnold is closing in on a massive $500,000 payday. Just 150 yards away, his average game would be more than enough to reach this mark. If he can pair at least 150 yards with a win, then Darnold could clinch the NFC West, a first-round bye, and $500,000 all in one game.
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