Sam Darnold erased one big blemish on his resume when he led the Seattle Seahawks to a 13-3 win at San Francisco in Week 18 that secured the NFC West crown and the NFC's No. 1 overall seed and the first-round bye.
A year ago, Darnold had the Minnesota Vikings in a similar spot when he flopped in a 31-9 loss at Detroit in a showdown for the NFC North title and the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs.
A week later, his days as the Vikings quarterback
came to an end in a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
The Seahawks (14-3) are confident Darnold can rewrite his postseason fortunes just as he turned things around in Week 18 from his late-season struggles a year ago.
“The success speaks for itself,” right tackle Abe Lucas said. “He’s a Pro Bowl quarterback this year, and happy to see him have that success and really dial it in for everything that goes into it and the process that goes into it. So, he deserves it.”
The Seahawks will face the lowest remaining seed after the wild-card games this weekend.
Seattle's division title sent both the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on the road with 12-5 records. The Niners play the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) on Sunday and the playoffs start when the Rams on Saturday visit the Carolina Panthers, who won the NFC South despite an 8-9 record. The NFC schedule also has the Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) visiting the Chicago Bears (11-6) on Saturday night for just the third postseason showdown between the bitter NFC North rivals.
One Lombardi trophy in three Super Bowl appearances.
Lift the Lombardi: The Seahawks, under second-year coach Mike Macdonald, are fresh off one of their finest regular seasons in the franchise’s 50-year history. Seattle won a franchise-record 14 games in the regular season, besting the 13 wins the Seahawks had in 2005 and 2013. The Seahawks have been buoyed by the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense, which is also tied for seventh in the NFL with 47 sacks. Overall, the Seahawks are one of the most talented and deepest teams in the NFC on both sides of the ball. But, it is Seattle’s defense that has been critical to its record-setting season, thanks to stalwarts such as CB Devon Witherspoon and newcomers such as DE DeMarcus Lawrence.
Cancel the confetti: Darnold is in the midst of a fine season by most metrics, having thrown for the second-most passing yards of his career (4,048) while tossing 25 touchdown passes.
However, Darnold also had 14 interceptions. Turning the ball over has been an issue of Darnold’s since his rookie season.
The Seahawks will go as far as Darnold can take them, and if the veteran quarterback can take care off the football.
“We’re here today as No. 1 seed because of Mike (Macdonald),” — linebacker Ernest Jones IV.
One Lombardi trophy in two Super Bowl appearances.
Lift the Lombardi: The Bears’ worst-to-first transformation in coach Ben Johnson’s first season has been nothing short of remarkable. They’ve gone from finishing last in the NFC North to winning the division for the first time since 2018. They’re making their first playoff appearance in five years thanks to an offense that ranks among the best in the NFL, with quarterback Caleb Williams making strides in his second season. The Bears have also performed well in tense spots, pulling out six wins when trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Cancel the confetti: The Bears have dropped two straight, losing 19-16 to Detroit on a last-second field goal after coming up short at San Francisco, 42-38. They gave up 433 yards against the Lions after the 49ers went off for 496. The defense finished 29th in the league at 361.8 yards per game.
“We’re never out. Our guys know that.” — Johnson.
Two Lombardi trophies in five Super Bowl appearances.
Lift the Lombardi: The Eagles are trying to make a run at their second straight Super Bowl championship and third appearance in four seasons. Jalen Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, enters the playoffs fresh after coach Nick Sirianni chose to rest several starters in Week 18. Hurts comes into Sunday with a 76.1% winning percentage including playoff games since 2022, which leads all quarterbacks. This season he threw for 3,224 yards and rushed for 421 more. His 33 combined touchdowns through the air and on the ground ranked sixth in the NFL, and Hurts’ seven passing scores of 30-plus yards led the league.
Cancel the confetti: The Eagles sat many of their starters in the finale and lost their chance at the No. 2 seed and the potential two home games that come with it. The Eagles were the No. 2 seed last season and ended up playing three postseason games at home once top-seeded Detroit was knocked out. Only five No. 3 seeds ever have played in a Super Bowl and none out of the NFC since Carolina in 2003.
