Seahawks Punch Super Bowl Ticket After NFC Title Thriller, But National Anthem Moment Raises Eyebrows
Before the first snap of the NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field, fans were treated to a powerful rendition of the national anthem by rising country star Zach Top. But if you were watching live and noticed a brief audio drop, you weren’t imagining things. For a split second, the broadcast went silent-prompting plenty of viewers to wonder what just happened.
As it turns out, the moment wasn’t a technical glitch. FOX Sports briefly muted the audio, reportedly to censor a shouted expletive from the crowd.
According to fans on social media, someone yelled an anti-ICE phrase during the anthem, prompting the network to cut the sound. The moment was subtle, but it didn’t go unnoticed.
Viewers quickly pieced it together, with one post on X (formerly Twitter) reading, *"fox censors ‘f**k ICE’ during anthem seahawks rams." *
Despite the brief interruption, Zach Top delivered a strong performance that set the tone for what turned out to be an electric evening in Seattle.
And the game? It delivered.
Unlike the AFC Championship earlier in the day-which struggled to find its rhythm thanks in part to rough weather-the NFC title bout between the Seahawks and Rams lived up to the billing. It was a back-and-forth battle that kept fans on edge until the final whistle. Sam Darnold, stepping into the biggest moment of his career, led Seattle to a 31-27 win and a ticket to the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl.
Darnold looked poised and confident, commanding the offense with efficiency and making key throws when it mattered most. The Seahawks’ playmakers stepped up, and the defense held firm in the closing minutes to seal the win over a tough divisional rival.
Now, it’s on to Santa Clara, where the Seahawks will face the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 8. It’s a matchup loaded with storylines and potential fireworks-especially if both teams bring the same energy we saw in the NFC Championship.
If Sunday night was any indication, we could be in for a classic.