Unsung Heroes Spark Seahawks' NFC Title Win with Game-Changing Sequence
In a game packed with stars and playoff pressure, it was two lesser-known names who delivered the turning point in the NFC Championship: Dareke Young and Jake Bobo. One special teams hustle play, one perfectly timed touchdown strike - and just like that, the Seahawks had the momentum they needed to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
Let’s set the scene. Early in the third quarter, with the Seahawks clinging to a narrow lead and the Rams defense starting to find its footing, Seattle’s special teams unit stepped up in a massive way.
Los Angeles had just forced a stop, and it looked like the Rams might be ready to flip the field and the game. But when Rams returner Xavier Smith muffed a punt deep in his own territory, it was Young - a seventh-round pick from the 2022 draft - who was right there to pounce on the loose ball.
That recovery gave Seattle the ball in the red zone, and it felt like a spark was lit.
On the very next play, quarterback Sam Darnold made it count. Standing tall in the pocket and taking a hit in the process, Darnold delivered a strike over the middle to wide receiver Jake Bobo for a 17-yard touchdown. Just like that, the Seahawks were up 24-13.
It wasn’t a game-sealing score - the Rams answered quickly with a 75-yard touchdown drive of their own - but it was a moment that shifted the tone. Seattle would go on to win 31-27, and that two-play sequence stood out as the hinge point.
“It was a big moment for us,” Young said postgame, still surrounded by the haze of victory cigars in the locker room. “The momentum swung in our direction and we had our foot on the gas for the rest of the game.”
For Bobo, the touchdown was more than just a stat. It was a payoff after a season of staying ready with limited opportunities.
The former UCLA standout, now in his third year with Seattle, had just two receptions during the regular season. But when his number was called in the biggest game of the year, he delivered.
“There’s always a plan in place, even though you don’t always necessarily know what’s going on,” Bobo said, reflecting on the mental grind of staying sharp without consistent reps.
Bobo’s touchdown came with a price - for Darnold. The quarterback took a big shot from a Rams defender just after releasing the ball, a hit Bobo didn’t overlook.
“I owe Sammy a couple of beers for the shot that he took,” Bobo said with a laugh. “So much respect for him standing in there and taking that.
We got the coverage we were hunting. If Jaxon [Smith-Njigba] wasn’t there, I knew it was gonna come to me over the middle.
I was just very thankful, happy to contribute.”
As for Young, his fumble recovery was a bit of redemption. Earlier in the game, he’d overrun Smith on a similar punt and peeled off to avoid a penalty - a decision that allowed the Rams returner to recover his own muff. The second time around, Young made the adjustment.
“I knew that I messed up on the first one, got down there too fast,” Young said. “I wasn’t under control and I peeled off to the side to allow him to catch the ball because I didn’t want to run into him.
The next punt after that, I made sure I faced him up. I was able to get a recovery if he did muff it.
It felt great, and it felt even better seeing Bobo going out there and score a touchdown right after.”
Inside the Seahawks locker room, the respect for Bobo runs deep. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who’s emerged as a key weapon in Seattle’s offense, didn’t hold back when asked about Bobo’s moment.
“Bobo is a bad boy,” Smith-Njigba said. “He gets open, he catches the ball, he does his job.
Super happy for him. More than deserving.
The work he puts in day in, day out - more than deserving. We all trust Bobo in this building to get the job done.
If the ball’s coming his way, we know he’s gonna catch it.”
Safety Nick Emmanwori echoed the sentiment, calling the two-play swing “huge” and a perfect example of how special teams and depth players can tilt a playoff game.
“Them coming up like that, Bobo scoring a touchdown, that’s how you put teams away - and that’s what we did,” Emmanwori said.
In the biggest moments, it’s not always the stars who shine. Sometimes, it’s the grinders.
The guys who stay ready. The ones who make the most of their one shot.
For Seattle, it was Young and Bobo - two players who reminded everyone that in January football, every snap counts, and anyone can be the hero.