Sam Darnold: Last game against Rams wasn’t my best, but it’s just another opponent this week

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will always be remembered for once saying he was seeing ghosts on the football field, but he said on Tuesday that he’s not seeing any ghosts of his recent football past as he gets ready for Thursday night’s game against the Rams.

Darnold had his worst game of the season when the Seahawks lost 21-19 in Los Angeles in Week 11. Darnold threw four interceptions in the loss and acknowledged that it “wasn’t my best effort” while discussing the rematch with reporters. The quarterback insisted that he’s “excited about the challenge and ready to go” in a game he is not building up to be bigger than it is.

“It’s just another opponent,” Darnold said, via the team’s website. “Obviously, it’s a divisional game and I would just leave it at that.”

Darnold may not want to make too much of the game, but the implications of the outcome will be significant in the race for the NFC West and for Darnold’s own record in important late-season contests. He did not play well for the Vikings in losses in Week 18 and the wild card round last season, so another lackluster outing on Thursday would carry more weight than Darnold cared to admit on Tuesday.