Seahawks prevail over Rams in NFC Championship Game

SEATTLE — Quarterback Sam Darnold, coach Mike Macdonald, and the Seattle Seahawks are set for Super Bowl LX.

A surprising turn of events unfolded Sunday night when the Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 at Lumen Field, securing a spot in Super Bowl LX. This marked the third encounter for the teams this season, echoing the excitement of Seattle’s earlier 38-37 overtime victory in Week 16.

In another thrilling matchup, the Seahawks’ top-ranking defense halted the Rams on a critical fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line with just under five minutes to go, as Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon broke up a pass intended for Matthew Stafford in the end zone. This defensive stand set the stage for Seattle’s journey to their fourth Super Bowl.

Darnold, who was signed by the Seahawks in March following their split with Geno Smith, led the team to a 14-3 record and secured the NFC’s number one seed. although finishing the season with a league-high 20 turnovers, he earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection. That tumultuous performance, along with a nine-sack outing during the wild-card round last playoffs with the Minnesota Vikings, raised questions about his ability in crucial moments.

Yet Darnold has proven he can lead in big games—even while not at full strength. In Sunday’s game, he completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns while battling through an oblique injury. His contribution was integral to the Seahawks’ strategy against the Rams, especially after a less demanding game against the San Francisco 49ers in the prior round.

Darnold has positioned Seattle for a chance at the ultimate title, in a season that began without such lofty expectations. They will face the New England Patriots, a repeat confrontation of Super Bowl XLIX.

Evaluating the QB’s performance: Darnold showcased excellent play despite managing an oblique injury that limited his practice participation throughout the week. He avoided turning the ball over for the third consecutive game, effectively taking risks while maintaining ball security. importantly, he excelled in making deep throws; according to ESPN Research, he completed seven passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, including five connections with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a total of 96 yards and a touchdown. Earlier in the season against the Rams, Darnold had achieved eight downfield completions but with three interceptions. Smith-Njigba emerged as Seattle’s leading receiver with 10 catches for 153 yards.

Watch for this trend: Since Week 10, Seattle has topped ESPN Analytics’ special teams rankings. Led by Jay Harbaugh, this unit appears poised to impact the playoffs significantly, as evidenced by Rashid Shaheed’s punt return touchdown that sparked a comeback against the Rams in Week 16. In the divisional round against the 49ers, Shaheed ignited the game with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. During Sunday’s game against Los Angeles, Dareke Young recovered a muffed punt early in the third quarter, setting the stage for Darnold’s second touchdown pass to wide receiver Jake Bobo from 17 yards out, extending Seattle’s lead to 24-13.

Turning point: Late in the third quarter, Riq Woolen nearly intercepted a Stafford pass, momentarily getting the defense off the field. but, a taunting penalty against Woolen allowed the Rams to convert a first down. On the following play, Stafford connected with wide receiver Puka Nacua for a 34-yard touchdown, narrowing the score to 31-27 in favor of Seattle.

Woolen had turned his season around after facing early struggles that cost him playing time, and he had been performing at a high level since Week 7. Nevertheless, the sequence in question is one the Seahawks would prefer to forget.

Stat to note: The Seahawks recorded just one blitz against Stafford in the first half out of 17 dropbacks (6%), according to ESPN Research. although a low blitz rate throughout the regular season, the defense ranked fifth in pressure rate (35.2%).

but, this first half exemplified a drastic application of their strategy, yielding only one sack on Stafford after going three games without sacking the Rams’ starting quarterback (Stafford did not participate in the Week 18 game of the previous season).

Key issue in the game plan: Seattle’s defense struggled to contain Nacua throughout, whether due to a flawed game plan or being outperformed. As the NFL’s second-leading receiver during the regular season, Nacua caught nine passes for 165 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.

While that performance was an improvement over his previous 225-yard, two-touchdown outing against Seattle in Week 16, the Seahawks had fewer secondary players available at that meeting. Afterward, Macdonald acknowledged that his strategy overloaded the defenders during a short week. even if Seattle faced fewer challenges in this third encounter, they still struggled to contain Nacua. — Brady Henderson

Upcoming game: at Patriots, Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

After their Week 16 defeat at Seattle, which resulted in a loss of the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Rams made a change by firing special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. Coach Sean McVay stated that the decision was made because he had confidence in the Rams’ potential in the playoffs and recognized the risk of costly mistakes.

This risk manifested in the NFC Championship Game as Xavier Smith’s muffed punt early in the third quarter led to a Seahawks touchdown and a 24-13 lead. even if Los Angeles briefly closed the gap with a touchdown on their next drive, they could not regain momentum in what ended as a four-point loss.

This marks the first time under McVay that the Rams concluded their season with a defeat in the NFC Championship Game. The offseason will hinge heavily on the future of Stafford as he contemplates his career following his 17th NFL season.

Stafford, 37, faces a crucial decision about whether to continue playing in 2026. He capped a remarkable season, finishing as the favorite for MVP by leading the league in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46).

If he opts to return, the Rams are likely to keep a similar roster to the one that brought them to the conference title game.

Turning point: Following a lengthy drive that consumed the clock and gave the Rams a lead in the second quarter, they regained possession with 1:33 left in the half. but, an inability to sustain the drive resulted in a three-and-out and a punt back to Seattle with 54 seconds remaining. The Seahawks capitalized on the mistake, executing a six-play, 79-yard drive culminating in a touchdown from Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Instead of increasing their halftime lead, the Rams found themselves trailing 17-13.

Stat to know: In just his third season in the NFL, Nacua has achieved his third playoff game with 100 or more receiving yards, tying Tom Fears for the second-most in Rams history, only behind Isaac Bruce (4), according to ESPN Research.

Trend to watch: After a game where Davante Adams saw no catches until the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in the divisional round, he rebounded with four receptions for 89 yards. importantly, he had catches of 29 yards and 35 yards in the third quarter, marking the third time he has had multiple 25-yard receptions in a game. — Sarah Barshop

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