Quarterbacks get all the headlines, good or bad, but they can’t do it all alone in this ultimate team sport.
Tom Brady had and needed defenses that regularly ranked in the top 10 to win Super Bowls, while Patrick Mahomes lost two of them because he was completely defeated by opposing defenses.
In Seattle, Darnold found a perfect storm of a team on the rise and a defensive head coach assembling a crack unit that would dominate the NFL, needing nothing more than a solid quarterback to steer the offense.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the league’s best receiver, and Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker also helped, and many would say Darnold didn’t have to do much.
He became the first quarterback to enjoy back-to-back 14-win seasons with two different teams. Only Brady has had success with one team. But there were still questions as he led the league in turnovers, giving the ball away 20 times.
About 80% of playoff games are won by the team with the fewest turnovers. In the Super Bowl, the record when winning the turnover battle was 40-7.
Despite spending two years as a backup, Darnold had the fourth-most picks in the NFL since the draft (106), so he was written off as a liability before even entering the postseason and had to prove himself once again.
The response was incredible as Darnold’s Seattle became the first Super Bowl champion without a single turnover in the playoffs.
He answered the mental questions of facing the Rams again with 346 yards and three touchdowns before doing enough in the Super Bowl itself.
Was it fancy? no. Do you deserve MVP? It’s not even close. But Darnold, now 28, did what he had to do. He kept the ball in his hands, made plays when needed, and managed the game without ego or trying to be a hero.
No quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl while playing for five teams before, but no quarterback has come out on top after being counted out so many times.
Luck played a part, teams like Minnesota and Seattle took their chances, and the Seahawks gave Darnold everything he could want from a team. There are probably a ton of quarterbacks in the league who could win a Super Bowl with them this season.
But no one has been where Darnold has, and not many have done more to get it. The story of his salvation is a truly ancient one.
