Mark Schlereth: Seahawks have Super Bowl’s most pivotal player

The Seattle Seahawks have seemingly gotten key contributions from every player on their roster throughout the season.

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Sometimes it’s been quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba torching defenses. Sometimes it’s been running back Kenneth Walker III shouldering the load in the run game. Sometimes it’s been defensive standouts like DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori making game-changing plays. And sometimes it’s been unheralded players who nobody outside of the Pacific Northwest could name tilting the scales of a matchup.

With contributions coming from everywhere, it can be hard to identify the most pivotal player will be heading into each Seahawks game. And in Sunday’s Super Bowl LX clash against the New England Patriots, there are plenty of candidates for who can make the biggest impact on the game.

So, who will be the most pivotal player when the Seahawks and Patriots square off for the Lombardi Trophy? FOX NFL analyst and three-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Mark Schlereth told Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob it will be quarterback Sam Darnold during a conversation Monday.

Schlereth noted that the Seahawks have consistently been about a 4 1/2-point favorite heading into the matchup, which he views as a result of there still being many with questions about whether Seattle’s quarterback can be the guy to lead his team to a title. But Schlereth isn’t among those casting doubt.

“I love him, man. I love what he’s been able to accomplish. I love his story. I love that he’s been kicked to the curb by several teams and he’s finding the success in year 7 and year 8. I love all that aspect,” he said.

Schlereth pointed to the growing maturity Darnold has shown as a quarterback throughout the year as to why he’s confident in him.

“Watching him start to understand, hey man, we’ve got a good run game. We’ve got a guy like JSN. We’ve got a really good offensive line. We’ve got an unbelievable defense. And as long as I don’t screw it up, I don’t have to be the superstar. As long as I don’t screw it up and throw picks, we’re going to be OK,” Schlereth said. “And I’ve watched him in the last few weeks take a few sacks that (are) just like, hey man, I’m gonna give up and trust my defense to get us the ball back or whatever. There’s a maturity level there that I don’t have to be the star, I have to manage the game.”

Managing a game is something that often gets associated with lesser quarterbacks, but Schlereth pushed back on that notion. He gave an example of his time playing with Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway when they won their first of back-to-back Super Bowls under coach Mike Shanahan.

“That has been forever such a derogatory term that I think is just misplaced, because I think managing the game is your job as the quarterback,” Schlereth said. “I’ll go back to Super Bowl 32, playing in that game against the Green Bay Packers as a Denver Bronco, where Mike Shanahan pulled John Elway aside and said, hey, listen, if we’re going to win this game, you’re not going to be the MVP. I’m just going to let you know that right now. You OK with that? You OK with managing the game and letting our run game kind of do the heavy lifting?

“Of course, John was like, I just want to win, man. I’ve gone to three of them and just gotten ramshackled in all three of them. So yeah, that’s exactly what I want.”

If Darnold is called upon to do more, there is recent evidence he could deliver. In the Seahawks’ NFC Championship win over the Los Angeles Rams, he threw for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while going throw for throw with MVP candidate Matthew Stafford.

“When the game plays out like it did in the NFC Championship, you outduel Matt Stafford, that’s a pretty big order. And he did,” Schlereth said.

DARNOLD DEEP TO SHAHEED.

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— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026

Hear the full conversation with Mark Schlereth at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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