The Seattle Seahawks‘ biggest question heading into the NFC Championship game is the health of quarterback Sam Darnold. The Seahawks QB1 has been on the injury list after picking up an oblique strain last Thursday while throwing a pass to a receiver early in practice two days before the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers. Now, ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle offensive coordinator issued an update about Sam Darnold.

“It shows up when he goes out there, and the reps that he gets, he looks like Sam,” Klint Kubiak said, as per The News Tribune. “He looks healthy to me.”

Kubiak’s optimism came after Thursday’s practice, though Darnold was still officially a limited participant. In this session, the 28-year-old was throwing passes to test his injured, left non-throwing side while standing stationary. These passes were in line with each other, with his shoulders and chest facing a team assistant as he only turned his torso and threw 10-yard passes.

That toughness was on full display against the San Francisco 49ers, where, despite the injury, Darnold managed to complete 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown before the game was out of reach. Reacting to this performance and his progression since picking up the injury, Kubiak later praised Darnold’s resilience, crediting his toughness.

“It just reveals his grit and his toughness,” Kubiak said. “That’s nothing that we hadn’t already known. He’s a real leader to be able to fight through that pain and play a good football game. And he’s going to keep fighting through it — just like a lot of his teammates. Just like both rosters. That’s part of the league, and however many games that we are into right now, nobody’s fresh. No player. No coach. And Sam’s no different.”

These certainly are encouraging signs for the Seattle fans as they gear up for the biggest game of the season. But ahead of this big-ticket matchup, the Seahawks would need Sam Darnold to be at his best, especially after the Rams defense has issued a warning for the star quarterback.

Rams’ defense roaring to face Sam Darnold in NFC Championship game

With the Conference championship on the line, the Los Angeles Rams‘ defense is ready to challenge Sam Darnold. The Rams’ defense, led by Chris Shula, has historically been Darnold’s kryptonite. Over the last two seasons, they’ve tormented him into eight turnovers and 16 sacks, a trend that continued this year with six of his 14 interceptions coming against Los Angeles.

Hence, LA Safety Kamren Kinchens, who picked up two of the four Rams’ INTs in their Week 11 meeting against the Seahawks, has issued an open challenge for Sam Darnold and the Seahawks offense.

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“Usually, you hope a guy doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Kinchens said of Darnold, via the Los Angeles Times. “In my case, I’m hoping he makes the same mistake twice, because that’s more picks for me.”

Further, Kinchens went on to explain why Seattle is his favorite opponent.

“Because they like to test the secondary,” the Rams safety said. “They have good receivers, and Sam Darnold wants to throw the ball down the field and push it down the field. That’s a lot of opportunities, and I love when I get to show people my receiver skills.”

Darnold will need to be at his best to overcome a confident Rams offense and defense that stands between the Seahawks and their first Super Bowl trip since 2014.