Seahawks' QB Sam Darnold earns national praise for rare 'clutch moments'

With three consecutive wins, the Seattle Seahawks are beginning to turn heads and gain attention. In fact, one national media outlet is now a firm believer in quarterback Sam Darnold, if not yet in head coach Mike Macdonald.

In the wake of last Thursday's pulsating 23-20 win over the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals, Sports Illustrated writes in a new story that Macdonald needs to trust a quarterback who has earned it after a rocky career.

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"Darnold and this Seattle offense weren’t built to play in tight games," writes Gilberto Manzano. "That’s what I thought until I witnessed Darnold overcome some horrific decisions from his coaches Thursday night to win 23–20 and avoid an epic collapse in Arizona."

As he's done this season - except, of course, for the crucial fumble against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 - Darnold made clutch plays when his team needed them most. His 36-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba put the Seahawks in position to take a 10-point lead and put the game away late in the fourth quarter, but Macdonald then got conservative with three running plays before kicker Jason Myers' 53-yard miss left the door ajar.

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Undaunted - and now trailing - Darnold came right back with 22-yard completion to Smith-Njigba that set up Myers' redemption via 52-yard game-winner.

Writes SI of the game-ending sequence, "Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak just couldn’t help themselves by calling another running play and leaving their kicker with a lengthy field goal when their red-hot quarterback could have easily gotten another 10-plus yards."

Still just 28, Darnold's five-team, eight-year journey is well-documented. SI points out that he's now proving he can thrive without star receiver Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, and that he's now a trusted veteran more than the No. 3 overall draft bust.

"We’re well past the ugly days with the Jets," SI writes. "It’s now about expecting more frequent clutch moments from Darnold, especially against legitimate contenders."

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs against the Cardinals in Week 4. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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