The NFL season is back, baby, and it’s kicking off Wednesday evening with our Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch right here at Lumen Field! It’s going to be electric, but let’s be real, the league is “not for long.” Bottom feeders climb, contenders get pulled back to average, and those same forces could throw a serious curveball into the unbelievable story of Sam Darnold’s career.
You remember the journey, right? Dude was drafted by the hapless New York Jets, then tried to find his footing with the Carolina Panthers, even casting Baker Mayfield out of town in the process. Didn’t really reinvent anything there. Had to pay his dues as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers before finally getting his shot as a starter with the Minnesota Vikings. But even after that, Minnesota wasn’t ready to pay him long-term following a crushing playoff loss to the Rams. So he ventured to Seattle, landing the most significant payday of his career. Few of us thought we were upgrading when we traded Geno Smith to the Raiders, but then Darnold went out and led us to a Super Bowl victory that nobody, and I mean NOBODY, saw coming! It’s a tale even Hollywood wouldn’t dare write, especially with us having to take down the Los Angeles teams twice on the way to the championship. What a run!
The Monster in the Closet: Regression Watch is ON
Here’s the gut check, though: how long can this magic last? The word out there is Darnold is a big regression candidate without his old play-callers Klint Kubiak or O’Connell. Think about it, his last two full seasons without them? We’re talking 0.74 FPts/db in 2022 and a measly 0.40 FPts/db in 2021. Yeah, his supporting cast here in Seattle is strong and not set to erode much this year, and sure, he’s probably marginally better than when he entered the league, but we cannot ignore some seriously concerning signs from last season.
I’m talking about our guy leading the entire NFL in turnovers during the regular season a year ago. Twenty turnovers, people! That’s 14 interceptions and six fumbles lost. Ouch. His performance in the first two of three games against the Rams was rocky as heck. People were already calling him “Same Darnold.” And remember that Week 11 loss? He threw ELEVEN interceptions in that game. ELEVEN! Just saying that out loud makes my stomach turn. He tossed another two picks before finally turning his fortune around and leading us to that Week 16 victory, a defining moment where he truly shed that weight and overcame the team that was holding his career back.
Can Our Super Bowl MVP Silence the Doubters Again?
So, when Darnold steps onto the field Wednesday night at Lumen Field, what’s really at stake? Can he prove everyone wrong for a second time and show that last year’s turnover issues and those wild 11 interceptions against the Rams were just a blip, not a sign of things to come without his familiar play-callers? Or will the “not for long” forces of the NFL finally catch up? This season opener isn’t just a rematch, it’s the next chapter in Darnold’s unbelievable story, and we, the 12s, are going to be watching every single snap.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
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