Sam Darnold was 'kind of bummed' about Super Bowl win. Here's why

Self-reflection can be beneficial for athletes. It can help an athlete not be complacent. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold gave himself a somewhat surprising assessment of his Super Bowl 60 performance.

“I didn’t play great in the Super Bowl.” Darnold said on Bussin’ With The Boys, a podcast hosted by former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. “I missed way too many throws. We still won, our defense balled out, and I didn’t turn the ball over, which helped. But dude, to win the Super Bowl that way, I was kind of bummed. I want to score like 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.”

Credit Darnold for an honest critique of himself.

The Seahawks’ darkside defense turned out the lights on the New England Patriots, which propelled Seattle to triumph in Super Bowl 60. The Seahawks defense forced three turnovers and sacked Patriots QB Drake Maye six times. New England was held scoreless through the first three quarters.

Darnold didn’t commit a turnover, but he completed just 50% of his passes. Seattle’s offense was carried in large part by Super Bowl 60 MVP running back Kenneth Walker III, who produced 135 rushing yards and 161 total yards from scrimmage.

Darnold finished with 19 completions in 38 attempts for 202 passing yards and a touchdown. His Super Bowl 60 passer rating (74.7) was actually below Maye’s (79.1).

Darnold did play good enough to help the Seahawks win even though he didn’t play his “best football.” The Seahawks are Super Bowl 60 champions because they had a complete team in all three phases.

If Darnold can channel his critiques into fuel for this season, it’ll bode well for the Seahawks in their title defense.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.