Sam Darnold Is Headed to the Super Bowl: The Quarterback’s Remarkable Comeback

Sam Darnold has completed one of the sport’s most improbable comebacks. He went from a struggling New York Jets starter to leading the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl, where he will face the New England Patriots in two weeks. 

Darnold has defied the odds, as most quarterbacks would have been plagued for the remainder of their career after New York.

Tough Beginning for Darnold

When the New York Jets selected Sam Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, expectations were high. The expectations didn’t match the results, as the Jets continued to fail. 

Across three seasons with the Jets, Darnold posted a 13-25 record as a starter, and threw plenty of interceptions along the way. His most infamous moment with the Jets came in a 2019 matchup against the Patriots, where a frustrated Darnold was heard on live TV saying he was “seeing ghosts.”

The seeing ghosts quote has haunted Darnold throughout his entire career, but he is starting to get the monkey off his back. Darnold will face the Patriots in the Super Bowl, but he hasn’t done much against New England in his career. 

He is 0-4 against the Patriots with 691 with one touchdown and nine interceptions in those starts, resulting in a 41.2 passer rating. This will definitely be a storyline heading into the big game, but we're dealing with a different version of the quarterback. 

After New York, Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers, and he couldn’t revive his career. He then had a stint as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers, which allowed him to reset before taking over a starting job with the Vikings.

His 2024 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings looked like a breakthrough because he threw for more than 4,300 yards, 35 touchdowns, and earned a Pro Bowl nod, but Minnesota chose to move on after the season

Success with the Seahawks

With a new environment and offensive scheme under head coach Mike Macdonald, Darnold found renewed confidence and consistency. Seattle finished the regular season as the top seed in the NFC and Darnold delivered the biggest performance of his career in the NFC Championship Game. 

Against a talented Los Angeles Rams squad, he completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers. He had six interceptions against the Rams in the regular season.

The performance showed how much Darnold has grown. Teammates like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who hauled in 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, have helped the quarterback get to the next level. 

If Darnold can translate his NFC Championship play to the Super Bowl, there is no doubt that he will win MVP. The quarterback is currently the favorite to win Super Bowl MVP at +125 on FanDuel Sportsbook, followed by Drake Maye at +230.

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A quarterback typically wins the award, so if you like the Seahawks, taking Darnold as the MVP is a good pivot rather than laying 4.5 points with Seattle.

As the Seahawks prepare to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on February 8, Darnold is no longer the scared quarterback from the Jets. He will be favored against a Patriots team that he has never beaten. Find more info and the latest Super Bowl odds here.

New England’s success has been built on their defense and quarterback Drake Maye, who will be hard to beat. The Patriots’ playoff run has been remarkable as well, setting up this improbable Super Bowl matchup. 

Can Darnold, who once couldn’t beat the Patriots rewrite that history when it matters most? We will find out in two weeks in San Francisco.

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