SEATTLE – Can Sam Darold play hurt? Can Sam Darnold lead the Seahawks to a win in a playoff game?
And, in general, Sam Darnold, really?
Turns out, those were obtuse questions about a quarterback playing with an oblique injury that may have caused acute pain.
Darnold didn’t have to be a hero in the Seahawks’ 41-6 domination of San Francisco in the NFC division-round playoff game at Lumen Field.
The margin of victory matched the Seahawks’ largest in the playoffs (35 points) – matching the historic 43-8 pummeling of Denver in the 2014 Super Bowl .
Fans will choose to see that as prophetic for this team. And that’s not at all unreasonable.
Especially with the rock-solid performance of Darnold.
Having suffered an injury to his left oblique muscle during the week, Darnold was considered “questionable” for the game.
What’s new? Darnold was considered questionable since the Vikings let him leave for Seattle after last season.
Saturday’s 12-for-17 for 124 yards passing performance by Darnold was more than they could have hoped for. That’s a 110.9 passer rating compared to the 54.6 effort by Niner quarterback Brock Purdy.
Darnold had more turnovers than any player in the NFL (20) this season, but Saturday, he was flawless. And if his oblique was acting up, he never let it slow him down.
How quickly was this one over? Former receiver Doug Baldwin had hardly finishing raising the 12th Man flag by the time Rashid Shaheed busted a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Thirteen seconds into the game, the Seahawks led 7-0.
The Niners’ first offensive play, Hawk edge DeMarcus Lawrence nearly took off Purdy’s head.
Consider that an effective tone-setter.
When the Niners went for it on fourth-and-1 that possession, they called an option play to Christian McCaffrey, which was an admission they didn’t feel they could gain a yard rushing against them.
It didn’t work, and within the first five minutes, the Hawks showed the Niners that they had no chance in this game.
Late in first period, the first doubts about Darnold arose. Sacked for minus-10 by Malik Mustapha on the first play after Julian Love recovered a Niner fumble, Darnold rose slowly, limping back to the huddle.
How much must that have hurt the oblique? Add a likely leg contusion to the aching side, and maybe this was the hit that would derail Darnold.
But on the next play, Darnold stood in the pocket and absolutely gunned fast ball to the far sideline to Cooper Kupp for a 21-yard completion.
Tough dude. Leader. No questions about it.
Considering the Niners scored only three points the whole game when these two met two weeks ago, the Hawks had an almost insurmountable lead 13 seconds into the game.
Shaheed, who also had a 30-yard gain on a second quarter end-around (behind a blue wave of blockers), has been such a critical midseason addition to the Seahawks.
Picked up for a fourth- and fifth-round draft pick from New Orleans, Shaheed now has had two kickoff-return touchdowns to go with a punt-return touchdown.
Again, though, this was a showcase for the Seattle defense, which proved its steely nature by holding the Niners to 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts.
This was supposed to be a strategic chess match between a pair of genius head coaches – Seattle’s defensive whiz Mike Macdonald and San Francisco’s brilliant offensive coach Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan’s Niners have battled an unreasonable amount of injuries this season, and just didn’t have the firepower to turn this into one of those great Hawk/Niners showdowns.
In the last month of the season, the Hawks’ rushing attack has become one of the steadiest in the league. Saturday, Kenneth Walker III picked up 116 yards in 19 rushes, gaining 6.1 per carry with three touchdowns.
While the final score brought to mind the team that won the franchise’s only Super Bowl, the nature of the team is even more reminiscent of that Legion of Boom title team.
Their absolute dominance was never in doubt Saturday.
They will next play the winner of the other NFC Divisional game, Rams at Chicago Bears, Sunday.
Either could make an interesting match, but it will be at Lumen Field again, and the Seahawks, after the abrupt dismissal of San Francisco, surely will be heavily favored.
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who had an interception and forced fumble, said the Hawks will be prepared for the next game, regardless who is the opponent.
“I always say, you can’t win the Super Bowl unless you’re in it,” Jones said, making the obvious sound insightful, given the relevance of the Conference title game.
They have reason for confidence.
The Niners, one of the better offenses in the NFL, hadn’t scored a touchdown in eight quarters against the Seahawks in their last two games.
The defense is peaking, the rushing attack has become one of the most efficient, and the quarterback has answered every question that’s been asked of him.