SEATTLE — Who would have imagined that Sam Darnold would be the first USC quarterback to start in the Super Bowl? Or that Darnold, taken third by the New York Jets in a 2018 NFL Draft in which Baker Mayfield was picked ahead of him and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson behind him, would be the first in that draft class to play for the Lombardi Trophy? It’s happening. And it’s because Darnold played, if not a flawless game, a highly efficient one in Sunday’s 31-27 NFC championship game victory over the Rams: completing 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He wasn’t flustered, didn’t take needless chances and got the ball where it needed to be. That last, in...
