On Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks survived a tense 31-27 battle against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams threw everything they had, yet Seattle never blinked. And in the middle of that chaos, Sam Darnold kept his team steady. And in that process, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald feels Darnold silenced many doubters.

Speaking after the win, Mike Macdonald proudly said, “Can’t talk about the game without talking about our QB [Sam Darnold]. He shut a lot of people up tonight, so I’m really happy for him.”

For years, Darnold carried the weight of being labeled a disappointment. That tag followed him from stop to stop. However, in his first season with the Seahawks, that noise has faded fast. At 28, he is no longer chasing moments. Instead, he is managing them. Throughout this playoff run, he has played clean football when it mattered most, something critics always said he could not do.

On Sunday, the numbers backed it all up. Darnold went 25 of 36 for 346 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Even while dealing with an oblique injury, he stood tall. He took three sacks, survived a bad snap, and still kept the Seahawks in control.

Finally, the Super Bowl is next. Darnold may not need another stat-heavy night to finish the job. Still, the former No. 3 overall pick is closer than ever to rewriting his story where it counts most.

Back in 2024, Darnold’s stop in the Vikings confused many. He had good protection, but the setup was far from perfect. The Vikes leaned on a takeaway-heavy defense and a thin run game inside a pass-first plan. As a result, too much landed on Darnold’s arm. That gamble collapsed fast when the Rams crushed Minnesota 27-9, with Darnold dropped nine times.

Now, more than a year later, the story reads differently. Against the same Rams, no one will mention three sacks. Instead, they will remember Darnold going punch for punch with MVP-caliber Matthew Stafford and walking out with a win.

Sam Darnold earns more praise

With the win, Sam Darnold stands as the third quarterback to lead the Hawks to a Super Bowl, joining Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Wilson. And even though Wilson’s exit from the Emerald City ended rough, the respect never left. So, naturally, the praise came quickly.

Russell Wilson took to X and made his feelings clear about what Darnold has pulled off.

“Sam Darnold’s comeback story over the past 2 years has been one of the most inspirational things to watch! Cool seeing him overcome!!! Congrats bro. Hope you win it! 🏆Go Hawks.”

Wilson was the last quarterback to take Seattle to the Super Bowl. Despite how things ended between him and the organization, there is no bitterness in his words. Instead, Wilson pointed directly at the grind Darnold endured. He saw a quarterback who absorbed setbacks, stayed ready, and finally broke through when the moment arrived.

Meanwhile, Darnold’s path here was anything but smooth. He played for five teams across eight seasons and still found himself dismissed after a 14-win year with the Vikings. Even after signing a three-year deal to lead Seattle, many doubted he could guide the Hawks to the season’s final game.

Now, the opportunity is bigger than belief. Darnold has a chance to finish what Wilson could not. More than a decade after that painful loss to the Patriots, Seattle is back, and this time, the ending is unwritten.