Typically you’d put Thanksgiving leftovers in the most elite tier. These are even better. Since nobody will ever be able to say everything about Seattle Seahawks 31, Los Angeles Rams 27, here are some
re-heated goodies that came to mind basking in the glory of the franchise’s fourth NFC championship.
Sam Darnold was even better than we thought
He made one turnover-worthy throw but no actual turnovers. He didn’t play hero ball on the second-quarter botched snap and instead elected to live with 2nd and 19. He ran away from free rushers. On rollouts, he threw the ball away out of bounds.
And Darnold still “managed” to complete 25 of 36 passes to every quadrant of the field, at every depth. Both completed deep balls were beauties, rainbows that would do both of his predecessors proud. And they would know.
There were not a lot of locations to place this pass and Darnold found one of them.
The other thing about the JSN and Jake Bobo touchdown tosses is they both came under pressure. As you’ll see below, Darnold is being hit or will be smacked a fraction of a second after releasing.
Additionally, Darnold’s longest completion of the day, which set up the pre-half touchdown, isn’t just a pretty moonball — it’s got enough pace on it to prevent the safety from getting there in time. Too much air under it and that’s a PBU.
If Sam knows the ghosts are real and breathing down his neck, maybe that’s better than seeing them where they aren’t?
In any case, when the dust had settled after three quarters, the mix of caution and precision had turned into 31 points. Enough to win the NFC title game. Enough to win any of the three Super Bowls Seattle has attended. With the defense behind him, he knows the only costly mistake is a giveaway.
Sam has faced the Rams four times in twelve months. In his first two games, both losses, he averaged three giveaways and 4. 5 sacks. In his last two games, both wins, it’s one giveaway and 3.5 sacks. That’s a trend we can live with for a long time.
Kenneth Walker was also way better than a first glance indicates
There are almost too many instances to name, but let’s start with the least obvious one:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba really does too many things well to be ours. But like they used to say about that one pitcher for that one local team, JSN is ours and you can’t have him.
This juke from K9 left me gasping with 68,772 of my closest friends:
Dead to rights here, and still:
The rest of the play, he literally teleports to his right. Not figuratively. He literally casts the spell and leaves his enemies wondering why he’s over there instead of in their grubby clutches.
And then, on the final drive, when the Seahawks needed first downs like Marshawn needs Skittles, Walker made a man miss before the sticks, caused another whiff, and blew past a third Ram to pick up 15 yards.
Walker had his usual perfect ball security, too, on a day where one fumble likely meant the difference between reaching the Super Bowl and watching the Rams in two weeks. As an extension, the collective running game was even better than stats indicate.
In the final three minutes, Seattle ran the ball five times for one total yard, as a way to kill clock. Remove those and replace them with Walker and George Holani’s receptions. The exercise is not entirely fair, but do it anyway. You get 21 rushes for 74 yards and seven catches for 76, meaning the runners generated 150 yards on 28 touches. That’s 5.4 yards per play. That’s getting it done.
Mike Macdonald managed the hell out of that clock, twice
LA got the ball back with 1:55 before halftime but the only team that scored before half was Seattle.
LA’s last-ditch chance to steal a win was never going to work because MM had left them with 93 yards to go in 25 second, sans timeouts.
Macdonald is a quick study in time management. Nobody should be surprised.
Devon Witherspoon is a maniac, which we knew
Never change, Spoon.
Sunday’s refereeing was more equitable (and frankly enjoyable) than anyone could’ve foreseen
The missed facemask on DeMarcus Lawrence’s sack was the wrong call but the taunting on Riq Woolen was correct. The non-DPI at the sideline that everyone yelled about is probably warranted, but suffered from Darnold throwing a bad ball. The other non-DPI Davante Adams wanted at the pylon was correctly deemed uncatchable. The Rams got away with some glaring holds, which happens. Overall it seemed like neither team received a large advantage from the stripes; in a championship game, that’s literally the best they can be and the most we can ask for.
The Seahawks red zone defense was exactly as good as necessary because of two key contributors
Tyrice Knight was in on both tackles after LA got to the 12 yard line. Witherspoon made both pass breakups on third and fourth down. Knight was only in because of a late injury to starter Drake Thomas. Witherspoon had given up one explosive after another in coverage.
Yet they were at their best when it counted most. One backup and one superstar. Twelve as One, indeed.
Who is Matt Stafford going to throw it to on fourth down here? Follow the dots a few times and tell me who’s open.
The Rams did the Seahawks a favor
Their non-scoring drive that ended with those pretty dots ate up 7:24 of the final quarter. LA let 37, 34, 39, 41 and 39, 43, 38 and 44 seconds elapse between plays before reaching the Seattle red zone. Do Cancun hotels take fruit basket orders online?
Matt Stafford was on one
This throw looked ill-advised in the stadium. There was not a receiver there yet and even if he were, the pass would need to be feathered in.
Puka Nacua was quadruple covered, with another safety waiting to make it five. Still a catch. How.
Lawrence forced fifty fumbles and scored a hundred touchdowns while missing exactly zero tackles this season but Staff schooled him in the open field, on a play the Rams absolutely had to have late.
There are things Josh Allen can do to make you look silly, things Lamar Jackson does that send your jaw slack, but Matthew Lucifer Stafford is the most complete QB in the game. He can hurt you so many ways. He almost hurt an entire region.
Cooper Kupp, you guys
The touchdown was big enough. As you see it again, notice that three different Rams had a shot at him, a la Kearse pinball TD in XLVIII. Not to worry. Kupp did a little quick trigonometry in his head, calculated some square hypotenuses, and chose the path of least resistance to paydirt.
Just as crucial was the play where Kupp extends for two yards after contact to convert 3rd and 7 on the final drive. You know the one. With seven to the sticks, he gets *exactly* seven. Maybe the Seahawks go for it anyway, maybe they whip out the Barnyard, but we’ll never have to find out, because all the things you signed Kupp for — leadership, third-down savvy, hands, awareness — came into beautiful focus at the time his team needed them the most.
And the exact moment his former team needed them the least. How sweet is that?
The company the Seahawks joined is even more exclusive than you may have realized
Not only are they the 6th best DVOA team of all time, eclipsing the 2013 Hawks, but they joined a short list: franchises who’ve hosted four *and* won four conference title games this century.
- NE (hosted 8, won 10)
- KC (hosted 6, won 4)
- PHI (hosted 6, won 4)
- SEA (hosted 4, won 4)
That’s the whole list, encompassing all of recent NFL history, most of the salary cap era, and almost half the Super Bowl era. The Seahawks are on the verge of something special. To get there, they needed to defeat their fiercest rival, the next best team in football, and a demon from their own history. Two down, one to go.
Parting thought? That was the Rams’ best punch
With the combination of coach, QB, receiving corps, offensive line and defensive personnel, that might have been the best punch the Rams will EVER throw at the Seahawks. Sean McVay has made occasional noises about leaving and does not currently have a contract extension. Stafford turns 38 during Super Bowl weekend. Hard to pay Adams and Nacua. Aaron Donald ain’t ever coming back.
The Seahawks took the Rams’ best uppercut right on the chin, and it wasn’t enough. Let that sink in.
