Sam Darnold is in his first season as the Seahawks’ quarterback, but he finds himself in a familiar situation this week.
Darnold was Minnesota’s starter in Week 18 last year when they played the Lions for a division title and the top seed in the NFC playoffs. The game did not go well for Darnold or the Vikings. He was 18-of-41 for 166 yards in a 31-9 loss and the Vikings were eliminated when Darnold struggled against the Rams in the playoffs the next week.
The Seahawks still signed Darnold as a free agent and he’s got a shot at redemption on Saturday when the Seahawks face the 49ers with the same stakes as last year’s Week 18 game. Darnold said the biggest lesson he learned from last year is that “the biggest thing is just treating it like another game.”
“Just understanding the gravity of the game and all that stuff,” Darnold said, via the team’s website. “But at the end of the day, it’s just football. And I think that’s the best part about it is people want to make it a little bit bigger than it is, but we’re just going out there, we’re playing against the Niners, a really good football team, a team that we’re going to be prepared for, and it’s going to be great though. The fans are going to be into it. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, but other than that, it’s football and we’ll be ready to go for it.”
Any result on Saturday is going to make an impact on the larger narrative surrounding Darnold’s career, but the impact on the Seahawks’ playoff hopes will be more significant in the present.
