Sam Darnold could be ‘seeing ghosts’ again if Rams stick to usual game plan

For Sam Darnold, the ghosts never really leave. They just wait.

And for the Seahawks quarterback, they have always waited for the Rams.

The harsh reality heading into the NFC Championship game Sunday: If the Rams are going to punch their ticket to this Super Bowl, their defense doesn’t need to reinvent itself. It just needs to keep doing exactly what it’s done to Darnold for the past two years — make him uncomfortable; make him hesitate; and make him wonder, even for a moment, whether what he’s seeing is real.

Darnold will never be able to outrun the phrase “I’m seeing ghosts.” He first said it back in 2019 when he was with the Jets, mic’d up, getting obliterated by the Patriots. His words were honest, but it was catastrophic branding.

To his credit, since uttering those words, Darnold has rebuilt himself — first with the 14-win Vikings in 2024 and now with the Seahawks. Over the past two seasons, he’s been productive, resilient and at times impressive. This is not the jittery kid with the Jets anymore.

Except when he plays the Rams.