Defense won Super Bowl LX for the Seattle Seahawks, but a key member of the unit wasn’t going to stay silent when a rival tried to trash quarterback Sam Darnold’s performance during the 29-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, February 8. Especially when that rival is a familiar foe, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.
The latter appeared to take a shot at Darnold with a laughing emoji posted late in the game at Levi’s Stadium. Nacua soon got an answer from somebody he knows well, Seahawks middle linebacker and defensive signal-caller Ernest Jones IV.
Former Rams ‘back Jones simply asked, “Ain’t you at home. Goofy ass.”
This was an emphatic response to apparent bait from Seattle’s toughest NFC West opponent. An opponent the Seahawks overcame twice to seal homefield advantage for the playoffs, then claim the NFC title and a spot in the Super Bowl.
It shouldn’t have escaped Nacua’s notice that Darnold was the difference in both of those games. He didn’t need to be as decisive when Jones and Co. were swarming all over the Patriots, but Darnold still made some key contributions, including one that proved less is more.
Seahawks Can Ignore Puka Nacua Noise
Nacua had his chances, three of them to be exact, to make sure Darnold didn’t get to play in this Super Bowl. To his credit, Nacua did what he could by grabbing 12 catches for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Week 16, but the Seahawks still won an overtime classic 38-37 when Darnold connected with backup tight end Eric Saubert for the decisive two-point conversion.
Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns when the conference title was at stake and Nacua continued to torment the Seahawks. The wideout snagged nine receptions for 165 yards, including this 34-yard touchdown.
Nacua gave the Rams all they could handle during the business end of the season, but Darnold was simply better. He saved his best football for when it mattered most.
That was underlined by “First Things First” host Nick Wright, who pointed out, “the real Super Bowl was the NFCCG. Seahawks & Rams were 2 best teams all year, and it wasn’t that close.”
Being the main reason his team won “the real Super Bowl” earned Darnold the right to lean on the Jones-led dominant defense and a prolific running game against the Patriots.
Sam Darnold Earned Game Manager Role in Super Bowl
Darnold didn’t need to do much more than complete 50 percent of his 38 pass attempts against the Patriots. Not when the Seattle defense was confusing and clobbering his opposite number Drake Maye with six sacks, a forced fumble and two interceptions, including a pick-six by Uchenna Nwosu.
Nacua should be grateful to Jones and the other members of the Seahawks D’ for what they did to Maye. The latter was the closest rival to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the NFL MVP award, but Stafford now looks like a more worthy winner after the way Maye struggled on Super Bowl Sunday.
Darnold, by contrast, didn’t need to play at an MVP level. He simply left that role to running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker’s 135 yards on the ground gave the Seahawks just enough output on offense to always stay ahead, but Darnold still helped maintain that advantage in his own way.
Specifically, Darnold didn’t turn the ball over. The player who led the NFL with 20 turnovers played clean football, regularly avoided pressure in the pocket and made some key throws, notably a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner in the fourth quarter.
Darnold did what he needed to do to help his team win. He put himself at the service of his own dominant defense and Walker’s relentless running, while also never giving the Patriots the momentum-changing takeaway they craved.
Nacua might not like it, but this was mature quarterback play on the game’s biggest stage. It allowed Darnold to finish his career redemption arc the right way.
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