Seattle coach Macdonald says Darnold delivered “one of the best performances in playoff history” to see off Los Angeles Rams

Seattle QB Darnold was amazing – McDonald

He finished 25 of 36 for 346 yards after regularly connecting with favorite target, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“You can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback,” McDonald said. “He shut up a lot of people tonight, so I’m really happy for him.

“To get out [and play] The way he played, barely practicing, barely throwing the ball, was really unbelievable.

“I think it has to be one of the best performances in the history of the playoffs. It’s hard to stack up, but I can’t imagine anyone playing better.”

“Everyone wants to write a story about this guy, but he’s been the same guy since he walked in the door,” McDonald added regarding Darnold’s critics.

“You don’t want me to write the stories because I’m not going to write the novels that are out there. It would be really boring. It would be like this guy is the guy and his teammates love him and he’s very competitive and he’s really strong and talented and he’s a winner. That’ll be the story.”

Darnold was humble despite another great showing and admitted he still has plenty of room to grow.

“There’s a lot of things I can improve on from today as well,” he said. “I feel like I missed some shots that I shouldn’t have missed. There were some things offensively that I feel like we can do better. So, we’re always looking to get better. I’m always looking to get better. That’s the great part about this game is winning the NFC championship and winning games all season long, but there’s always ways you can look to get better.”

Stafford’s uncertainty for Los Angeles

Darnold is locked in as Seattle’s QB for next season no matter what happens in the Super Bowl. There’s not that certainty in Los Angeles with the Rams’ Matthew Stafford.

Stafford (37 years old) is under contract for next year, but he refused to commit to returning when asked about his future after the match.

“I can’t wrap my head around six months of my life after 10 minutes of losing,” Stafford said. “So I have a lot of appreciation for the guys in this locker room. Everyone who helped me and our team have the success we had this year. And that’s all I’ll answer for.”

Asked if he expected Stafford to be at his disposal next season, Rams coach Sean McVay said: “Yes, if he still wants to play. The hell of a question is this?”

“I know if he wanted to, he would still play very well. I mean he’s the best player in the league, and if he wasn’t… I respect everyone, but this guy played at a whole different level.”

Stafford completed 22 of 35 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns but couldn’t prevent a rout that clearly moved McVay.

He added: “I felt that we would be the team on the podium.” “And we weren’t. And Seattle gives credit, but I love this group. And I’m never short of words, and I am now, so it’s tough.”