Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is the NFL’s leading MVP candidate, however, it was Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold who delivered in the clutch with the NFC Championship on the line. His performance sparked poignant commentary from Seattle coach Mike Macdonald following his team’s 31-27 victory.
“You can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback,” Macdonald said. “I mean he just shut a lot of people up tonight, so I’m really happy for him.”
Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. He capped a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a 13-yard strike to Cooper Kupp with 4:52 left in the third, which put the Rams on the ropes at 31-20.
“Every time they went and scored, he came back,” Macdonald said. “Made some big-time throws on third down, the two-minute drive, the four-minute drive. The guy barely practiced all week. Just really happy for him. He deserves it. He’s been a rock for us the whole year. Just really happy for him.”
Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks in free agency after his lone, 35-touchdown season with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015 thanks to their quarterback, whose QBR sparkled at 78.1 during the postseason — considerably higher than his 55.7 average showing the previous 17 starts.
Darnold managed the third-highest passer rating (122.4) ever in a single postseason prior to the Super Bowl, according to NFL.com. Only numbers from Atlanta’s Matt Ryan in 2016 (132.6) and Kansas City star Patrick Mahomes in 2019 (131.5) were more impressive.
“It’s great. I feel that support. Not only with their words, but with how everyone treats each other in the building,” Darnold said after Sunday’s win. “I’m happy to be a part of this team, this group and this coaching staff, I’m really happy to be here. I’m happy to be in this position. I’m just gonna continue to do the best that I can to put this team in positions to win football games.”
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