Takeaways from Seattle Seahawks 31-27 victory over Rams in NFC championship to advance to Super Bowl

SEATTLE - What a treat of a football game.

Arguably the two best teams in the NFL this season, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams produced a gem in Sunday's NFC championship with the Seahawks emerging victorious, 31-27, to advance to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Football doesn't get much better than what we saw at Lumen Field on Sunday night. Two electric teams going blow for blow with only one team able to win.

And just as they've done the previous three times hosting the NFC championship, the Seahawks came out on top.

"I'm incredibly proud of our team," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "I'm happy for the 12s, for our city. What an atmosphere. Just to be able to take it in after and understand what our team has been able to do up to this point and how they've done it, we're just blessed. Just really blessed that we got a heck of a group and a great organization and owner and the best fans."

The Rams carved up Seattle's No. 1 defense for the second time in just over a month, but Sam Darnold and the Seahawks' offense were primed for the fight. Darnold authored the best performance of his NFL career, Jaxon Smith-Njigba played the part of a star in catching 10 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, and Ken Walker III had 111 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown as well to carry the effort.

But the defense did have a final act, with Devon Witherspoon breaking up two Matthew Stafford passes in the end zone for a critical stop with 4:54 left to play.

The Seahawks have won nine straight games, with five straight wins over playoff teams in Los Angeles (twice), San Francisco (twice) and Carolina.

If they can make it ten in two weeks against the New England Patriots, they'll have their second Lombardi Trophy in tow.

Here are the takeaways from the NFC championship win over the Rams:

Take a bow, Sam Darnold.

Sam Darnold delivered an exquisite performance at quarterback for the Seahawks on Sunday night, beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in a shootout to win the NFC and advance to Super Bowl LX.

Given the stakes, it has to be the best game of Darnold's career, completing 25-of-36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions to win a conference title.

"You can't talk about the game without talking about our quarterback. He just shut a lot of people up tonight," Macdonald said.

"He was confident and to come out the way he played, barely practicing, just barely throwing the ball, is really incredible. It' should go down as one of the best performances in playoff history I would imagine."

Darnold dissected the Rams' defense with surgical precision, making several clutch throws with pressure bearing down in the pocket.

"He’s the best in the world," receiver Jake Bobo said. "It didn’t surprise anybody, I’ll tell you that. Just the way he came out and got it done for us. Obviously, he’s got one more in him. I think this is going to be fun to watch him enjoy this one especially."

Stafford and the Rams offense was great as well, racking up 479 yards of total offense on the night. But the Rams were also just 1-for-8 on third down, with Stafford going 0-for-7 passing on third downs in the game. Meanwhile, Darnold was 6-of-9 on third down for 102 yards and a touchdown, which includes a 51-yard shot to Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp's 13-yard touchdown, and Kupp's key 7-yard conversion on the final drive that allowed Seattle to chew up the remaining clock.

"He’s going to let it rip," linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. "That’s what he’s going to do. Sam trusts his arm, he trusts his ability, and we trust Sam. So all you gotta do is give Sam that encouragement or whatever the case may be; let him know that we got his back and he’s able to lead us to a Super Bowl."

Stafford might very well win the league MVP award this season, but Darnold was the best quarterback in Lumen Field on Sunday night.

Riq Woolen avoids ignominy from taunting call.

If a few plays had gone differently, Riq Woolen's taunting of the Los Angeles Rams sideline would have gone down as one of the biggest gaffes in Seattle sports history.

Leading 31-20 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, Woolen made his biggest play of the game by breaking up a third-and-12 pass to Puka Nacua that would have forced a punt. However, Woolen couldn't help himself from chirping at the Rams bench for several seconds after the play, which led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave L.A. 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.

The Rams wasted no time in making Woolen and the Seahawks pay for the mistake. Matthew Stafford went back at Woolen on the very next snap, connecting with Nacua for a 34-yard touchdown that quickly brought the Rams back within four heading into the fourth quarter.

"You're frustrated in the moment about what's happening, but he just made an emotional decision and we got to pick him up," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "That's not the time to point (the finger), get all upset. You’ve got to go play the next play and score and go rebound back and go back. Riq came back and played well the rest of the game."

The official on the Rams' sideline motioned to Woolen and tried to get him to disengage from the moment, but eventually felt he had to throw the flag.

"The covering official had him walking towards and into the opponent’s bench, continuing to jaw after repeated efforts by the official to have him turn away and go to his own bench. When he chose not to do so, that’s what rose to the level of a foul," referee Clay Martin told pool reporter Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.

Martin confirmed that it wasn't anything specific said by Woolen to draw the foul, just the repeated posturing at the Rams' bench that drew the call.

To Woolen's credit, he answered every question about the mistake in the locker room after the game and knows he can't do something like that again.

"Even though I made a great play, I wasn't great for my team in that play, and I got to be better with that and celebrate with the team," Woolen said. "And the next play, they scored a touchdown and that wouldn't have happened if I just celebrate with the team, you know. So I've got to be smarter."

Because the Seahawks got the win, it's a lot easier to leave the play in the past and move forward.

