Seahawks Punch Ticket to Super Bowl Behind Darnold’s Heroics and “Dark Side” Defense
SEATTLE - Sam Darnold’s journey through the NFL has been anything but linear. Five teams in eight years, plenty of questions, and not a whole lot of stability. But on Sunday, under the lights of Lumen Field and with a Super Bowl berth on the line, Darnold delivered the kind of performance that rewrites narratives.
The veteran quarterback threw three touchdowns to lead the Seahawks to a 31-27 win over the Rams in a thrilling NFC Championship showdown. It wasn’t just a win - it was a statement.
Seattle, now 16-3 on the season, is headed to its fourth Super Bowl in franchise history and its first in over a decade. And fittingly, they’ll face the team that handed them heartbreak in their last trip: the New England Patriots.
Darnold looked poised and in command all game, showing the kind of confidence that comes from both experience and trust in the system. Under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks have built an identity that’s as tough as it is opportunistic - and on Sunday, both sides of the ball showed up when it mattered most.
The defining moment came late in the fourth quarter. With the Rams trailing by four and driving deep into Seattle territory, Sean McVay made the aggressive call to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the Seahawks’ 6-yard line. It was a win-or-go-home kind of decision - and Seattle’s defense was ready.
Matthew Stafford fired a pass into the end zone, but rookie standout Devon Witherspoon broke it up with perfect timing, sealing the stop and sending the stadium into a frenzy. That play was the embodiment of what Seattle’s defense - nicknamed the “Dark Side” - has been all season: fast, physical, and fearless.
From there, the Seahawks played the clock perfectly. The Rams didn’t see the ball again until just 25 seconds remained, and by the time Puka Nacua was tackled inbounds near midfield on the final snap, the celebration in Seattle had already begun.
This run to the Super Bowl has been built on resilience. Darnold, once cast aside as a cautionary tale of unmet potential, is now the quarterback of a conference champion.
Macdonald, still early in his head coaching career, has molded a team that plays with swagger and discipline. And the “Dark Side” defense?
They’ve become the heartbeat of this squad - a unit that thrives in the biggest moments.
Now, with a date set at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the Seahawks will look to finish what they’ve started. The Patriots await - a rematch 11 years in the making. But no matter what happens in two weeks, one thing is clear: these Seahawks are for real.