Despite a terrific start to the season, Sam Darnold still has doubters around the NFL. The veteran quarterback had the best campaign of his career in 2024, shining with the Minnesota Vikings, taking them to the playoffs after a 14-win season.
Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason, but many waited until finally giving him his props. The Seahawks are 4-2 after beating the 4-1 Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, making a statement against Trevor Lawrence and Co.
Darnold went 16 of 27 for 295 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Seahawks back to winning ways after a narrow loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. His performance against another hot team earned him plenty of praise and the recognition some didn’t want to give him at first.
Sam Darnold gets high praise after win over Jaguars
Bleacher Report listed Darnold as one of the winners of Week 6, following a strong performance against the Jaguars. They admitted that his season in Minnesota wasn’t a fluke.
“Seattle is for real in the NFC West,” Bleacher Report writes this week. “After losing a heartbreaker in last week’s shootout with the Buccaneers, it would have been somewhat understandable if the Seahawks had experienced a letdown in Week 6—the team had to travel thousands of miles to face a red-hot Jags team that just stunned the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, the Seahawks played a relatively mistake-free game and gutted out a win.”
Seattle could extend its good moment with a win against the Houston Texans on Monday. Darnold is an early MVP candidate, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at this moment.