Sam Darnold’s season as a backup with the 49ers helped him reach the Super Bowl

By JOSH DUBOW SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — San Darnold’s NFL career had hit rock bottom when he arrived in San Francisco in 2023 after failing at two spots to live up to his high draft billing. Less than three years later, he’s ready to step on football’s biggest stage as the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday. “I always believed in myself,” Darnold said. “I knew that I could do this at a high level, and that was really it. That’s what kept me going and I knew at some point an opportunity would arise. But even if it didn’t, I knew I did everything that I can to become a better player year in and year...