Presented by

Rapid Reactions: The Seahawks Are Super Bowl Bound After A 31-27 Win Over The Rams

The Seahawks beat the Rams in the NFC championship game to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

Jan 25, 2026 at 07:05 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

The Seahawks are heading back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years thanks to a thrilling 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Just like the previous two meetings between the Rams and Seahawks, this one was a thriller, with the team trading big plays and scores throughout, but the Seahawks were able to close it out with a big red-zone stop, followed by a drive that used up almost all of the remaining clock, leading to an eventual big celebration on the Lumen Field turf.

Now, the Seahawks will face the Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

Here are six rapid reactions to Sunday's win:

1. Sam Darnold erased any lingering doubt.

For as good as Sam Darnold has been over the past two seasons, one lingering question, fair or not, was whether or not he was a quarterback who could get the job done in the postseason. In his first playoff start, which came last year as a member of the Vikings, Darnold and Minnesota's offense were no match for the Rams' pass rush in a wild-card loss.

Darnold played very well in last week's win over the 49ers to earn his first playoff victory, but he also didn't have to do a ton thanks to the lopsided nature of the game.

Against the Rams, however, the Seahawks needed a big game from their offense and their quarterback, and Darnold delivered in a big way, and against a Rams defense that has given him so much trouble in past meetings, no less.

Darnold not only put up big numbers, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns, he did it while never turning the ball over or really even putting it in peril, finishing with a 127.8 passer rating, some huge throws in the fourth quarter and plenty of big plays to lead the offense.

2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a monster game.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the league's best receiver in 2025, leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards during the regular season on his way to first-team All-Pro honors. So it was only fitting that in their biggest game of the year, one of the Seahawks' best players came through with another monstrous performance to help send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

Smith-Njigba had 115 receiving yards and a touchdown in the first half alone, the most in a half by Seattle pass catcher in franchise postseason history, and finished with 10 catches for 153 yards, including a huge 14-yard gain for a first down on Seattle's final drive, helping the offense run out the clock. Smith-Njigba's big day included multiple spectacular grabs, including a one-hander on the sideline, as well as a deep ball late in the first half, a catch that required holding on after a big hit, to set up a Jake Bobo touchdown.

And as good as Smith-Njigba was, he wasn't a one-man show. The Seahawks also got a 51-yard catch from Rashid Shaheed to set up their first touchdown, a 17-yard touchdown catch from Jake Bobo, who had only two catches in the regular season, plus a big third-down conversion last week, and Cooper Kupp (more on him later), added four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, with two of those catches moving the chains on third down, including a huge play on Seattle's final possession to extend the drive.

Related Links

3. With the Seahawks missing one of their top back, Kenneth Walker III came through with another big game.

The Seahawks were without Zach Charbonnet, who injured his knee in last week's win over the 49ers, ending his season, but Kenneth Walker, III, who has been great all season, showed he was more than capable of taking on a bigger workload, both as a runner and a pass-catchers.

Walker started his day with a touchdown run on Seattle's opening possessions, and then he closed out the game with some tough running, as well as a catch to move the chains on Seattle's final drive.

Walker finished with 62 yards on 19 carries, modest numbers that don't show how well he played against a tough Rams run defense, and he also had four catches for 49 yards.

4. The Rams made it tough on Seattle's defense, but the Seahawks came up with the big stop they needed at the end.

For most of the game, Matt Stafford showed why he is a favorite to win the MVP award, gashing the Seahawks for big plays. But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the defense, and Devon Witherspoon in particular, came through with a stop. After Witherspoon broke up a third-down pass, the Rams went for it on fourth down, and Witherspoon broke that attempt too to preserve the four-point lead.

Witherspoon added one more play for good measure, tackling Puka Nacua in bounds as time ran out, keeping the Rams from attempting a Hail Mary on their final play.

5. Nick Emmanwori is a difference maker.

With all that happened in a wild second half, it might be easy to forget a two-play sequence in the second quarter, but rookie Nick Emmanwori, who has been fantastic all season, made a pair of key plays that helped turn the game.

With the Rams driving and hoping to add to a 3-point lead before halftime, Emmanwori broke up two straight passes to force a punt. Not only did that keep the Rams from adding to their lead, the Seahawks were able to put together a quick drive to get a touchdown before halftime, a potential 10 or 14-point swing.

6. Cooper Kupp had some huge catches against his former team.

A week after leading the Seahawks in receiving against the 49ers, Cooper Kupp had a quieter game, statistically, but he made his catches count. Kupp's four catches included Seattle's final touchdown, giving them the margin they would need to hang for a win, and he also had a big third-down catch earlier in that drive to keep it going, as well as a block to spring Smith-Njigba for a big gain on the same drive. He then closed out his game with another third-down conversion that allowed the Seahawks to bleed valuable time off the clock to preserve the win.