No one expected Sam Darnold to be starting in a Super Bowl after the start to his career he had. Now, Darnold is a Super Bowl champion after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
How did Darnold perform in Super Bowl 60?
Darnold’s Super Bowl 60 Performance
Darnold finished the game 19-38 for 202 yards and 1 touchdown to finally exorcise the ghosts that once haunted him against this same opponent.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC was labeled a bust by many in the football world after struggling with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers.
Darnold’s breakout started with the Minnesota Vikings last season, earning him a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with Seattle.
However, Darnold’s magical run with Minnesota came to a disappointing end after he struggled in the playoffs, igniting questions about whether he could win in the postseason. Now, Darnold has silenced all of those doubters by leading Seattle to victory on the biggest stage.
Back on October 21, 2019, a Monday Night Football matchup against the Patriots would define Darnold’s Jets tenure for all the wrong reasons.
Mic’d up for ESPN, Darnold was caught on a hot mic saying he was “seeing ghosts” as Bill Belichick’s defense tormented him into four interceptions in a 33-0 shellacking. The clip went viral, the memes were merciless, and Darnold became a punchline.
Now, against those same Patriots in the biggest game of his life, he became a champion. After the game, Darnold’s perfectionist mentality was on display, pointing out that Seattle “could’ve been better on offense” during the Super Bowl win before catching himself and adding, “But I won’t worry about that now.”
SAM DARNOLD TO AJ BARNER TOUCHDOWN!
Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/sCoEyewllX— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026
The Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl without a single turnover during the postseason, which is a testament to Darnold’s play.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s play-calling helped maximize Darnold, who threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns in the regular season while the Seahawks captured the NFC’s top seed.
During the regular season, Darnold was the 13th-best quarterback in the NFL with a 78.7 QB Impact grade. He torched the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs, entering the Super Bowl red hot. And now this: a Super Bowl win against the team that once turned him into a meme.
Darnold proposed to his fiancée Katie Hoofnagle last July, just months before this season began. Now he gets to celebrate a championship with her on the field in Santa Clara. It’s a long way from MetLife Stadium, 2019, seeing ghosts on national television.
It was a combination of Darnold, Kenneth Walker III (who won Super Bowl MVP), and the stifling defense that led the Seahawks to victory, and they made it look easy.
Darnold completed the greatest redemption arc in modern NFL history against the team that tried to break him. The ghosts are gone, and the trophy is real.
