Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was enjoying an MVP-caliber season until Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams happened.
Both the Seahawks and Rams entered the matchup at 7-2 and looking to claim NFC West supremacy, and once again in a big game, Darnold came up short, going 29-for-44 with 279 yards and four interceptions in a 21-19 loss.
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Failing in games of real consequence has become a recurring theme for Darnold, and it could ultimately prevent Seattle from making a deep playoff run.
One NFL coach feels that this will always be a problem for the former No. 3 overall pick.
“Sam is just going to have that in him for life,” the coach said, Mike Sando of The Athletic. “He will play great. He will play good. Then he is going to have those plays. The problem is, when you get established as a playoff team, everyone is scared to death that is going to happen.”
On the season overall, Darnold has thrown for 2,541 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 picks while completing 70.2 percent of his passes and registering a 105 passer rating. But the question of whether or not Darnold is good enough to lead a team on a Super Bowl run remains.
The 28-year-old had a breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings last year, finishing with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 66.2 percent of his throws and managing a 102.5 passer rating en route to a Pro Bowl appearance. Most importantly, he guided the Vikings to 14 wins.
But Darnold fell flat in the playoffs, putting up a dud in a Wild Card Round loss to none other than the Rams.
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Perhaps Los Angeles just has his number, or maybe Darnold’s jitters become too much under the bright lights. Whatever the case may be, he needs to get it fixed if the Seahawks want to be taken seriously in the playoffs.
Things will get considerably easier for Darnold next week when Seattle faces the Tennessee Titans, but it’s matchups like the Rams that will truly define him. Darnold will get another crack at Los Angeles at home on Dec. 18.
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