Everyone was on Darnold watch at Lumen Field, and unlike his previous playoff outing, Sam was exactly what fans thought he'd be.
There will be a number of people within the Seattle Seahawks organization who will be breathing a quiet sigh of relief after the 41-6 playoff win over the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field.
Why? Well, there were big question marks hanging over Sam Darnold's ability to perform in big games.
We all remember last year with the Minnesota Vikings, as Sam wilted under the pressure in what was a woeful performance. That was after going 14-3 in the regular season, too.
Some thought lightning would strike twice.
But thankfully for Seattle fans, it didn't.
Darnold would have perhaps the easiest night of the year, going 12-of-17 for 124 yards and a touchdown as running back Kenneth Walker (116 rushing yards, 3 TDs) stole the show.
Sam had to drive the Ferrari and do his best not to put it into a ditch.
Was Darnold's playoff reputation restored? You could say that.
And for NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha, it was a huge mental hurdle Sam overcame against San Francisco.
"There was only one demon left for Darnold to conquer this year and that involved his playoff reputation," Chadiha wrote. "Everybody who watched him in last year's Wild Card Round saw a jittery quarterback who melted down in a blowout loss to the Rams.
"One thing that should also be obvious is that Darnold learned some valuable lessons from last year's late-season struggles."
After a horror playoff performance at home last season, after a 14-3 record, Darnold faced that exact situation again.
And he passed with flying colors.
Yes, I can hear those making the case that the beat-up 49ers were an easy kill due to their injuries, but Darnold still had to steer the ship and keep things calm.
He did that.
Darnold will get a better test of his playoff mentality in the NFC Championship game next week, but he will be in the cozy confines of Lumen Field.
Yes, it was one game, but it was pivotal for Sam. Not only to prove to himself that last season's playoff outing was an aberration, but also to the franchise and fans who might have been thinking history was about to repeat itself.
But it didn't, and the Seahawks marched closer to a Super Bowl appearance, thanks, in part, to Sam's ability to not mentally disintegrate as he did last year when the season was on the line.