Sam Darnold’s football journey has taken him through false starts, second chances and plenty of doubt. On Sunday night, it took him somewhere he’s never been before — the Super Bowl.
In an electrifying NFC Championship Game, Darnold threw three touchdown passes and the Seattle Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense delivered a season-defining fourth-down stop as Seattle edged the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 to punch its ticket to Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Cast aside by the New York Jets after being drafted third overall in 2018, and not retained by Minnesota despite leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season a year ago, Darnold is now Super Bowl–bound in his first season with Seattle. The eight-year veteran, playing for his fifth NFL team, authored the most impressive performance of his career on the sport’s biggest conference stage.
Playing through an oblique injury, Darnold was poised and aggressive, completing 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards with no turnovers. He spread the ball confidently, kept pace with Matthew Stafford in a back-and-forth shootout, and delivered when Seattle needed him most late.
The Seahawks (16-3) reached the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time in 11 years. Their most recent appearance ended in heartbreak against New England — the same Patriots team they’ll face again in two weeks.
Seattle set the tone immediately. Darnold’s first completion of the game went for 51 yards to Rashid Shaheed, igniting the crowd and the offense. Four plays later, Kenneth Walker plunged in from two yards out to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead.
Los Angeles answered, and the game quickly settled into a heavyweight exchange. Stafford was brilliant, throwing for 374 yards and three touchdowns, but the Rams (14-6) were undone by costly mistakes and one critical defensive stand.
After Xavier Smith muffed a punt in the third quarter, Darnold wasted no time capitalizing. On the very next play, he hit Jake Bobo for a 17-yard touchdown, extending Seattle’s lead to 24-13. Bobo’s score was his first since Jan. 5, 2025 — also against the Rams — and just the fourth touchdown of his three-year career. Afterward, Bobo credited Darnold for the opportunity, calling the quarterback’s trust a difference-maker.
Seattle appeared to seize full control later in the third quarter when Darnold fired a 13-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp to make it 31-20. But the Rams refused to fold.
A taunting penalty on Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen after a third-down breakup extended a Los Angeles drive, and Stafford immediately attacked again. Puka Nacua beat Woolen in the corner of the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 31-27 and swinging momentum back toward the Rams.
Los Angeles then forced a punt and mounted a methodical 14-play, 84-yard drive that seemed destined to produce the go-ahead score. Facing fourth-and-4 at the Seattle 6 with 4:59 remaining, Rams coach Sean McVay elected to keep the offense on the field. Stafford’s pass to the end zone was broken up by Devon Witherspoon, one of several clutch plays by Seattle’s defense on the night.
That stop proved decisive. The Rams didn’t touch the ball again until just 25 seconds remained, and their final chance ended when Nacua was tackled inbounds near midfield on the last play.
Seattle’s offense made sure there would be no dramatic finish. On the final possession, Darnold converted three first downs through the air, keeping the Seahawks aggressive and draining nearly all the remaining time off the clock.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was Darnold’s favorite target and the engine of Seattle’s passing game. He hauled in 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown — the second-most receiving yards in a playoff game in franchise history. His biggest moment came late in the second quarter. After Los Angeles took a 13-10 lead, Darnold needed just 34 seconds to flip the game. Smith-Njigba absorbed a crushing hit while securing a 42-yard catch, then finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown that sent Seattle into halftime ahead 17-13.
For the Rams, the loss may mark the end of an era. McVay bristled when asked about Stafford’s future after the game. The 37-year-old quarterback is a finalist for his first MVP award after leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and throwing a career-best 46 touchdown passes.
For Seattle, the story is about belief. Belief in a quarterback many had written off, belief in a defense that thrived under pressure, and belief that this season could be special.
Once overlooked and often doubted, Sam Darnold now stands one win away from a championship, having led the Seahawks through one of the most thrilling NFC title games in recent memory.
