Sam Darnold, Seahawks face another test against Los Angeles Rams | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

Sam Darnold, Seahawks face another test against Los Angeles Rams | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

Just wondering if you’ve slept at all since Sunday. >> Not really. I I mean, even for me, I’m I gota I [music] gota, you know, this is a good challenge. So, um, but it’s a blessing, you know, to be able to, you know, play in meaningful games this late in the season. And so, got a lot of uh, you know, appreciation for our staff and fighting the good fight right now, Lindsay. >> All right. Those those hospital beds are super comfortable for dads, right? >> Oh, yeah. Just phenomenal. Didn’t he just have a kid like last week? Yeah, he’s already got another one. [laughter] What the hell? >> The Shawn McVey baby factory. >> He’s magic, man. It’s the magic McVey right there. [laughter] Definitely. But but I do think that, you know, in all seriousness, right, this is the burden of these Thursday games for these coaches. It it it is right. You’ve heard it. It’s a bunch. It’s it’s a whole they don’t like, oh, it’s a shorter week. Let’s not worry about that part of the preparation, right? Let’s not worry. Let’s let’s just fast forward right to Friday, like it’s a like a Friday, and we’ll just go from there. No, it goes into like Monday, we squeeze Monday and Tuesday together as a full day. Tuesday, we make Wednesday and Thursday together as a full day. Wednesday, we make Friday and Saturday together as a full day. And then comes the game and it’s a brutal little period for these coaches. Yeah, they got a weekend off after this if the coach is nice, but it certainly is stressful for these guys for, you know, what is it? 72 hours, something like that. Yeah, pretty stressful. >> By the way, the other Shawn McVey child was born two years ago, which just shows how fast time rockets by cuz it [laughter] I would have thought it was last year. >> Two years ago. two years ago. >> Yeah, two years ago. Uh the house is filling up and Shawn McVey is going to be keeping busy both at home and at work. In tonight’s game in Seattle, major significance, the winner will control their path to the one seed in the NFC. And we talked yesterday about how the 49ers, especially if the Seahawks win. If the Seahawks win, the 49ers control their path to the one seed in the NFC. We talked about it yesterday. I went back and looked at the schedules and the records and that is absolutely accurate. If the Seahawks win this game, the 49ers with wins over the Colts, the Bears, and the Seahawks would be the division champions and the number one seed. >> That’s it’s crazy. I mean, again, here we are in another week where the number one seed loses and they could fall down to the six spot. That That’s crazy. That’s just again speaks to the depth and how good the NFC is this year. But this is going to be a phenomenal game like you said and laid it out. I mean, it’s not one, it’s a big play here for home field advantage, the number one seed, winning the division, right? So, there’s all of that. We got the Rams and Matthew Stafford who are are are not only trying to do all the things as a team, but I think also with a conscious effort to make sure Matthew Stafford wins the MVP this year. And then we got the Seattle Seahawks, the new upandcomers, secondyear head coach. Whoa, they got rid of Gino Smith and replaced him with Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold’s been really good, but uhoh, it was this time of the year last year where it started to be a little uhoh shaky. And of course, he was really shaky in the first matchup and the reason they lost. So, it’s just got so many great storylines, let alone the two teams are awesome up in Seattle. It’s going to look awesome on TV. I can’t wait. >> Four interceptions from Darnold the last time they played. It still came down to a 60-yard field goal attempt by Jason Meyer that was not good or the Seahawks would have won. that game. But you’re right. I was on I was on radio yesterday on KFA in Minneapolis and I I was asked uh is it is it fair and reasonable for Vikings fans to be hoping that it happens again because it justifies not bringing Sam Darnold back? And you know, I thought they were nicer than that in Minnesota, but I could see how Vikings fans would be saying, “Man, I hope I hope he has another implosion because if all of a sudden he’s figured it out, he could have figured it out for us.” >> Yeah, I I I would I would understand that feeling or I would like, “Oh, I I hope he doesn’t figure it out for the Seahawks here and then goes to the Super Bowl or do something like that. We let that guy out the door. That that’ll hurt. I I get it.” But yeah, you see it. And that’s the amazing thing about the first matchup. The first matchup, you watch the game, it was really controlled by Seattle, other than the fact that Sam Darnold had the interceptions and put put the Seattle Seahawks defense in some really bad spots. So, that’s what