The Seattle Seahawks are red-hot-and not just by their own standards. Winners of eight straight and 12 of their last 13, this team is peaking at exactly the right time. And while the road to the NFC Championship hasn’t been without potholes, the way Seattle has responded to adversity is what makes them a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Take their last meeting with the Los Angeles Rams, the very team they’ll face with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Seattle was down 30-14 in the second half.
Things looked bleak. Then Rashid Shaheed flipped the script with a game-changing punt return touchdown, and suddenly the momentum swung.
From there, Sam Darnold settled in, found his rhythm, and led the Seahawks to a dramatic 38-37 overtime win. That’s the kind of comeback that builds belief-not just in the locker room, but across the entire fanbase.
Darnold’s performance down the stretch wasn’t just about stats-it was about poise. And for a quarterback who’s had to fight for every opportunity, a win like that in a high-pressure moment says a lot. But as much as Darnold’s resurgence has been a storyline, the real head-scratcher from that game was Seattle’s defense.
Under Mike Macdonald, this defense has been one of the league’s best all year. But in Week 16, they gave up 581 total yards-the most ever allowed by a Seahawks team.
That’s not a typo. Sean McVay’s offense had answers for everything Seattle threw at them.
Matthew Stafford was surgical, and the Rams moved the ball at will.
That said, it’s hard to imagine a repeat performance from Seattle’s defense. This is a group that held the Rams to just 49 total yards when the teams met in Week 11.
Yes, the Seahawks lost that game 21-19, but that was more about Darnold’s four interceptions than anything else. If Seattle avoids self-inflicted wounds, they’ve already shown they can dominate this matchup.
NFL analyst Joel Klatt certainly thinks so. Speaking on Seattle Sports 710 AM, Klatt didn’t hold back when discussing the Seahawks’ chances.
“Normally, I get to this point in the season and I think it’s a coin flip for any of the four teams to win it all,” Klatt said. “But man, I gotta tell you guys, I don’t remember a year that I felt like a single team was this much better than the other three in a long time.”
That’s high praise-and it didn’t stop there. Klatt pointed out that Seattle’s recent form has been dominant, while other contenders have struggled to get past teams like the Panthers and Bears. In his eyes, Seattle isn’t just surviving-they’re imposing their will.
Of course, it’s one thing to look great on paper. It’s another to execute when it matters most.
For Seattle, that means pressuring Stafford-something they failed to do in their last meeting. Give Stafford time in the pocket, and he’ll carve up any defense.
Macdonald knows this. Expect a heavy emphasis on disrupting Stafford’s timing and forcing him off his spot.
And then there’s Darnold. He doesn’t need to be perfect, but he can’t be reckless.
The Week 11 version of Darnold-four picks and missed opportunities-won’t cut it. But the one we saw claw back from a 16-point deficit?
That guy can win you a championship.
If Seattle gets past the Rams, whether it’s another nail-biter or a statement win, the conversation shifts. Not just about whether they can win the Super Bowl-but whether anyone left can actually stop them.