The five biggest plays that sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

– Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 42-yard catch & 14-yard touchdown.

OK, technically this is two plays, but they go hand-in-hand.

After the Rams went three-and-out to give the ball back to Seattle with 54 seconds remaining before the half, Smith-Njigba helped the Seahawks cash in one more score before the break.

Smith-Njigba hauled in a 42-yard strike from Sam Darnold while absorbing a big, clean hit from safety Kam Curl. The play put the Seahawks in scoring range with a chance to regain the lead before half.

Four plays later, Smith-Njigba was in the end zone on a 14-yard pass from Darnold to give the Seahawks a 17-13 lead. It was a great play design by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak with Smith-Njigba aligned in the backfield. Smith-Njigba then ran a deep corner route that left him wide open for the score.

– Devon Witherspoon pass breakups in the fourth quarter.

Again, these are two plays, but these come back-to-back.

With the Rams threatening to take the lead with five minutes left to play, Devon Witherspoon came up with two big plays to keep them out of the end zone. All three of Seattle's cornerbacks – Witherspoon, Woolen, and Josh Jobe – had blemishes in their performance as Matthew Stafford and the Rams took advantage, but Witherspoon shined when he was needed most.

Witherspoon broke up Stafford's third down throw to Konata Mumpfield to set up a fourth-and-4 from the Seattle 6-yard line with 4:59 remaining. With an assist from Julian Love to cover Kyren Williams out of the backfield, Witherspoon drove on Stafford's throw to Terrance Ferguson along the back of the end zone to preserve Seattle's 31-27 lead.

– Cooper Kupp's touchdown.

It took until the NFC championship for Cooper Kupp to score his first touchdown in Lumen Field as a member of the Seahawks, and it was the winning score that sent Seattle to the Super Bowl.

On a third-and-3 with 4:57 left in the third quarter, Kupp would space in the Rams' zone defense and burrowed through defenders into the end zone to give Seattle a 31-20 lead. With Witherspoon's defensive stop turning the Rams away almost exactly one quarter later, Kupp's touchdown served as the deciding points.

It was just the third touchdown this season for the Yakima native and the first to come in Seattle. His prior two scores came in Jacksonville and Atlanta.

Kupp had multiple key third down catches for the Seahawks in the game. A third-and-7 conversion on the final drive was also vital to keep their time-killing march moving with just over three minutes remaining as well. 

– Nick Emmanwori's pass breakups late in first half.

Rookie Nick Emmanwori deserves a mention for his play in the game and he'll get it here.

Emmanwori delivered consecutive pass breakups late in the first half on throws to Puka Nacua and Ronnie Rivers that forced the Rams to punt the ball back to Seattle with a minute left in the half. On both plays, Emmanwori tightly covered out-breaking routes and forced incompletions.

Those plays allowed the Seahawks to get a final chance to score before the break, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the way for the go-ahead score.

Emmanwori was arguably Seattle's best defensive player in the victory on Sunday night, leading the team with three pass breakups along with five tackles.

– Xavier Smith's muffed punt.

The Rams fired their special teams coach after their last trip to Seattle in December when Rashid Shaheed's 58-yard punt return touchdown sparked a fourth quarter rally for the Seahawks.

But the special teams shortcomings of the Rams didn't just disappear with Chase Blackburn.

Punt returner Xavier Smith already mishandled one punt in the game before his second mistake proved costly early in the third quarter. Smith lost his footing and fell down as Michael Dicn's punt was descending toward him in L.A. territory, bouncing off him as Dareke Young recovered to give Seattle the ball at the Rams' 17-yard line.

"I was beating myself up after the first muffed punt," Young said of the missed chance at the first punt. "You know, I was supposed to be right in front of him, and I was running down there too fast, and he was moving up, I didn't want to run into him and pulled off to the side. 

"I just told myself that I need to run down there, get down there faster, get down there under control so I could face him up and I told myself if he muffed another one, I'll be right there to recover and sure enough, he did and I recovered it, and we got points off it."

A 17-yard touchdown throw from Sam Darnold to Jake Bobo on the next play gave the Seahawks a 24-13 lead.

Odds & Ends

– Rashid Shaheed had his biggest offensive play since joining the Seahawks at the trade deadline, roasting Darious Williams for a 51-yard gain that led to Seattle's opening touchdown.

– Matthew Stafford is just extremely hard to sack. DeMarcus Lawrence came up with Seattle's first sack of Stafford in five games over the last two seasons, but it would be the only sack the Seahawks would get in the contest.

– The best game in Sam Darnold's career prior to Sunday night came last season with the Minnesota Vikings against the Atlanta Falcons. Darnold completed 22-of-28 passes for 347 yards with five touchdowns in a 42-21 romp. It's one of just three games now in Darnold's career, including the NFC championship, where Darnold has thrown for at least 300 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

– After Jake Bobo's touchdown gave Seattle a 24-13 lead, the Rams answered almost instantly. Matthew Stafford led L.A. on a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams. A 40-yard strike to Colby Parkinson and a 29-yard pass to Adams moved the Rams straight down the field. It was easily the most explosive drive allowed by the Seahawks' defense all season.

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