Sam Darnold continued his incredible comeback by throwing three touchdowns to lead the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl 60 in a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Darnold, making his fifth team since being drafted third overall in 2018 by the New York Jets, will lead Seattle to the team’s fourth Super Bowl appearance on Sunday, February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, against the AFC champion New England Patriots.
He signed a $100 million contract with the Seahawks this offseason after reviving an aborted career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, completing 25 of 36 passes for a season-high 346 yards and three scores.
Wide receiver Jackson Smith-Njiba turned heads with 10 catches, 153 yards and a touchdown through the air against fellow Offensive Player of the Year finalist Puka Nacua.
Earlier in the day, the Patriots clinched a spot in Super Bowl XII with a 10-7 victory over Jarrett Stidham’s Denver Broncos at the Mile High snow globe.
Also on Seattle’s roster is English defensive coordinator Arden Darde, who began his coaching career with the London Warriors and joined the NFL as an intern with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. Durd worked with the Atlanta Falcons from 2016 to 2021, then returned to Dallas as defensive line coach before being hired by the Seahawks in 2024.
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Sam Darnold says reaching the Super Bowl would mean the world to him and the Seattle Seahawks.
Leader in statistics:
rams
Passing: Matthew Stafford, 22/35, 374 yards, 3 TDs Rushing: Blake Colm, 9 carries, 55 yards receiving: Puka Nacua, 9 catches, 165 yards, 1 TD
seahawks
Passing: Sam Darnold, 25/36, 346 yards, 3 TD Rushing: Kenneth Walker III, 19 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD Receiving: Jackson Smith Nijiba, 10 catches, 153 yards, 1 TD
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The Seattle Seahawks regain the lead against the Los Angeles Rams as Jackson Smith-Njiba finds space and scores.
The playoffs will feature unrelenting football with the highest level of tension. The No. 1-ranked Rams’ offense ran into first-year head coach Mike McDonald’s runaway Seahawks defense, which led the league in fewest points conceded during the regular season. Los Angeles responded well to its own wounds and punished the Seahawks’ critical mistakes, but they couldn’t find a route past Darnold for any threat that swung the cat-and-mouse momentum in their favor.
After the Rams had possession at Seattle’s 6-yard line with five minutes left in the game, Devon Witherspoon broke up Matthew Stafford’s end zone pass on a fourth-and-four, derailing a 14-play, 7.24-yard drive.
Stafford, an MVP candidate, finished the game with 374 yards and three touchdowns, marking just the second time in his career that he has thrown at least 50 touchdown passes in a season, including the playoffs.
Seattle pulled away early in the third quarter after Xavier Smith spilled a punt and Darnold hit Jake Bobo for a 17-yard touchdown to take a 24-13 lead.
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Jake Bobo took advantage of Xavier Smith’s muffled punt to score against the Los Angeles Rams for the Seattle Seahawks.
Stafford connected with Colby Parkinson for a 40-yard gain and quickly turned the field over, closing out the four-play series with a 2-yard touchdown to Davante Adams to cut Seattle’s lead to four.
Darnold responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass to former Rams Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Cooper Kupp and kept the drive alive on third-and-9 with a 12-yard reception from Cooper Kupp.
Stafford was nearly intercepted on the ensuing possession when Rik Uhlen grabbed the ball to Nacua with both hands. The Seahawks cornerback was then flagged for taunting behind the play, giving the Rams another down instead of a fourth-and-12 situation.
Stafford hit Woolen on the next play and connected with Nacua for a 34-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 31-27.
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Puka Nakau collected an out-of-this-world catch for a touchdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams thought they had won late in the fourth quarter when they forced a punt before reaching the 6-yard line, but Stafford’s pass on a fourth-and-four came up empty, leaving Sean McVay with his face buried in his playsheet.
That cleared the way for Darnold to use up the remaining time with a well-maneuvered closing drive.
The Seahawks led 17-13 at halftime with touchdowns by Kenneth Walker and Smith-Njiba on either side of Kyren Williams’ 9-yard rushing score.
Harrison Mavis also made two field goals for the Rams in the first half, the second by Jason Myers cracking the post from 27 yards to make it 10-6.
Watch Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. There will be live coverage on Skyspot NFL from 10pm, prior to kickoff at 11:30pm.
