The national narrative surrounding Sam Darnold may not have fully changed at this point, but the Seattle Seahawks quarterback gave his doubters a reason to start believing last week.

With the game on the line in a primetime showdown dubbed by many as the NFL’s game of the year, Darnold led the Seahawks on a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter and a game-winning drive in overtime for a wild comeback victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

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Seattle’s dramatic comeback featured three successful 2-point conversion attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime (one with the assist of replay review that you’d have to see to believe) and several key throws from Darnold, including two touchdown passes and the game-winning 2-point conversion.

Darnold showed some poise in the process, as his heroics down the stretch came after he threw two interceptions, most notably a pick in the red zone down 30-14 early in the fourth quarter.

“He answered a lot of questions for me and for a lot of fans too,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman said during Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “… He didn’t have the greatest game, but he won the game for them.”

Much of the conversation about Darnold, especially from the national perspective, had been about his inability to win big games. His tenure with the Vikings ended with two rough outings, one with the NFC North title on the line against Detroit and the next in the wild-card round of the playoffs against the Rams, and he tossed four interceptions in Seattle’s first meeting with the Rams this year.

Wyman and Bob producer Mike Lefko pointed to some of the moments were Darnold came up big for the Seahawks this season as examples of why he believes the national narrative has led to Darnold’s achievements late in games getting overlooked.

“We watch every single Seahawks snap, so we saw he turned it on in the second half against the Falcons. He did lead, technically, a game-winning drive against the Colts. Didn’t score a touchdown, but it led to that field goal, and he did it with ease,” Lefko said. “He did against the Cardinals as well. So we see all that, but the national perspective until that Thursday night (was) Sam Darnold’s most high-profile moments had all gone poorly. I think that’s the narrative. That’s why that was still attached to him. The seeing ghosts comment always lingers, and then because the Lions game, the Rams game last year on the most high-profile stage for Darnold – and the Rams game this year.

“So for all of that, when you get this little small snapshot on the national perspective … you peer in and you see, well, Darnold didn’t get it done in a big moment. I think we don’t give enough credit for how good he is in these end-of-game situations.”

Darnold to Kupp OH MY

LARvsSEA on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0BlXI7olgv

— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2025

Lefko also pointed to how Darnold outperformed MVP candidate Matthew Stafford late against the Rams. During the fourth quarter, LA had a run of three straight drives without a first down.

While last week’s performance may not be enough to close the book on the national conversation about Darnold in big games, it helped convince Wyman Seattle’s quarterback can lead the team to where it ultimately hopes to go.

“To me, that sort of narrative has gone away because he proved it, and he’s been in some really tough situations, high-pressure situations and he’s handled them incredibly well,” Wyman said. “… When your team gets good, you get 10, 11 wins under your belt, you’re like, can we win the Super Bowl? … Can we win a Super Bowl with Sam Darnold? And I think the answer is yes.”

DARNOLD. SAUBERT. @SEAHAWKS WIN! pic.twitter.com/VF2QElidFV

— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2025

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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