Thanks in part to the performance of former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, the Seattle Seahawks cruised to an easy 27-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
With the victory, the Seahawks improved their record to 13-3 this season and head into Week 18 with a chance to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
While Darnold isn't the first quarterback to lead an NFL team to back-to-back 13-win seasons, he is the first signal-caller in league history to lead two separate teams to back-to-back 13-win campaigns.
The veteran quarterback, of course, was part of the 2024 Vikings squad that won 14 games last season, and now, he's a member of a Seattle team that will finish the 2025 campaign with at least 13 wins.
Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold continues to make Minnesota Vikings fans have second thoughts
Heading into Week 18, Darnold has completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,850 yards, 25 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 99.2 rating.
His numbers certainly aren't as impressive as they were through his first 16 games with Minnesota last season (68.1 completion percentage, 4,153 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 106.4 passer rating), but he's still getting the job done and making big plays this year when Seattle has needed him the most.
Next weekend, he will attempt to lead the Seahawks to something that he couldn't do with the Vikings last season, and clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs. This time, Darnold and Seattle will head out on the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers.
The former Minnesota quarterback and the Seahawks will be attempting to get revenge against a 49ers team that handed them a 17-13 loss all the way back in Week 1. Both Seattle and San Francisco have experienced a bunch of changes since that first matchup, and that will likely play a big part in the result of next weekend's grudge match.
Will Darnold do what he couldn't last season and help his team clinch the NFC's top seed in the playoffs, or will the Seahawks be handed a brutal reminder about why the Vikings were okay with moving on from the quarterback in the first place?