Seahawks prevail over Rams in NFC Championship Game

SEATTLE — Quarterback Sam Darnold, coach Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks are heading to Tremendous Bowl LX.

An end result that few would have predicted when the 2025 NFL common season started in September turned a actuality Sunday evening when the Seahawks outlasted the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 at Lumen Subject. It was the groups’ third assembly of the marketing campaign, and Sunday’s NFC Championship Recreation win matched the drama of Seattle’s 38-37 additional time win right here in Week 16.

In one other prompt traditional, the Seahawks’ top-ranked scoring protection stopped the Rams on fourth-and-goal from its 6-yard line with just below 5 minutes remaining as Professional Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon broke up Matthew Stafford‘s move ultimately zone, earlier than the protection bought yet one more cease to ship the Seahawks to their fourth Tremendous Bowl in franchise historical past.

Darnold, signed by the Seahawks in March after they parted methods with signal-caller Geno Smith, led Seattle to a 14-3 document and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. He made his second straight Professional Bowl regardless of topping the league with 20 turnovers. That included 4 interceptions in Seattle’s loss on the Rams in Week 11. That efficiency, coupled with a nine-sack debacle throughout the wild-card spherical of final season’s playoffs whereas with the Minnesota Vikings, led to questions on his big-game potential.

However sure, Darnold can win large video games — and he can do it at lower than 100% well being. Darnold (25-for-36 for 346 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday) performed by way of an indirect harm for a second straight week. And whereas he needed to try solely 17 passes in Seattle’s blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers within the earlier spherical, way more of the Seahawks’ offense needed to undergo the quarterback versus the Rams.

Darnold now has Seattle within the greatest sport of all throughout a season that didn’t start with championship expectations. The Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in a rematch of Tremendous Bowl XLIX.

What to make of the QB efficiency: Darnold seemed higher than ever regardless of being restricted in observe all three days this week as he continued to handle his indirect harm. He didn’t flip the ball over for a 3rd straight sport, taking his pictures with out placing the ball in hurt’s method. He was particuarly efficient throwing down discipline. Per ESPN Analysis, he accomplished seven passes thrown 10-plus yards past the road of scrimmage, together with 5 to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 96 yards and a landing. Within the two regular-season conferences with the Rams, Darnold had eight such completions with three interceptions. Smith-Njigba led Seattle with 10 catches for 153 yards.

Development to observe: Seattle has been first in ESPN Analytics’ rankings for particular groups since Week 10. Jay Harbaugh’s unit seemed as if it might be a difference-maker for the Seahawks within the playoffs, and it definitely has been that. Rashid Shaheed — who kick-started the comeback over the Rams in Week 16 by returning a punt for a landing — bought Seattle’s victory towards the 49ers within the divisional spherical began by returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a rating. On Sunday towards L.A., Dareke Young fell on a muffed punt early within the third quarter to arrange Darnold’s second landing move of the evening, as he hit huge receiver Jake Bobo from 17 yards out to offer Seattle a 24-13 lead.

Turning level: Late within the third quarter, Riq Woolen momentarily bought Seattle’s protection off the sphere by practically intercepting a Stafford move on third down. However the fourth-year cornerback trotted towards the Rams’ sideline and mentioned sufficient to get flagged for taunting, giving Los Angeles 15 yards and a primary down. On the subsequent play, Stafford hit wideout Puka Nacua for a 34-yard landing over — you guessed it — Woolen. That made it 31-27 Seattle.

Woolen turned his season round after some early struggles that induced him to lose snaps, and he had been enjoying at a excessive degree since Week 7. However that was a sequence he and the Seahawks want to overlook.

Stat to know: The Seahawks blitzed Stafford solely as soon as in 17 dropbacks within the first half (6%), per ESPN Analysis. Macdonald’s protection didn’t blitz a lot throughout the common season, rating fifth in stress price (35.2%) regardless of sending an additional rusher on the sixth-lowest price (20.7%).

However Sunday’s first half was an excessive model of that strategy. It yielded one sack on Stafford after Seattle had gone three video games with out dropping the Rams’ beginning quarterback. (Stafford did not play within the Week 18 sport of the 2024 marketing campaign.)

Greatest gap within the sport plan: Whether or not it was the product of a defective sport plan or just getting outplayed, Seattle’s D once more had few solutions for Nacua. The NFL’s second-leading receiver throughout the common season caught 9 passes for 165 yards and a landing on Sunday.

It wasn’t practically as unhealthy as when Nacua went for 225 yards and a pair of scores towards Seattle in Week 16. The Seahawks had been lacking a number of gamers of their secondary by the top of that second assembly, and Macdonald admitted afterward that his plan put an excessive amount of on his defenders’ plates throughout a brief week. Seattle did not should cope with both of these challenges in Spherical 3, and it nonetheless could not cease Nacua. — Brady Henderson

Subsequent sport: at Patriots, Tremendous Bowl LX (Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

After the Rams fell at Seattle in Week 16 to successfully lose the No. 1 seed within the NFC, they fired particular groups coordinator Chase Blackburn. Coach Sean McVay made the transfer, he mentioned on the time, as a result of he believed within the Rams and the way far they may go within the playoffs — and he knew the unit might price them.

It did simply that within the NFC Championship Recreation on Sunday, when Xavier Smith‘s muffed punt early within the third quarter led to a Seahawks landing and a 24-13 Seattle lead. Whereas Los Angeles briefly bought inside a landing on the subsequent drive, the Rams by no means bought nearer in what was a four-point loss.

The Rams’ marketing campaign ends with a loss within the NFC Championship Recreation for the primary time beneath McVay. The most important query for L.A.’s offseason facilities on the way forward for Stafford, who simply completed his seventeenth NFL season.

Stafford, 37, could have a choice to make about whether or not he desires to play in 2026. He’s coming off a career-best season, ending the common season because the odds-on favourite to be named the MVP after main the league in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46).

If Stafford returns, the Rams are anticipated to return a roster much like the group that led them to the convention title sport.

Turning level: After a protracted drive that ate up the clock throughout the second quarter and gave the Rams the lead, L.A. bought the ball again with 1 minute, 33 seconds left within the half. However the Rams could not maintain a drive, going three-and-out and punting the ball again to Seattle with 54 seconds left. The Rams couldn’t get a cease, giving up a six-play, 79-yard drive that was capped off with a landing by Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As a substitute of maximizing their lead heading into the half, the Rams as a substitute trailed 17-13.

Stat to know: In simply his third NFL season, Nacua recorded his third playoff sport with 100 or extra receiving yards, tied with Tom Fears for second most in Rams historical past and behind solely Isaac Bruce (4), per ESPN Analysis.

Development to observe: Per week after Davante Adams didn’t have a catch till the fourth quarter on the Chicago Bears within the divisional spherical, he completed with 4 receptions for 89 yards. The veteran huge receiver had catches of 29 yards and 35 yards within the third quarter. In keeping with ESPN Analysis, it was the third time Adams logged a number of 25-yard receptions in a sport. — Sarah Barshop

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