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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold discussed what “sucks” about his Super Bowl performance on the Bussin with the Boys podcast, hosted by Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. Darnold reflected on how he played in Super Bowl, where he wishes he played better.

Darnold said, “I didn’t play great in the Super Bowl.”

Despite beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks relied mainly on their defense. They overwhelmed New England with their pass rush, generating six sacks. Darnold only threw for 202 yards and one touchdown with only 19 completions in 38 attempts.

Darnold said, “I missed way too many throws. We still won. Our defense balled out. I didn’t turn the ball over, which helped. But dude, to win the Super Bowl that way, I was kinda bummed. I want to score 40 points, you know what I mean? I want to go out there and ball out, and it’s just, dang, I didn’t play my best football in the Super Bowl? That sucks.”

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Performance Motivates Sam Darnold

Darnold wants to continue to improve heading into the 2026 season, which should excite Seahawks fans.

Even though Darnold feels like he needed to play better in the Super Bowl, he also wants to come into the 2026 season improving on the red flags in his game.

Darnold said, “I think the biggest thing is continuing to build off of my weaknesses, understanding what I wasn’t great at this past year, which I think for me is continuing to hone in on the deep ball, understand how I can be better that way, quieting my feet in the pocket. I feel like I’m a little twitchier — sometimes that wants to creep in a little bit when I’m in the pocket — so being able to calm my feet down, just going through my progressions.”

PFF ranked Darnold 5th overall in attempts of 20 air yards or more. His analysis just shows the standard he holds himself to regardless of his success in 2025. If Darnold can take another step in the passing game, the critics who still remain will have very little to note.

Darnold Wants to Lessen His Turnovers in 2026

GettyDarnold was a major reason why the Seahawks had one of the worst turnover differentials in 2025.

Another aspect of Darnold’s profile that he wants to improve upon are his turnovers. Last season in Seattle, Darnold had 14 interceptions and six fumbles in the regular season. That was a major reason the Seahawks were one of the worst teams in turnover differential in 2025. However, Darnold did not commit a single turnover in the playoffs.

He said, “Another area to grow is the turnovers. I thought I had too many turnovers last year, so just continuing to — kind of like I did in the playoffs — continuing to have the right mindset on first and second down, keep the big boys happy and get the ball out of my hands.”

While the turnovers were an issue for the Seahawks, they still won the Super Bowl. If Darnold makes a significant improvement in 2026, the Seahawks can easily repeat knowing they have a potential elite quarterback moving forward.