The turnover ghosts are still there for Sam Darnold, and it’s up to Patriots to get him there

SAN FRANCISCO — Listening to the Seahawks during Super Bowl Media Night, you’d swear quarterback Sam Darnold was a brand new guy from his Jets days, when he was seeing ghosts against the Patriots.

“He’s still the same talented guy, but what’s different about him is that he has so much more confidence,” said offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was with the 49ers when Darnold backed up Brock Purdy. “He knows his strengths. He plays to his strengths. He knows how to challenge his coaches, because he won’t let us put them in a bad play. He’s asking a lot of great questions throughout the week. … We have so much confidence in him.”

And, look, there are two years’ worth of evidence that Darnold may be a changed quarterback. He went 14-3 with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 and 14-3 with the Seahawks, joining Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in history to win at least 14 games in consecutive seasons. Not bad company. Darnold has nine game-winning drives in the fourth quarter/overtime since 2024, the most in the NFL. Since 2024, he has 21 games with a 100-plus rating and 18 games with two-plus touchdowns — all second-most in the NFL.

And now he’s led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, thanks to an outstanding performance in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams.

“I take every experience as its own, no matter what happens,” he said. “I was really blessed to get drafted to the Jets and obviously things didn’t work out the way I wanted to there and then went to the Carolina Panthers, where I made a lot of really great friends and learned some great football as well. Just part of my journey.

“Then went to San Francisco and was able to be a backup there for a great player in Brock Purdy, learned under a great coach in Kyle Shanahan, Brian Griese, the Kubiaks obviously, then went to Minnesota and was with some really great coaches and really great players as well. Everything I do, I just take one day at a time and I think that’s the mantra for myself and what I’ve been able to do over the past couple of years.”

Yes, Darnold is a long way from New York, where his QBR of 40.3 over three years was third-worst in the NFL, and the Jets were 13-35.

But is Darnold really past all that, especially considering he’ll be taking on a Patriots team, albeit under very different management, that he was 0-4 against with one touchdown and nine interceptions?

Darnold’s 14 interceptions were the third-most in the league, and he was tied for the most fumbles (11) among quarterbacks.

“I can always be better taking care of the football,” Darnold said. “You know, I can always be better. And, you know, if a team beats us in a protection, trying to pick it up, or maybe even throwing hot. So there’s a lot of things I can always get better at.”

How were Darnold and the Seahawks able to be so successful despite putting the ball in harm’s way so often? The QB knows.

“I think having a really good defense helps a lot,” he said. “It makes those decisions, you know, on tough downs when you’re third and longer, or third and medium, and you’re kind of in the red zone, maybe on the fringe, and you got a big third down, and I might scramble out. It makes making those decisions a lot easier. Like, I never feel like I have to force the football ever. And I feel like that’s such a great feeling as a quarterback. There’s a lot of security there as a quarterback, to be able to play with a great defense and great special teams the way that we have all year.”

I’ve watched all of Darnold’s interceptions from this season — the video (without audio) is down below, so you can feel a lot better about Sunday, like the Texans’ big plays — and I’m not buying it. Turnover Sam is still in there, and the Patriots have the tools to bring it back to the surface on Sunday. A breakdown:

Darnold forces a ball to Cooper Kupp in tight man coverage. This is something Marcus Jones or Craig Woodson have shown the ability to do repeatedly.

Outside zone boot where Cam Heyward deflects the pass. This is almost the same play Milton Williams made on the failed fourth down stop against the Broncos.

Just an awful panic throw as Darnold’s hit on a slot