Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Brock Purdy will go head-to-head on Saturday, January 3, in one of the most important games of the NFL’s Week 18 schedule. The stakes for this matchup are high: the winner secures the division title and crucial NFC top seed, earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The loser, meanwhile, settles for a wild-card spot and faces challenging road games.
While the final week of the NFL regular season often features games with little at stake, this clash between the Seahawks and 49ers is a notable exception. The team that prevails on Saturday will gain a significant advantage heading into the postseason.
### Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold and San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy Go Way Back
Interestingly, Darnold and Purdy share a meaningful history. When Darnold arrived in Seattle, he was reunited with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The two had previously worked together during the 2023-24 season in San Francisco, where Kubiak served as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator. At that time, Darnold was actually Purdy’s backup quarterback.
That San Francisco team made a deep playoff run, marking an important chapter for both quarterbacks. Now, they face off as opponents with high stakes on the line.
No longer an understudy, Darnold is the franchise quarterback for the Seahawks. If he can lead Seattle to the big game in his first year with the team, it would be an MVP-worthy accomplishment.
“It’s the people, first and foremost,” Darnold said after signing his contract with the Seahawks in March 2025. “I’m just very excited to get in the building, meet everyone. You kind of hear rumors when you’re playing on other teams about the good organizations and the places to be, and this was definitely one of them for me. So when the Geno (Smith) trade went down, I knew that this could potentially be a really good spot for me.”
He added, “I’m so excited to be able to work with Klint and all the weapons we have on offense, the offensive line. Just ready to get this thing rolling.”
### Sam Darnold’s NFL History
Darnold was the Jets’ No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC. He started in 38 games during his first three NFL seasons before being traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2021. Over two seasons with Carolina, he started 15 games before signing with the 49ers in 2023.
From there, Darnold went to the Minnesota Vikings and, finally, the Seattle Seahawks. While with the Vikings, he earned his first Pro Bowl selection and achieved a career-best 102.5 passer rating, according to NFL research.
Reflecting on his time with the Vikings, Darnold described it as “a confidence booster, I guess you could say, but I always knew I had it in me.”
“So just to be able to string all those games together and consistently play good football,” he added, “that was the biggest thing I was looking forward to, and to be able to do that last year and put myself in a good position to continue to have that success was huge for me.”
As these two quarterbacks prepare to face off in a pivotal Week 18 showdown, the NFL community will be watching closely — the outcome could shape the playoff landscape in a big way.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/seattle-seahawks/sam-darnold-brock-purdy-history/
