Darnold has been playing through an oblique injury, but based on his performances, you wouldn't know it.
Entering his second straight postseason, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had a lot of questions to answer.
One would be whether he would be able to keep his form line trending upward in the biggest moments after wilting before?
And the other was how healthy he was.
Dealing with an oblique issue that didn't allow him to throw a single pass in practice for the entire week before the divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers, many were worried.
But Darnold coped well enough, going 12-of-17 for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 41-6 win.
Then came the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. Once again, many were questioning Darnold's health.
Well, he would lead the Seahawks to a 31-27 win, while going 25-of-36 for 346 yards and 3 TDs at Lumen Field. Yeah, he was fine.
And for general manager John Schneider, he marvels at how Sam has handled himself these past two weeks.
"I think we were all more panicked in what was going on than he was," Schneider said. "He was kind of looking at us like we had three heads, like, 'What's everybody so worried about?' He's like, 'I'll be good.'
"I haven't seen a lot of quarterbacks like not throw a ball and then go out and play like that. And we've been blessed to be around some pretty damn good ones in here.”
That's a big endorsement from Schneider, and it shows how Sam is viewed inside the building.
Everyone knows his backstory and how tough he had it early in his career, but he toiled away until he found his next chance.
In 2024, it was with the Minnesota Vikings. That didn't end the way he wanted.
Now in Seattle, he is one game away from doing something not even Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow have ever done, and that's win a Super Bowl.
You could argue Darnold had the most pressure on his shoulders entering the postseason (maybe only Josh Allen had more), and through two games, Sam has been exactly as Seattle fans had hoped.
He's fought through all the adversity, the skeptics, and injuries, to be at the point where he's now on the doorstep of becoming a Super Bowl champion.
The redemption story is nearly complete.