we’re going to be looking at here tonight. And this is a Seahawks team that I know we know is super talented and they got everything. They’re a Super Bowl football team. And off of that, yeah, they controlled it, but yeah, they controlled that first game and had the turnovers, but they lost. And then you got a guy like McVey and Stafford who, we talk about this all the time, are the ultimate codec crackers. Oh, they played us like this the first time and we couldn’t like do some of our stuff. All right. Well, we got something for you this time. We’re going to figure out you played us this way, now we got something for you. And that’s going to be the interesting thing of the matchup, too. Does Mike McDaniel McDonald, excuse me, of Seattle have the forward thinking to go, wait, I did this last time. I know they’re going to pivot to this now and can I call those right defenses to stop their new attack and also with I don’t know, Devonte Adams, that’s another huge part of this game and whether he can play. So that’s where I’m really excited about this. >> And since I have a day early dawned my one of my various Run PFT ensembles, I do need to say it’s McDaniels, not McDonald. The rhymes are Daryl’s, >> the burgers are Ronald’s, right? U [gasps] >> you know, here’s the other reality for the Seahawks. If Sam Darnold checks the box tonight, if he pulls it off, he may have to do the same damn thing week 18. Yeah, >> he he we already said 49ers control the path. If the Seahawks win tonight, it could come down to Imagine this. Seahawks at 49ers, Sunday Night Football, week 18, the ultimate shot at redemption for Darnold going against a team he played for two years ago, trying to to exercise the Demons from last year’s week 18 from the Vikings Lions game. Man, I’m kind of rooting for that. Just that moment. And of course, to get to that moment, it means he shows up tonight and and plays well and the Seahawks beat the Rams and put themselves in the driver’s seat in the NFC West and in the NFC. >> Yeah. And it would be a major statement, right? I mean, it really would be. I think that that he plays well tonight, Seattle wins. is I think everybody’s going to go, you know, yeah, there’s some tough games, but it’s going to give everybody a little confidence in Sam Darnold and everybody to look at Seattle, I think, finally, and realize how good they are. They haven’t had a lot of national spotlight type games. People haven’t really got to see them. They’re one of the more under the radar 11 and three football teams that I can remember, but they got the pieces there. They do that. And that’s where you get into it with, you know, the Rams. No Devonte Adams. Okay, now we’re back to just puka. They’re going to do they’re going to play the three tight end sets, right? That’s what the Rams like to do. So, all right, now we’re going to play three tight ends. But man, the Seattle Seahawks, when you play big boy and you want to play physical football, they got lots of big boys that like to play physical football. That seems like it’s right up their alley. So, I’m just interested in the approach, especially with We haven’t heard definitively with Devonte, right? They’re still hopeful that maybe he could play, but with that I I just wonder how close he can be to 100%. Um, but that’s really a big element in the game and an element to me of whether McVy and them can crack the code. I lessen the chances without Devonte Adams if it’s just the three tight end set all the time we see from that Rams offense. Well, and then I always wonder whether or not a guy who has some type of a hamstring, ankle, whatever, that there’s an element of decoy that he’s out there, he is listed as doubtful. He’s listed as doubtful. And >> yeah, it’s it’s it’s so weird how they they actually apply the terms. So many guys who get called questionable are truly doubtful. and doubtful, even though it’s not supposed to mean 25% or less chance, he used to. >> Yeah, >> that’s that’s kind of how it’s applied. And rarely do you see a guy who’s listed as doubtful >> show up and play. And I’ll be surprised given that he’s he’s listed with both a knee and a hamstring. I’ll be surprised if he plays >> Fisk tonight. And if he does play >> Yeah. >> If he does play, the question is, >> right? >> Yeah. If if if he does play, the question is he’s questionable. Fisk is questionable, but Adams is doubtful. If Adams plays, I’ll be surprised. And if he does, I’ll suspect he’s primarily a decoy. Hi, it’s Mike Florio. Thanks for watching PFT on YouTube. Hit subscribe for the latest news and analysis from Pro Football

Mike Florio and Chris Simms look ahead to Thursday’s crucial game between two teams still fighting for the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the Seahawks and Rams. #NBCSports #NFLonNBC #ProFootballTalk
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Sam Darnold, Seahawks face another test against Los Angeles Rams | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC
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