RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Sam Darnold has all of one game of playoff experience, and the Seattle Seahawks would benefit if his second shot at the postseason went a little better than his first.
Darnold guided the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 season and made the Pro Bowl in 2024, just as he did with Seattle this year. But Darnold struggled mightily in the playoffs last season, taking nine sacks as the Vikings lost 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams.
His Seahawks teammates say they're not concerned with that one bad outing.
“The success speaks for itself,” right tackle Abe Lucas said. “He’s a Pro Bowl quarterback this year, and happy to see him have that success and really dial it in for everything that goes into it and the process that goes into it. So, he deserves it.”
Darnold started every game for Seattle, completing a career-high 67.7% of his passes with 25 touchdowns. However, he also led the league in turnovers with 20 — 14 interceptions and six fumbles.
And Darnold's numbers have dipped since the Los Angeles Rams intercepted him four times on Nov. 16. Darnold threw eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions over his last eight games, although the Seahawks won seven of those.
“I don’t care if he throws for negative-10 yards, we’re going to find a way to win the game,” receiver Jake Bobo said. “He’s going to make plays on a play late in the game when he needs to make a play.”
The Seahawks would love it if Darnold reverted to the form he showed during the first half of the season. But thanks to Seattle's resurgent run game and top-ranked scoring defense, Darnold may not need to put up huge numbers to lead the franchise to its fourth Super Bowl.
Seattle simply needs Darnold to play up to his level rather than seek to exceed it. Lucas said the naysayers outside the Seahawks' practice facility aren't worth worrying about.
“Sam’s the one playing,” Lucas said. “So, I would more so rock with the guy who’s actually playing versus people who don’t.”
The Seahawks have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 26 straight games, a point of pride for defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
“As much as it feels good to get a sack, that feels just as good to hear,” Williams said. “When we can play with two high (safeties) and stop the run with just four down linemen, knowing that at least two or three of us are getting double teams, that means not only are we stopping the double team, but we are beating the double teams.”
Only two teams allowed fewer rushing yards per game this season than the Seahawks, who are also tied for the seventh-most sacks with 47.
Jason Myers broke the NFL record for points by a kicker in a season with 171, surpassing David Akers ′ 166 in 2011. But Myers struggled in Seattle's season-closing win at San Francisco, going 2 for 4 while missing from 47 yards and 26 yards. Myers had converted 18 straight field-goal attempts before last Saturday’s game.
The Seahawks finalized a contract extension with Charles Cross on Tuesday, and the fourth-year left tackle is expected to return for the playoffs. He missed the final three regular-season games with a hamstring injury.
Cross returned to practice Wednesday and will use the playoff bye to work his way back into shape.
“I feel like it’ll help me a lot,” Cross said, “just being able to recover and get the reps, get more reps in and refine what I’ve been working on.”
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Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) is congratulated by head coach Mike Macdonald during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) rolls out to pass while pressured by San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Sam Okuayinonu (91) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An avalanche of garbage and debris buried or trapped workers in low-slung buildings at a landfill in the Philippines, killing one person, injuring a dozen and leaving 38 others missing, officials said Friday.
Dozens of rescuers retrieved 13 people alive overnight and were searching for the missing still trapped after the mountain of garbage, earth and debris collapsed on them Thursday afternoon in the village of Binaliw in Cebu city, officials and police said. Landfill workers were among those affected, but it's not clear if there were neighboring residents or others involved as well.
One of those rescued, a female landfill worker, died while being brought to a hospital, regional police director Brig. Gen. Roderick Maranan told The Associated Press, adding the rest survived with injuries and were hospitalized.
Jaylord Antigua, a 31-year-old office worker in the landfill, said the collapse of the mountain of garbage unfolded rapidly without warning and in good weather. The avalanche of rubbish destroyed his office, where he managed to extricate himself with bruises in his face and arms by crawling under the rubble and debris.
“I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry because I feared there will be more landslides,” Antigua told The Associated Press. “It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end so this is my second life.”
Search and rescue efforts were continuing for 38 missing, Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival and the Office of Civil Defense said Friday.
“All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons with strict adherence to safety protocols,” Archival said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“The city government assures the public and the families of those affected that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure safety, transparency, accountability and compassionate assistance as operations continue,” Archival said.
Pictures released by authorities showed rescuers with earth-moving equipment scouring a building devastated by the massive slide with its twisted tin roofs and iron beams.
Relatives waited in anguish as the search and rescue proceeded. A woman wept openly and asked the rescuers to speed up the search.
Authorities and officials at the waste management facility, which has 110 employees, were to hold an emergency meeting Friday, Archival said.
One of the buildings hit by the wall of garbage that cascaded down in the landfill was a warehouse where workers separated recyclable waste and rubbish, Maranan said, adding that it remains unclear if nearby houses were also affected.
Such landfills and open dumpsites have long been a source of safety and health concerns in many cities and towns in the Philippines, especially in areas close to poor communities, where residents scavenge for junk and leftover food in the garbage heaps.
In July 2000, a huge mound of garbage in a dumpsite in a shantytown in suburban Quezon City in metropolitan Manila collapsed after days of stormy weather and the avalanche also ignited a fire.
The disaster left more than 200 people dead and many more missing, damaged scores of shanties and prompted the enactment of a law, which required the closure of illegal dumpsites and better waste management by authorities.
Associated Press journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report from Bangkok.
Relatives and others wait for updates after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
Relatives and others wait for updates after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
Search and rescue operation continues after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
Relatives and others wait for updates after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
An aerial view after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
An aerial view after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
An aerial view after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
An aerial view of a huge mound of garbage that collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
An aerial view of a huge mound of garbage that collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Hernandez)
