Sam Darnold didn’t have to play the hero in the Seattle Seahawks‘ 13-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 3 at Levi’s Stadium. All Darnold needed to do was make timely passes, hand the ball off to the effective running game, and not turn the ball over.
Moreover, one aspect of his game that won’t show up on the stat sheet is his leadership. After the win over the 49ers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba shared an honest message about the Seahawks’ QB that helped guide them to the victory.
“Sam led us today,” Smith-Njigba told reporters. “Sam was an absolute dog today. His demeanor, his approach, everything about what he did today was great. Of course, we want to fix some things. Of course, there’s always going to be things to fix, but just from the time that we got here yesterday, really, the way we prepared, the way he prepared all week to make sure his guys were ready is one of one stuff. Super happy for him.”
Darnold went 20-for-26 on his pass attempts for 198 passing yards and leaned heavily on the Seattle run game as the Seahawks ran for a total of 180 rushing yards. Moreover, the road team’s ground game allowed the Seahawks to milk the clock late and accumulate a time of possession of 37:48.
Seahawks Defense Frustrated the 49ers
Nonetheless, the story of the game was the Seahawks’ defense, which didn’t allow the 49ers to get anything going in either the passing or running game. After the win, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones didn’t hold back on his praise of the Seahawks’ defense for putting together a performance that allowed for the road to the Super Bowl to run through Seattle.
“This was a fantastic performance by a defense that I know we talk a lot about, the Houston Texans,” Jones said on the Jan. 3 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “We have talked a lot about the Denver Broncos. But what this defense did [on Jan. 3] is what they have been doing.
“We’re all waiting on the clock to strike midnight, and us not believing we’re going to get to Sam Darnold, and us not believing in the Seattle Seahawks, because it’s not the Legion of Boom, and we don’t have some nickname for this defense. I’m telling you what, they are arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL.”
Ernest Jones Doesn’t Hold Back After Beating 49ers
Moreover, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones also didn’t hold back after Seattle defeated the Niners. Jones also sent a direct message to the analyst and other media members who didn’t believe this team could finish atop the NFC.
“Yeah, they be calling us pretenders all year,” Jones told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche after the win over the 49ers. “We’re going to show you. Every week, we showing out, man. That’s all it is. They don’t think we really win in these games. They think it’s fluke. When we come out here, we win games no matter what…
“It’s just a complete game. We tell those guys, man, you all hold on to the ball, man, get points, but ultimately let us get our rest, and we’re going to go out there and fight, man. So that’s what we’re able to do today. They were able to control the tempo on offense, and we were just able to go get stops.”
Sam Darnold Receives Blunt Message After Seahawks Beat 49ers