The Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in over a decade. After taking down the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in their first two playoff games, the Seahawks will now look to get revenge on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX after they lost to them in crushing fashion in Super Bowl XLIX.
One of the main storylines throughout Seattle’s run to the Super Bowl, though, has been the injury status of Sam Darnold. In the buildup to the Seahawks’ divisional matchup vs. the 49ers, Darnold suffered an oblique injury that has lingered throughout the postseason. Darnold is doing much better now, but according to general manager John Schneider, there was a moment when he was truly worried about his quarterback’s status.
John Schneider Gets Real on Sam Darnold’s Injury Status
After he enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, the Seahawks took a bit of a risk by handing Darnold a three-year, $100.5 million contract in free agency. Seattle already had a strong roster to begin with, but Darnold has proven to be the missing piece that has turned the team into a Super Bowl contender.
In his first season with the Seahawks, Darnold completed a career-high 67.7% of his passes for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, which helped him earn the second Pro Bowl selection of his career. While he struggled with turnovers along the way (14 interceptions, six fumbles lost), Darnold generally was able to lead the offense up and down the field when he wasn’t giving the football away.
After suffering the aforementioned injury ahead of the San Francisco game, Darnold made it through that contest and then delivered arguably the best performance of his career against L.A. (25/36, 346 YDS, 3 TD) to help lead Seattle back to the Super Bowl. Schneider made sure to praise his quarterback for his work amid his injury woes, while also revealing that the team itself was more worried about Darnold’s injury than he was.
“He hasn’t flinched,” Schneider said when discussing Darnold’s injury situation. “I think we were all more panicked with what was going than he was. He was kind of looking at us like we had three heads, like, ‘What’s everybody so worried about? I’ll be good.'”
Sam Darnold, Seahawks Have One Last Challenge to Overcome
GettySam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks
Darnold’s oblique is still bothering him, but it would take something truly serious in order to prevent him from playing in the Super Bowl. And considering how important Darnold has become in a short amount of time, it’s safe to say that the Seahawks need him on the field and at his best if they want any shot of coming out on top.
Seattle is favored to win this game, but New England cannot be overlooked in this one. Led by star second-year quarterback Drake Maye and a defense that has been on fire in the playoffs, the Pats are going to present the Seahawks with the sort of challenge they have yet to face in the postseason to this point. Kickoff for Super Bowl LX is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Seahawks GM John Schneider Reveals ‘Panicked’ Moment Amid Sam Darnold Injury Concerns