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With a trip to Super Bowl LX on the line, the third meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams was another exciting shootout in the Northwest.
But just like in that overtime game last time between these NFC West foes, the Seahawks defended home-field advantage.
The Seahawks travel to Santa Clara to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX following their 31-27 victory over the Rams on Sunday night.
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Kenneth Walker III celebrates with AJ Barner of the Seattle Seahawks after Walker III scored a touchdown in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
It was an offensive attack in this contest, with 28 combined points in the third quarter, highlighting what was going to be a suspenseful fourth quarter.
The biggest moment in this back-and-forth battle occurred on the 14th play of the Rams’ first drive of the quarter when head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford decided to go for it at Seattle’s six-yard line on fourth-and-4.
A touchdown would have given the Rams the lead, and Stafford didn’t look like he was going to leave the field down four points with 4:54 to play.
As he backed up, Stafford checked the end zone and attempted to throw a pass to Terrence Ferguson, but Devon Witherspoon had overall coverage and turned the ball over on downs.
It was a massive stop for a Seattle defense that held an 11-point lead until a crucial error by Riq Woolen, who was called for a taunting penalty on the Rams’ previous drive after a third-and-12 stop. The 15-yard penalty kept Stafford and company on the field, and he made Woolen pay with a touchdown pass to Puka Nacua to make it a 31-27 game.
But Sam Darnold, who played extensively throughout this competition, knew the game was in his hands. A few first downs and purging the Rams’ remaining timeouts would seal a job well done and the NFC title.
A big play came from Darnold, as he found veteran receiver Cooper Kupp on third-and-4, and Kupp stretched out to recover the first down to keep the drive alive. McVay could have challenged that decision, but since he would have lost a timeout, he kept the red flag in his pocket instead of taking the bet.
Maybe that could have led to a blown first down, but hindsight is 20/20 when running back Kenneth Walker III and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba did what was necessary to ice this game.
Stafford had a miraculous chance with 25 seconds left, but with no timeouts, the Rams hung their heads as the Seahawks celebrated their return to the Big Game.
This is a developing story. More to come.
