'NFL RedZone' host Scott Hanson explains why Sam Darnold is top Super Bowl LX 'human interest story'

The Super Bowl averaged 127.7 cardinal viewers connected FOX past year, ranging from die-hard NFL fans, to the casuals hanging retired astatine a enactment enjoying the "Big Game."

While immoderate cognize the X's and O's much than others, determination are usually galore quality involvement stories starring up to kickoff, and "NFL RedZone" big Scott Hanson already knows the top 1 of each successful the matchup betwixt the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. 

"Sam Darnold is that story," Hanson told Fox News Digital astir the Seahawks' starting quarterback. 

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NFL Network's Scott Hanson speaks connected signifier during the during the 3rd time of the 2025 NFL Draft connected April 26, 2025 successful Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

The quality involvement isn't ever the starting backmost of 1 of the teams playing, but fixed Darnold's travel to get to this constituent successful his career, Hanson feels anyone with "no equine successful the race" has to basal for him. 

"Sam Darnold, formed aside, dismissed. Every NFL subordinate has felt that astatine immoderate constituent successful their life," Hanson said, portion besides discussing portion besides discussing his excitement for Lowe's "Earn Your Sunday Bucket Belt." "Every quality being that’s listening to maine has had idiosyncratic successful their beingness archer them, ‘You’re not bully enough. You can’t bash it. We tried it, it didn’t work. Goodbye.’ Whether that’s astatine work, a relationship, oregon immoderate person you. 

"Sam Darnold has recovered a mode to emergence supra it, artifact retired the critics, and play his champion shot erstwhile it matters the most."

‘NFL REDZONE’ HOST SCOTT HANSON EXPLAINS WHY PATRIOTS-SEAHAWKS SUPER BOWL LX MATCHUP IS THE ‘HOPE BOWL’

When Darnold was coming retired of USC successful the 2018 NFL Draft, helium was a imaginable archetypal wide enactment to the Cleveland Browns. Instead, aft the Browns took Baker Mayfield, Darnold was selected by the New York Jets 3rd wide to beryllium their hopeful savior for the franchise. 

The Jets hadn't made the playoffs successful astir a decade, but Darnold was expected to beryllium the feline to get them retired of that funk. Unfortunately, for him and the Jets, that ne'er happened. 

Darnold's clip successful New York lasted conscionable 3 seasons earlier GM Joe Douglas shipped him disconnected to the Carolina Panthers, ending a roller-coaster tenure that could've been the extremity of his starting days successful the league. 

But Darnold roseate done the adversity, arsenic Hanson pointed out. After 17 starts for the Panthers crossed 2 seasons, his declaration wasn't renewed and helium was connected the hunt for his adjacent opportunity. It was the San Francisco 49ers and caput manager Kyle Shanahan who brought successful Darnold, and helium yet bushed retired Trey Lance for the backup relation to Brock Purdy – different amusive communicative fixed his emergence from Mr. Irrelevant arsenic the past prime of the NFL Draft to a Super Bowl-playing quarterback. 

Sam Darnold of the Carolina Panthers throws earlier the crippled against the Baltimore Ravens astatine M&T Bank Stadium connected Nov. 20, 2022 successful Baltimore, Maryland.  (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Darnold has spoken astir however the 49ers got him backmost connected track, and that was intelligibly the lawsuit aft joining the Minnesota Vikings past season. 

"Back-to-back 14-win seasons for 2 antithetic teams and playing successful the biggest crippled of his life," Hanson said, referencing what Darnold did for the Vikings successful his 14-3 season. "The first-ever backmost to commencement a Super Bowl from USC. Think astir the large past of the Trojans. No USC backmost has made it to commencement a Super Bowl."

When Darnold joined the Seahawks, helium told Fox News Digital successful May 2025 that helium felt it was the close fit, particularly fixed his narration with violative coordinator Klint Kubiak during their clip unneurotic successful San Francisco. Seems poetic they're some backmost successful Santa Clara successful 2 weeks for the biggest crippled successful American sport. 

Seattle Seahawks backmost Sam Darnold lifts the winner's trophy adjacent to Michael Strahan, left, aft a triumph implicit the Los Angeles Rams successful the NFC Championship NFL shot crippled Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, successful Seattle. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Darnold is simply a large communicative astir staying existent to yourself, knowing you person the talent, and making the champion of each situation, bully oregon bad. 

"Even Jets fans person got to beryllium like, ‘You cognize what, Sam? We drafted you to triumph championships implicit the New England Patriots. Go retired determination connected Super Bowl Sunday and bash conscionable that, adjacent though you’re wearing the J-E-T-S successful beforehand of your thorax there,'" Hanson said. "I deliberation it’s a fantastic quality involvement story, and if you person nary equine successful the race, wherefore not basal for Sam Darnold to person a great, large Super Bowl Sunday."

EARNING YOUR SUPER BOWL SUNDAY WITH LOWE'S

All play long, Lowe’s has been uncovering ways to assistance NFL fans "Earn Their Sundays," and their champion mode for Super Bowl LX is thing Hanson is precise excited about.

The "Earn Your Sunday Bucket Belt" looks similar a regular instrumentality loop that would spell astir a five-gallon Lowe’s bucket, but Hanson wants to spot snacks, beverages, grilling tools and much connected it for the Big Game.

Lowe's introduces the Bucket Belt up of this year's Super Bowl LX matchup betwixt the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. (Lowe's)

Gameday essentials are reimagined, and Hanson believes everyone should person 1 for Feb. 8.

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"Theoretically, it’s for each your tools. But connected Super Bowl Sunday, it’s beverages, it’s snacks. The lone tools are grilling tools that we privation to spot successful there," Hanson said. "Straps connected apical of the bucket here, and you tin capable it up with crystal for your favourite beverages. There’s immoderate shot goodies and you volition gain your Super Bowl Sunday and bask Super Bowl LX successful Lowe’s style."

The bucket loop tin beryllium purchased present exclusively for MyLowe’s Rewards and MyLowe’s Pro Rewards members.

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