Sam Darnold is one win away from a Super Bowl victory that's eluded fellow QBs in the 2018 draft

Sam Darnold will be starting in the Super Bowl before Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and the rest of the NFL’s Class of 2018 quarterbacks.

It took Darnold five teams and eight seasons to get here.

Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a 14-3 record, a division title, the No. 1 seed and was at his best in the NFC championship game.

Despite an oblique injury, Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in Seattle’s 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. He completed 25 of 36 passes and had no turnovers.

“He just shut a lot of people up,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “Really happy for him.”

Labeled a bust early in his career, Darnold was still doubted by critics following his impressive turnaround.

Now, he’s one win away from hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Seahawks are 4 1/2-point favorites over the New England Patriots on BetMGM Sportsbook.

Darnold was picked No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in 2018. Baker Mayfield went first to the Cleveland Browns. Allen went to the Buffalo Bills at No. 7. Josh Rosen was chosen 10th by the Arizona Cardinals. The Baltimore Ravens selected Jackson with the final pick of the first round at No. 32.

Jackson has won two AP NFL MVP awards and is 0-1 in the AFC championship game. Allen is the reigning NFL MVP and twice lost to the Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Mayfield led the Browns to their only playoff victory this century and has won two division titles and one playoff game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his fourth team.

Rosen was traded by Arizona after going 3-10 as a rookie and is out of the NFL after starting just three more games.

Darnold’s success doesn’t make others failures. Football is a team sport and there are several reasons why Allen, Jackson and Mayfield have come up short. Both Allen and Jackson saw their coaches fired this month because their teams didn’t live up to expectations.

Darnold’s story is about perseverance and redemption. It’s another clear example why coaching matters.

Darnold struggled mightily during three seasons with the Jets playing for coaches Todd Bowles and Adam Gase, and offensive coordinators Jeremy Bates and Dowell Loggains. His 78.2 passer rating during that time ranked third worst among 53 QBs with at least 500 attempts.

Darnold went to Carolina and played two seasons for coaches Matt Rhule and Steve Wilks, and coordinators Jeff Nixon, Joe Brady and Ben McAdoo.

None of them could unlock his potential. He didn’t have the right coaching or supporting cast, and his teams lacked stability.

Then he spent a season with Kyle Shanahan and assistants Klint and Klay Kubiak in San Francisco in 2023. Darnold backed up Brock Purdy on a 49ers team that reached the Super Bowl. He got a chance to watch, learn and study in an environment that fostered growth.

Shanahan praised Darnold’s arm talent, his ability to read defenses and run the offensive scheme.

Darnold went to Minnesota and thrived under coach Kevin O’Connell. He had a breakthrough season in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 TDs while having a 102.5 passer rating and leading the Vikings to 14 wins.

But Minnesota chose to stick with J.J. McCarthy, whose injury opened the door for Darnold to play and flourish.

Based off his success with the Vikings, the Seahawks gave Darnold a three-year, $100.5 million contract to replace Geno Smith. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to lead two different teams to 14 wins in consecutive seasons. Tom Brady did it with the Patriots.

“We believe in him. The building believes in him. The city believes in him. It’s awesome to run out onto the field with him,” All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said.

Darnold has come a long way since telling coaches he was “seeing ghosts” during a lopsided loss to the Patriots in his second season.

“There was a lot that I didn’t know back then, so I’m just going to continue to learn and grow in this great game,” Darnold said. “There is a lot of stuff that I can get better from today even. I feel like I missed some throws out there that I shouldn’t miss. There were some things offensively that I feel like we can do better. So, we’re always looking to get better. I’m always looking to get better. That’s the great part about this game is you win an NFC championship and you win games throughout the season, but there is always ways that you can look to get better.”

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold speaks during a news conference after the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold warms up before the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, celebrates next to Michael Strahan, left, after a win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)