Seattle coach Macdonald says Darnold delivered “one of the best performances in playoff history” to see off Los Angeles Rams
Sam Darnold starred as the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship game
Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said quarterback Sam Arnold had “shut a lot of people up” by delivering “one of the best performances in playoff history” to power the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
Darnold threw three touchdown passes with zero turnovers as Seattle beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 at Lumen Field to set up a clash with the New England Patriots in California on February 8.
Despite starring in the regular season, Darnold still had plenty of doubters but quietened them once again with a brave display in which he had to overcome the effects of a lingering oblique injury.
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Seattle QB Darnold was incredible – Macdonald
He finished 25-of-36 for 346 yards after regularly linking up with favourite target, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“You can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback,” Macdonald said. “He shut a lot of people up tonight, so I’m really happy for him.
“To come out [and play] the way he played, barely practising, barely throwing the ball, it was really incredible.
“It should go down as one of the best performances in playoff history, I would imagine. It’s hard to stack it, but I can’t imagine anybody playing any better.”
On Darnold’s s critics, Macdonald added: “Everyone wants to make a narrative about this guy, but he’s been the same guy since he walked in the door.
“You don’t want me writing the stories because I would not write the narratives that are out there. It’d be really boring. It would be like, this guy’s the man and his teammates love him and he’s competitive as crap and he’s tough and he’s really talented, and he’s a winner. That would be the story.”
Darnold was modest despite another stellar showing and admitted he still had plenty of room for growth.
He said: “There is a lot of stuff that I can get better from today even. I feel like I missed some throws out there that I shouldn’t miss. There were some things offensively that I feel like we can do better. So, we’re always looking to get better. I’m always looking to get better. That’s the great part about this game is you win an NFC championship and you win games throughout the season, but there is always ways that you can look to get better.”
Stafford uncertainty for Los Angeles
Darnold is locked in as QB in Seattle for next season whatever happens in the Super Bowl. There is not that certainty in Los Angeles with the Rams’ Matthew Stafford.
Stafford, 37, is under contract for next year but refused to commit to coming back when asked about his future after the game.
“I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss,” Stafford said. “So I appreciate the guys in this locker room a whole hell of a lot. Everybody that helped me and helped our team be the success that we were this year. And that’s all I’ll answer for you.”
Asked if he expected to have Stafford at his disposal next season, Rams coach Sean McVay snapped: “Yeah, if he still wants to play. The hell kind of question is that?
“I know that if he wants to, he’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he’s the MVP of the league and if he’s not … I got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that’s just different.”
Stafford completed 22 of 35 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns but was unable to prevent a defeat that visibly moved McVay.
“I felt like we were going to be the team on that podium,” he added. “And we weren’t. And you give Seattle the credit, but I love this group. And I’m never really short on words, and I am right now, so it’s tough.”