Charles Barkley Goes to Town on Sam Darnold Critics Going into Super Bowl

Chuck takes a break from NBA analysis to demolish the persistent critics of Darnold.

Nov 21, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns former player Charles Barkley in attendance against the Minnesota Timberwolves during an NBA Cup game at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The most persistent media narrative this season about the Seattle Seahawks hasn't been about their incredible, elite defense. It hasn't been about the radical transformation of their special teams unit, their amazing coaching staff or the remarkable talents they have on both sides of the ball.

Instead, casual fans have been subjected to a relentless diet of the same diatribe over and over: that starting quarterback Sam Darnold can't win the big game.

Darnold proved that theory wrong when he beat a tough playoff Jacksonville team on the road in Week 7, followed by an even more impressive victory on Monday Night Football the following week against a Houston team that finished with the best scoring defense in the AFC.

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Darnold proved it wrong again when the Seahawks stormed back to beat the LA Rams in Week 16, and again when they beat the 49ers twice in a row, followed by another massive victory over the Rams in the NFC Championship when the Seahawks had to rely on Darnold instead of their defense.

Nevertheless, over the next 30 hours or so you're going to hear that same line about Darnold a hundred times if you're subjecting yourself to Super Bowl pre-game shows.

NBA legend Charles Barkley is tired of hearing it, for one. Here's what Chuck had to say about this idea going into the Super Bowl.

Charles Barkley blasts Sam Darnold critics

Chuck has a PSA for the Sam Darnold doubters ahead of #SuperBowlLX 👀🗣️ pic.twitter.com/9agnTrEJGn

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) February 6, 2026

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Barkley may make his living talking about another sport, but that doesn't mean he's wrong. He can probably relate a little bit to Darnold's situation, being arguably the greatest basketball player of all time to never win an NBA title - and the only thing that stopped him there was Michael Jordan's Bulls.

In any case, no matter what happens on Sunday with the Seahawks Darnold has already definitively proved multiple times that not only can he win the big game - he can carry his team doing it.

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