Darnold has been dealing with an oblique injury over the past couple of weeks, but now appears to be in good shape.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was a big watch prior to the divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Having dealt with an oblique injury, many doubted whether Darnold would play, and if he did, how effective he could be.
Sam didn't throw the entire week before the divisional round, but when push came to shove against the 49ers, in a 41-6 win, Darnold went 12-of-17 for 174 yards and a touchdown.
With Kenneth Walker and the special teams unit doing most of the damage, Darnold didn't have to do too much, which was an ideal situation.
But now, as Seattle gears up for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, how does Sam look?
"He looks like Sam, he looks healthy to me," offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said.
So that should ease the collective nerves of Seahawks fans.
In fact, the Friday injury report clears both Darold and offensive lineman Charles Cross.
Meanwhile, the 14-3 Seahawks officially placed Zach Charbonnet (ACL tear) and Bryce Cabeldue (knee) on IR to activate running back George Holani after a hamstring issue and tight end Elijah Arroyo from a knee problem.
And again, at QB?
In their biggest game in recent memory, Darnold is as healthy as he's going to get.
But there is something to be said for a player who fights through an injury and performs at a high level. Granted, at this stage of the season, even before the playoffs start, most players are dealing with something.
But maybe everybody didn't know that Sam had this level of toughness in his kit bag.
And for Kubiak, it reveals how much of a pro Darnold really is.
"It just reveals, his grit and his toughness, that's nothing that we haven't already known," he added. "He's a real leader to be able to fight through that pain and go play a good football game.
"He's going to keep fighting through it just like a lot of his teammates, just like both rosters. That's part of the league. However many games that we're into it right now, nobody is fresh. No player, no coach, and Sam's no different."
So it is clear that Darnold won't be overly impacted by his oblique injury, and he'll be full-go for Sunday as the Seahawks look to make the Super Bowl at their rivals' expense.
It won't be easy, with Darnold having trouble against L.A.'s defense this season, throwing six interceptions in two games.
All eyes will be on Darnold to see if he can come up big when the lights are at their brightest. He's shown toughness to fight through injury.
Now comes the time to do it again, with a Super Bowl on the line at Lumen Field.