And then, there were four.
With the Divisional Round in the rear view, we have just four teams left in the NFL’s tournament to see who gets to play in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8. The NFC Championship game is a particularly interesting pier-sixer in that it has two teams that have already faced off twice this season, with the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams splitting the series in the regular season — both times in thrilling fashion.
When we look at X-Factors for each team in these
games, for the Seahawks, it’s hard to think of a player on their roster who has done more to annoy the Rams this season than Rashid Shaheed. Even before the November 4 trade that brought Shaheed to Seattle from New Orleans, Shaheed was already putting Sean McVay’s team at sixes and sevens, and the time seems ripe for a repeat performance.
It was one of those trades that created a blip on the radar at the time, but even the Seattle Seahawks may not have known just what an effect the addition of former New Orleans Saints receiver/returner/runner Rashid Shaheed would have on the franchise when they dealt 2026 fourth- and fifth-round picks for Shaheed’s services on November 4. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak obviously knew what Shaheed could do based on Kubiak’s role as the Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024, but what the 2022 undrafted free agent out of Weber State has done for the Seahawks has been above and beyond.
Not so much as a receiver, though Shaheed does have the speed to take the top off a defense — he’s caught just 15 passes on 25 targets for 188 yards and no touchdowns since the trade — but as a wild-card in the run game, and most certainly as a return stud, Shaheed has made all the difference in the world.
You don’t need to tell the Los Angeles Rams, who have already dealt with Shaheed three times this season, and will have to do it again in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. EST, FOX). Shaheed caught two passes on four targets for 27 yards in Los Angeles’ 21-19 Week 11 win over Seattle, adding a 2-yard run and a 20-yard punt return. That was merely a warmup for what happened in what may have been the NFL’s Game of the Year so far; Seattle’s 38-37 overtime Week 16 win over their division rivals.
In that game, Shaheed caught no passes on no targets, but that’s not what he was there to do. With 7:04 left in the fourth quarter, and the Rams up 30-22, Shaheed took the ball on a misdirection end-around run, and with several blockers running point downfield, ran 31 yards to the Los Angeles 26-yard line. Sam Darnold hit tight end AJ Barner for a 26-yard touchdown on the next play, and with one of the weirdest two-point conversions ever, Seattle had tied the game.
The Seahawks, by the way, went with a very similar play design with similar success in their 41-6 Divisional Round shellacking of the San Francisco 49ers, so we imagine that Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula is game-planning for a repeat performance.
Shaheed had already beaten the Rams up at that point. The Seahawks were down 30-14 when the Rams punted the ball to Shaheed with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter, and without Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return touchdown, who knows if the Seahawks would have ever been in position to come back as they did?
“Just being able to create a spark for my teammates is always a great opportunity,” Shaheed said postgame. “Any chance we get to create momentum going into drives or with our special teams or offense, defense. It’s always good for the team. Being able to celebrate with those guys for the big play means everything.
“Based on the field position, we knew that we were going to be able to get a return. We’ve been focused on that left return all week. We knew that they had kind of a weak point with their special teams and we were able to circle the punt return team and make a big play.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay was NOT amused; he fired special teams coach Chase Blackburn two days later. McVay isn’t known for doing things like that in-season, but that appeared to be the last straw.
So, one “gadget guy” creates a two-touchdown swing in less time than it takes to read this article, and is out there getting coaches fired and whatnot? That’s pretty remarkable. After the win over the 49ers, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald got into the specifics of Shaheed’s value, and what a crucial move the trade really was.
“Well, he was someone that I know that we were targeting throughout the process,” Macdonald said. “And I mean that’s [general manager] John (Schneider) and the personnel folks that made it come to life. So, shout-out to him. Turns out, it was a luxury, initially, because of our receiver situation, but with [receiver] Tory [Horton] going down [with groin and shin injuries in Week 10], it ended up being a great move. It was a great move initially. But from my perspective and the coaches’ perspective, he’s a player that we really respect. When he’s catching the ball in kickoff return, you’re like, ‘Oh, here we go, we’ve got to contain this guy.’ When he’s on the field on offense, you can’t let him get behind you as well. The receiver run game is something you have to account for as well. It really does help the team big time. So, shout out to John.”
By the way, just because Shaheed hasn’t come up with a big reception against the Rams in a Seahawks uniform doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible. Shaheed’s final game with the Saints was a 34-10 Los Angeles win in which he beat cornerback Emmanuel Forbes on a post/corner route with 12:40 left in the game.
Just one more reason that the Los Angeles Rams may have more of an aversion to this Rashid Shaheed fellow than anybody else in the world.
