When the Jets selected quarterback Sam Darnold with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, they thought he’d win playoff games for years to come. Eight years later, Darnold will try to win his first playoff game today, while playing for his fifth NFL team.
Darnold led the Seahawks to a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs this season, and he’ll lead them against the 49ers today. If the Seahawks win, it will be the first time Darnold has ever won a playoff game.
Last year Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season, but he turned in a disappointing performance in his first playoff game, losing 27-9 to the Rams.
Darnold and Tom Brady are the only two quarterbacks in NFL history to have back-to-back 14-win regular seasons. But unlike Brady, Darnold has had no success in the playoffs. Today is, he hopes, the day he finally changes that.
