The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the NFC Championship Game not just with momentum - but with a full head of steam, looking every bit like the team to beat in this year’s Super Bowl race.
Fresh off a dominant 41-6 dismantling of the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, Seattle is riding an eight-game win streak and showing no signs of slowing down. That win wasn’t just a playoff statement - it was a continuation of a trend.
In five of their last seven games, the Seahawks’ defense, which leads the league in scoring, has held opponents to 10 points or fewer. That kind of consistency on the defensive side of the ball is rare, and it’s coming at exactly the right time.
Their opponent in the NFC title game, the Los Angeles Rams, are coming in with a very different trajectory. Since blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead to these same Seahawks in Week 16 - a game they eventually lost in overtime - the Rams have been in survival mode.
They dropped the next game to the 8-9 Atlanta Falcons, barely edged out the 3-14 Arizona Cardinals in their regular-season finale, and needed second-half rallies and late-game heroics to get past both the Panthers and Bears in the playoffs. It’s been more of a scramble than a surge.
Over in the AFC, things aren’t looking much more stable. Top-seeded Denver just lost quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending injury, leaving the offense in the hands of backup Jarrett Stidham. And while the New England Patriots matched Seattle’s regular-season record at 14-3, their path was paved with the league’s softest schedule - and only one of their wins came against a team with a winning record.
That context has analysts like FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt seeing a clear favorite - and it’s not close.
“Normally, when we get to this point in the season, it feels like a coin flip,” Klatt said during an appearance on Brock and Salk. “But man, I gotta tell you, I don’t remember a year where one team looked this much better than the rest. Maybe the undefeated Patriots back in 2007?”
Klatt acknowledged the Rams have had their moments against Seattle this season, but he made it clear - the Seahawks’ current form is on another level.
“The way Seattle is playing now, New England and Denver aren’t going to beat them. Certainly not Denver with Jarrett Stidham,” Klatt said.
“And the Rams? They barely escaped the Panthers and Bears.
Meanwhile, Seattle is just beating down their opponents.”
It’s not often you see a team peaking this sharply in January. But the Seahawks are checking every box - elite defense, efficient offense, and a level of confidence that’s hard to fake. If they keep playing like this, it’s going to take something special to stop them from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.