As hard as it may be to believe, Sam Darnold has now gone 14-3 in back-to-back regular seasons. But people are still casting doubts on him and whether he will crumble under the playoff pressure, as he did last year under similar circumstances. Well, Hall of Fame wideout Cris Carter believes the experience from last season will only help Darnold.
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One could make the argument that this is the Seattle Seahawks’ best chance to win the Super Bowl since the Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch era. One thing this team shares with those squads is an elite defense.
Seattle has allowed just 292 points this season. They and the Houston Texans are the only teams to allow fewer than 300 points, which Carter says will be a major advantage.
“I believe that Seattle’s defense is better than the Vikings’ defense last year. And I do believe that Sam Darnold going through that experience is going to really help him,” Carter stated on Fully Loaded.
“If I’m Seattle, or a fan of Seattle, oh, I’m very excited. I mean, this is your first real Super Bowl opportunity since Beast Mode,” added the podcaster.
Furthermore, if the Seahawks can make it to the Super Bowl with Darnold, their odds of winning are high. With no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow coming out of the AFC, the landscape feels as wide open as it has in years. Their defense, combined with Darnold’s experience, could help them win it all.
As a fan of the Vikings, Carter has been watching Darnold all year and recalling the QB’s strong season in Minnesota. That’s why he even suggested that Minnesota might regret letting Darnold go in favor of JJ McCarthy.
“I’d do it differently. JJ McCarthy, yeah, I know I drafted him in the first round. But sometimes in this league, there are extenuating circumstances. And that, to me, shows that the Vikings, ultimately, didn’t believe that Sam Darnold could continue to grow levels. Or, they decided that this other money we’re going to put around the rest of the team,” Carter argued.
It’s the exact blueprint that most teams try to follow to win a Super Bowl. Due to the expensive nature of QB contracts, teams often target QBs in the draft who can thrive immediately on rookie deals. This, in turn, allows money to be spent elsewhere on elite defenders, skill-position players, and linemen.
However, Seattle has shown this year that this model doesn’t always need to be followed. They signed Darnold to a 3-year, $100.5 million deal, yet still have an incredible collection of talent at other positions. Most notably, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned into a superstar this season while still making only $14 million.
In fact, the Seahawks have seemingly been doing the inverse of the new “winning model” in recent seasons. They have spent big on a QB, while hitting on rookies on defense and other positions to bolster their roster. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori is a prime example of this.
And that’s why, overall, Carter could end up being right. Darnold’s prior failures might help him in the long run, especially now that he has secured home-field advantage, a good team for support, and a first-round bye in the playoffs. At the same time, if things start to go sideways for the QB, the pressure will mount, and it will be fascinating to see how he handles it.
