Is Sam Darnold the new Joe Flacco?

The Den
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Is Sam Darnold an “elite” quarterback?

(Remember all of the debate over whether Flacco was “elite”?)

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That was the worst passing Super Bowl I’ve ever seen.

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Darnold is the QB on a team with a Elite Defense. He’s not an Elite QB

I mean…5 FGs and a defensive score and the main element of their offense that got them into FG range was Walker running the ball

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I don’t know if he’s the new Flacco, but I do know that he’s the oldest he’s ever been.

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Is Darnold The new Trent Dilfer?

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That’s the only answer right there.

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Flacco is a good comp for Darnold. Good, but not great. He let his defense largely control the game. I won’t try to downplay how good Darnold was in the NFC championship though. He made one big throw after another to keep ahead of the Rams. Tonight he took care of the ball and didn’t leave points on the table. That’s all Seattle needed him to do.

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Darnold is much better than Dilfer.

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I mean, he DID leave points on the table. It was just that his defense came to his rescue and Drake couldn’t throw across a street, so field goals were enough. If the Seahawks were even moderately challenged, Darnold is a choke artist. NFL is a crazy league.

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Nah, more ginger-y, like Trent Dilfer

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Have we seen Darnold and Andy Dalton in the same room?

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Darnold played well, he navigated pressure much better than he has in the past… He didn’t turn the ball over through all 3 playoff games, that’s huge. He made some plays, way more than the MVP runner up did

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Orrrr…is Dilfer the old Sam darnold?

I know, Darnold is darn old.

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Sam Darnold deserves the Super Bowl he got. He also will never be mistaken for a great quarterback. He would probably crack the list of the top 50 Super Bowl Winning qb’s of all time, just because Brady and Bradshaw shave off 9 positions between the 2 of them.

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And settling for 5 FGs means you left A LOT of points on the table….A LOT

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It’s so hard to compare QBs across different eras

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For the last four years… Sam has a winning record when he starts

Only 10 losses in four years…

28-6 on two different teams and a SB ring

Regardless - the dude is now a winner overall

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So if you can win a SB with Darnold we should absolutely be okay with Jared.

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I think Darnold - Like Goff is a lot better than fans give him credit for. He doesn’t get that credit because he’s a pocket QB (like Goff)

Sea’s game plan was clearly to keep it safe. Darnold extended drives early to get them into FG range. Although he did force a few he shouldn’t have.

Everyone wants to point towards Sea’s running game and defense as to why they are SB champs but Darnold was a huge part of that win and in getting them there.

Elite QB - No
Solid QB - Yes

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So basically, Darnold played winning football. NE’s defense is no joke. Christian Gonzalez is an absolute stud, and Darnold lost the best WR this season for about half the game which allowed Gonzalez to then lock down Shaheed. Darnold still managed to get some passes going to Cupp and then got the critical TD to Barner. That TD is what broke the game open and forced NE to have to start flinging it. That was the end for NE. That OL is poor, and once NE had to play real teams in the playoffs, it was exposed as a critical weakness.

You said if the Seahawks were moderately challenged, Darnold is a choke artist? I’d say the Rams more than moderately challenged the Seahawks in the NFCCG. The Rams whole defensive game plan was to shut down the run game and force Darnold to win the game for them. It was the right plan, and guess what? All Darnold did was go out duel the now NFL MVP. Rams scored 27 points on a top notch defense which is all you can ask for, but Darnold got them 31 points and the SB trip.

Darnold is no longer a choke artist. You can now refer to him by his newly earned title, Super Bowl Champion.

And for the Lions side, Goff is better than Darnold. The Lions offense is better than Seattle’s, especially once they get the OL shored back up. THIS is why every fan is screaming for the Lions to FIX THE DAMN DEFENSE! Seattle showed loud and clear, a solid team with a good game manager at QB and top tier defense can win a SB. Fix the defense, and the Lions are winning next year’s SB.

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