Sam Darnold continues to stay cool, calm and collected for Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is proving the haters wrong after beating the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round by a score of 41-6 to reach the NFC Championship.

The victory proves that Darnold is ready for the moment and he is capable of being the leader for a winner in the playoffs. Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp spoke about Darnold's ability to thrive under pressure.

"I don't think he cares about any of that. He's there for the guys, he's there to play football, play the game that he loves and lead us. I think he takes that approach, you can see how he goes about his business, when he's in the film room, when he's going about his preparation with the coaches, the questions he's asking, the things that he's pushing," Kupp said of Darnold.

"It's not just this is what they said to do, I'm going to do it, it's how can we make this better. The things in this conversation, it's easy to communicate from coaches to players, but when players are communicating with coaches, you can take things to the next level. He's done a great job of that, and will continue to do that."

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Darnold proving to be right leader for Seahawks

When Darnold signed his 3-year, $100 million contract in the offseason, there was a lot of skepticism about whether or not he could be a winning quarterback for a contender. Last season, he went 14-3 in the regular season with the Minnesota Vikings, but that included a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions that cost them the division title and a subsequent loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round.

Ironically enough, Darnold will get a chance to play against the Rams again for a chance to eliminate them from the post-season and reach the Super Bowl. The win would give the Seahawks their first championship in 12 years when Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom secured victory at the Super Bowl in MetLife Stadium.

It won't be an easy road for the Seahawks, but they have a chance to make history if Darnold can continue to stay calm under pressure and execute the game plan built by head coach Mike Macdonald, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and the rest of the coaching staff.

Kickoff between the Rams and Seahawks is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. PT inside Lumen Field. Fans can watch the game on Fox or stream it on the Fox One app.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold reacts after the game at Levi's Stadium. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Darnold proving to be right leader for Seahawks

More Seahawks On SI stories