Sam Darnold 'Led Us Today' As Seahawks Beat 49ers To Clinch No. 1 Seed

While his stats weren’t spectacular, quarterback Sam Darnold had a big hand in the Seahawks’ 13-3 win over the 49ers that clinched an NFC West title.

Jan 04, 2026 at 12:56 AM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

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SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Sam Darnold, of course, had been in this situation before.

It has been well-documented at this point—perhaps to beating-a-dead-horse levels—that before he was the quarterback of the Seahawks, playing in a Week 18 game to determine the NFC's top seed and a division title, Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings faced that same scenario in the final game of the 2024 season. Things didn't go too well for Darnold and the Vikings in that loss to the Lions, making that an inevitable talking point when he and the Seahawks ended up in the same situation one year later.

And in Saturday's 13-3 win over the 49ers that gave the Seahawks the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed, Darnold was exactly what Seattle needed to secure that victory.

No, it wasn't a specular performance, and Darnold had plenty of those this season on his way to a second straight Pro Bowl selection, but with Seattle's running game functioning so well, and with the defense dominating so thoroughly, the Seahawks didn't need spectacular. They needed what Darnold gave them on Saturday night, an efficient, turnover-free performance that included several big-time throws that helped the Seahawks go 6 for 13 on third down.

"Sam did a great job extending plays today, and that really helped us win the game," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said.

Darnold downplayed any connection between last year's Week 18 game and this one, electing to instead focus on what's still to come for the Seahawks, and that makes since seeing as that same approach is what has helped Darnold thrive this season.

"I'm taking it one day at a time," he said. "It's been a whirlwind, just the NFL season, just preparing one week at a time. That's the best part about it. You celebrate a win like this and then tomorrow you might celebrate a little bit too because you have a bye. But then we're right back to seeing what we can do better and how we can get better for the next game. That's the beautiful thing about the NFL and what we do."

What Darnold can take a moment to appreciate, however, is the reward for earning the No. 1 seed, which is homefield advantage through the playoffs.

"It's huge to be able to play in front of the 12s," he said. It's unlike any other stadium that I've ever played in in terms of how loud it can be and how tough it could be for another offense to operate. So we're really looking forward to playing at home for the playoffs."

Darnold completed 20 of 26 for 198 yards, and while he lamented a few throws he didn't make, what really stood out was that he never really put the ball in peril. The only time the Seahawks came close to a turnover was a fluky play on which Darnold was tripped by the foot of center Jalen Sundell, leading to a fumbled handoff exchange, but Zach Charbonnet was able to recover.

"Our guys did a great job," Macdonald said of cleaning up turnovers this week. "It goes back to, like, 'Hey, what do you say about the takeaways?' Nail the process. We talked about it. Let's just be us when it comes to finishing plays. Anybody that had the ball, I thought did a great job."

But perhaps more than any one play Darnold made Saturday, what made the biggest difference was his leadership and steady demeanor that was so crucial in a game of this magnitude.

"Sam led us today," said receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. "Sam was an absolute dog today. His demeanor, his approach. Everything about what he did today was great. Of course we want to fix some things, of course there's always going to be things to fix, but just from the time we go there yesterday, really the way we prepared, the way he prepared all week to make sure his guys were ready, it's one of one stuff. I'm super happy for him.

"That's our leader. We're going to follow our leader, we're going to follow his approach and his mindset, and he has the right mindset to do great things for us."