‘They Called Me Crazy’: Sam Darnold Turns ‘Seeing Ghosts’ Patriots Nightmare Into Super Bowl Revenge

On Sunday night in Santa Clara, Sam Darnold finally got the Patriots game he could live with. The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., with Darnold going 19 of 38 for 202 yards and one touchdown without a turnover. The same franchise that once buried him in a four-interception, 33-0 loss now had to watch him lift the Lombardi Trophy.This was not the “seeing ghosts” kid anymore. After leading the league with 20 turnovers in the regular season, Darnold closed Seattle’s run with five touchdown passes and no giveaways over the final four games. He leaned on Kenneth Walker III’s 135 rushing yards, Jason Myers’ Super Bowl-record five made field goals and a “Dark Side” defense that never let Drake Maye breathe. The mess in front of him used to break him. This time, he let it do the work.The box score will always say the defense and Walker were the stars. That is true and also the point. As Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press detailed, Seattle’s front hit Maye six times for sacks and turned pressure into points with Uchenna Nwosu’s pick-six. Darnold’s job was simple: do not give any of it back.He did not. He protected a 9-0 halftime lead, took the short stuff, then finally stretched it with a 16-yard touchdown to tight end AJ Barner to make it 19-0. When New England threatened a comeback, Julian Love’s interception and Myers’ fifth field goal slammed the window shut.Darnold’s reaction said everything about how far he had come. “To do this with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said, via the AP. “So proud of our guys, our defense. I mean, I can’t say enough great things about our defense, our special teams.” Later, speaking to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, he let the emotion show. “It’s special, man, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. It really is. I’m just going to continue to lean into that and soak it all in.”The version of Darnold that finished this season did not just survive critics. He outlasted them. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to win 14 regular-season games in consecutive years with different teams after going 14-3 with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, then 14-3 with Seattle, as Henderson reported. According to ESPN Research, his 17 wins this year, including playoffs, are the most ever by a quarterback in his first season with a team.He did it while playing through a left oblique strain suffered in practice on Jan. 15. He spent weeks listed as limited, barely practiced before the NFC Championship Game and still heard people question whether he could handle a big stage. “Yeah, it wasn’t fun by any means,” Darnold said of the injury. “It was pretty banged up… But it hurt really bad. You guys can imagine, left oblique strain for a quarterback is not very fun.”Inside the building, there was never doubt. Backup Drew Lock called him “a killer” and “resilient.” Leonard Williams, who has seen Darnold’s career from USC to Seattle, went even further. “He’s had doubters his whole life. He’s had a lot of ups and downs, had a tremendous journey,” Williams said. “I think one thing about him, he’s been unwavering through it all… he’s just a tremendous leader, and he brought us to the Super Bowl and won the Super Bowl.”Darnold put the core of it on family. After the game, he said the quiet part out loud. “Some people called me crazy throughout my career for believing in myself and having so much confidence,” he said. “But it was because of my parents- because of the way that they believed in me throughout my entire career, and it allowed me to go out there and play free and have a ton of confidence.”The label used to be bust. Then it was the guy who was “seeing ghosts” against New England. Now it is Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold, and the only ghosts left are wearing Patriots colors.