NFL analyst finally admits Seahawks' Sam Darnold is 'no fluke'

On a day when the offense ran for only 60 yards and converted just 1 of 12 third downs, Sam Darnold passed the Seattle Seahawks to a big road win in Jacksonville.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks to pass against the Jaguars. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week by week - through highlights and hiccups - Sam Darnold is starting to make believers out of even his most skeptical doubters.

Other than his two late-game mistakes that cost the Seattle Seahawks dearly in losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Darnold has play almost perfect football through six weeks. His leadership was on display against last weekend in Florida when the Seahawks got a tough road victory against a 4-1 team.

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Darnold threw for 295 yards with two touchdowns. And, this time, an ill-advised throw in the fourth quarter fell harmlessly to the ground. No interceptions. No fumbles. Only one sack. A 20-12 win that led to a 4-2 record.

"Seattle is for real in the NFC West," Bleacher Report writes this week. "After losing a heartbreaker in last week's shootout with the Buccaneers, it would have been somewhat understandable if the Seahawks had experienced a letdown in Week 6—the team had to travel thousands of miles to face a red-hot Jags team that just stunned the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, the Seahawks played a relatively mistake-free game and gutted out a win."

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Blossoming receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was obviously the player of the game, but B/R gave Darnold his props also. Teams rarely win on the road in the NFL when only converting 1 of 12 third downs and rushing for just 60 yards, but that's where the quarterback comes into play.

"Carry the load Darnold did—295 passing yards, two scores and a passer rating over 120 for the third time in four game," says B/R. "Apparently, Darnold's career resurgence in Minnesota last year was no fluke."

Seahawks' QB Sam Darnold gets hit by the Jaguars in Week 6. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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