RENTON — A case can be made that the worst thing that happened to Sam Darnold last season — a blowout playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams — turned out to be one of the best things that have happened to the Seattle Seahawks.
Had Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings not stumbled in the final two games of the 2024 season he may not have been available for the Seahawks to sign in March after they made the decision to trade Geno Smith to the Raiders.
Maybe in that alternate universe, the Seahawks end up with soon-to-be-42-year-old Aaron Rodgers at QB or taking one earlier in the draft than they did with Jalen Milroe and turning the reins over to a rookie (Jaxson Dart anyone)?
Because Darnold and the Vikings stumbled in their final two games — a 31-9 loss at Detroit in a game that decided the champion of the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the NFC; and 27-9 a wild-card playoff loss to the Rams — Minnesota decided it would rather attach its long-term future to J.J. McCarthy than Darnold.
Of the two games, the loss to the Rams — in a game played in Glendale, Ariz., because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area — might have stung the most.
Darnold was sacked nine times and threw an interception in completing 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards and one TD, which came with the score already 27-3.
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One of his sacks was viewed as the turning point in the game as he fumbled as he was hit in the second quarter by former Seahawk Ahkello Witherspoon. Rams defensive end Jared Verse returned it for a 57-yard TD that put L.A. ahead 17-3. Darnold was sacked on a fourth down on the following series, after which the Rams responded with a quick TD drive to make it 24-3 at the half.
And that was pretty much that for a Vikings season that began with a 14-2 record and ended in ignominy, and for Darnold’s Minnesota career.
“These last two weeks will have a big impact on his future,” ESPN analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said on air almost immediately after the game ended. “Not only what that may look like for the Minnesota Vikings, but a big impact on what that may look like for him going to another team? Is there going to be a big payout that looked inevitable a few weeks ago? May not be quite as big as what Sam or others thought.”
Reinforcing the narrative is that the Rams beat Darnold and the Vikings in October, a 30-20 L.A. win in which Darnold played statistically fine — going 18-of-25 for 240 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions — but couldn’t get Minnesota into the end zone when it mattered most at the end.
Sure, the thought became, Darnold was able to win a lot of little ones in 2024, but when it mattered most, he crumbled.
Now here come the pesky Rams again — the Seahawks play at SoFi Stadium on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. in a showdown for the NFC West lead — to not only drudge up bad memories for Darnold but also serve as a chance for him to show he can win the big ones.
The season won’t be decided based on what happens Sunday. But a win over the Rams, who at 7-2 are tied with the Seahawks for the NFC West, would be a big step toward them taking not only the division but potentially the top seed in the conference.
A loss, and the Seahawks could be left looking up at the Rams until a rematch on Dec. 18 at Lumen Field that might be win-or-else for the division.
As might be expected, Darnold said Thursday his focus for Sunday isn’t on getting revenge against the Rams but on getting a win for the Seahawks.
“No,” he said when asked if the game will be personal for him. “For us, it’s just about going down there. For myself personally, it’s about going down there and taking care of business. It’s as simple as that.”
Darnold played the 2024 season on a one-year contract worth up to $10 million after Kirk Cousins moved on to Atlanta. That came after Darnold spent the 2023 season as a backup with the 49ers.
The Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th. The thought was Darnold would be a bridge QB giving McCarthy time to develop. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in August and Darnold went on to become one of the surprise stories of the 2024 season, throwing 35 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions and finishing 10th in the MVP voting before it all came crashing down the last two weeks.
That led to the Vikings deciding in March to let Darnold become a free agent. Darnold’s availability helped make the Seahawks feel more comfortable trading Smith, notably the presence of some assistants and others on staff who had previously worked with Darnold, notably new coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Four days after the Smith trade, they signed Darnold to a three-year deal worth up to $100.5 million but with only $37.5 million guaranteed, and the Seahawks are able to get out of it after the 2025 season without paying him any more than that guarantee.
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Darnold has responded with a first half for the ages, leading the NFL in ESPN’s total quarterback rating (QBR), as well as in yards per completion (14.0) and attempt (9.9) and second in passer rating (116.5) and third in completion percentage (71.1%) while leading the Seahawks to a 7-2 record and an offense scoring the third most points in the NFL (30.6).
His start makes it seem as if with Darnold’s contract it’s how soon will the Seahawks have to redo it to keep him, not whether they’ll want to get out of it before it runs out.
Still, questions figure to persist until Darnold shows he can “win the big one.”
He’ll face pretty much the same Rams defense Sunday as he did last January in Glendale. Eight of the starters from that game remain on L.A.’s defense as does coordinator Chris Shula (grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach Don Shula). One of the newcomers, third-year middle linebacker Nathan Landman, is tied for third in the NFL in forced fumbles with three.
Darnold said the Rams’ defense — which is second in fewest points allowed at 17.0 per game and tied for fifth in turnovers forced with 14 — looks “similar” but that all teams are always evolving, so it won’t be the same. He said he’ll look at film of last year’s games, but indicated no more than he would for any other game against a team he might have played recently.
Darnold said the key takeaway from the playoff game is to be more cognizant to avoid bad plays.
“I think just having answers,” he said of the lesson of last year. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I feel like I had opportunities to get the ball out and I didn’t in that game. I just feel like having answers for certain looks and being able to just go through my progressions, go through my reads and trust my feet and my eyes.”
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.