Sam Darnold was a game manager Sunday evening and is fine with it. A system quarterback who reached the pinnacle of his profession at Levi’s Stadium.
He probably feels a lot like Peyton Manning did 10 years ago when his arm was hanging by a thread and the Denver Broncos beat Carolina 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s. Or Tom Brady in Super Bowl 53 when the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. How about Terry Bradshaw (9 of 14, 86 yards) for Pittsburgh in a 16-6 win over Minnesota in Super Bowl 9?
When the Miami Dolphins won Super Bowls 7 and 8 over Washington and Minnesota, Bob Griese threw 18 passes in two games.
John Elway’s first championship in Super Bowl 32 (31-24 over Green Bay) came with 123 yards passing and one memorable whirly-bird rushing first down in San Diego that helped cement his legacy.
Heck, take it all the way back to the most impactful championship game of all time when Joe Namath (17 of 28, 206 yards, no TDs, no interceptions) played a cool and efficient game that belied his showtime throw-it-deep persona in a 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl 3 in Miami.
Not every winning quarterback dominates the biggest event statistically like Joe Montana. Montana, by the way, was 14 of 22 for 157 yards, one touchdown and one rushing touchdown in a 26-21 win over Cincinnati in Super Bowl 16, a managed game in a Bill Walsh system.
Montana, Manning, Brady, Bradshaw, Griese, Elway and Namath are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But when former Jets coach Herm Edwards went on his famous 2002 rant (“You play to win the game”), he could have been talking about all of them in the games referenced earlier. And it was Darnold to a tee against New England.
Darnold didn’t shatter the modern-day myth of the game manager or system quarterback. It will continue to follow the 49ers’ Brock Purdy around, probably for his entire career. It’s nonsense that has picked up momentum over the years, probably because of stats-driven fantasy football.
The truth is, managing a game and operating within a system of offense are two of the most important things about excelling at the most demanding position in professional sports.
It’s something Purdy mastered early on, with Darnold watching as his backup in 2023 and carrying on to Minnesota and then back to Levi’s in a 29-13 Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots.
You want to see Purdy win the 49ers’ first title since the 1994 season? Give him a better team, because he is every bit as capable as Darnold. Better, even.
Darnold was 19 of 38 for 202 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked just once despite a strong New England rush and had a pedestrian passer rating of 74.7. When the NFC Championship Game against the Rams called for quarterback heroics, Darnold was 25 of 36 for 346 yards and three touchdowns.
“All he has done since he’s walked in the door has just been a tremendous player on our football team and a tremendous leader who is the same guy every day,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “And that’s who he is. And that’s how we need to talk about him moving forward.”
And when quarterback heroics weren’t required and Seattle’s defense was clearly having its way, Darnold stepped out of the way and avoided mistakes.
“On offense, I feel like we didn’t play as good as we could’ve,” Darnold said. “I certainly didn’t play as good as I could’ve. But our defense had our back, special teams had our back, and we got the win.”
When the Seahawks were backed up against their own goal line, Darnold took care of the ball and realized a punt was not a bad outcome. He was content to have place kicker Jason Myers attempt and make five field goals.
Steve Young, the 49ers’ Hall of Fame quarterback, is fond of saying a field goal is just three points closer to losing. It’s an aggressive mentality that serves its purpose but isn’t always necessary.
“Obviously, we would like to get in the end zone more,” Darnold said. “I think with our defense, the way they’ve been playing, my job was to take care of the football. I knew that coming into the game, and I did that. I took the open guy when they were there, and if I had to take sacks, if I had to throw the ball away, I was able to do it. But I just played that kind of game and I feel like we ended up being on top because of it.”
Games take different forms, and in a game like Super Bowl 60, it was all about minimizing mistakes. The opponent wasn’t just the Patriots, it was the clock, and Darnold managed it expertly. He moved within the pocket and threw away passes to avoid sacks. He did things that are frowned upon in fantasy football but can win games at the highest level.
After leading the NFL this season with 20 turnovers including lost fumbles, Darnold threw five touchdown passes in the playoffs and never turned it over, going back to the regular-season finale at Levi’s against the 49ers.
Maybe Darnold will reach the Super Bowl again someday and he’ll light up the night sky with precision strikes line Montana, Young, Brady and Bradshaw did. He’s got the talent and the arm.
It wasn’t necessary against New England, which means Darnold can accept his Super Bowl 60 ring and go home a deserving champion, having struck a blow for the unfairly maligned system quarterbacks and game managers of the NFL world.
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