“One thing I could guarantee was giving them rest. I couldn’t guarantee them anything else. Being healthy and going into the playoffs healthy is a big deal for us.” — coach Nick Sirianni.
No Lombardi trophies in two Super Bowl appearances.
Lift the Lombardi: Carolina has some big wins this season, beating the Packers on the road and the Rams at home. Cornerback is a strength behind the tandem of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and the defense overall has played well down the stretch. If the Panthers can keep games close, they have a chance. Bryce Young, who will make his playoff debut, has led 12 fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning drives since 2023, more than any QB in the league.
Cancel the confetti: The Panthers are a biggest longshot (200-1, per BetMGM Sportsbook) to win the Super Bowl of the 14 teams in the postseason, and a 10 1/2-point home underdog on Saturday in the wild-card game against the Rams. They don’t have a wealth of experience — 31 players on the roster have never played in a playoff game — or many playmakers on offense. The running game was a strength earlier in the season behind Rico Dowdle, but even that has fallen off. Carolina managed just 19 yards on 10 carries last week at Tampa Bay in a game they needed to win capture the NFC South title outright. Instead, the Panthers had to rely on the Falcons to beat the Saints to get into the postseason for the first time since 2017.
“I’m so fired up for Bryce and for the whole crew, but these are the moments, in my mind, when we’ve put Bryce into these high-stakes situations, he’s performed well." — coach Dave Canales,
Two Lombardi trophies in five Super Bowl appearances.
Lift the Lombardi: The Rams appeared to be the NFL’s most complete team in the second half of the season before they hit a two-game skid that knocked them out of the No. 1 spot in the NFC. They’ve still got the talented roster with the league’s most productive offense and a surprisingly effective defense, and they’re getting Davante Adams and Quentin Lake back in the lineup for the postseason. At their best this season, the Rams have been dominant behind their Super Bowl-winning coach and quarterback.
Cancel the confetti: Los Angeles regressed noticeably on defense down the stretch, and coordinator Chris Shula’s unit has a vulnerable secondary that has been picked apart by top quarterbacks all season. The Rams’ running game will be worse if left guard Kevin Dotson doesn’t return soon from injury. That two-game skid means they could spend the entire postseason on the road, and their last two seasons ended with road playoff defeats. They simply might have peaked a few weeks too early.
“It feels great to be at this point. It’s on us to just continue to be the team that we’ve been prepare the way we know how to prepare, go out there and play, and then see where that takes us.” — QB Matthew Stafford.
Five Lombardi trophies in eight Super Bowl trips.
Lift the Lombardi: The offense has been mostly potent for the 49ers since quarterback Brock Purdy returned from a toe injury in November. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are tough matchups for any defense and can help overcome any defensive deficiencies. Star linebacker Fred Warner has a chance to return if the team can reach the conference title game and would provide a huge lift. The Super Bowl then would be played on the home field for the Niners, a perfect setting for the franchise’s long-awaited sixth title.
Cancel the confetti: With Warner and Nick Bosa out with injuries, the 49ers defense has struggled mightily down the stretch. San Francisco finished last in the league with 20 sacks and tied for second to last with six INTs. The run defense that was solid the first half of the season wore down over the stretch run, adding more pressure to the offense. While San Francisco lit the scoreboard against some of the league’s lesser defenses, Purdy and the offense struggled at times against elite units such as Seattle’s and might not be able to overcome a leaky defense.
“I like the mindset of, ‘Nothing has gone right for this team this year, so why would we have it any other way right now?’ Let’s do it the hard way. That’s kind of been the theme of the season. So let’s just lean into that.” — fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Four Lombardi trophies in five Super Bowl trips.
Lift the Lombardi: Green Bay showed it could make some noise as a No. 7 seed two years ago when it won at Dallas in a wild-card upset and led San Francisco most of the way in the divisional round before losing 24-21 on a late touchdown. The Packers have experience on this stage as they’re making their third straight playoff appearance. QB Jordan Love’s had a quality season as he has thrown 23 touchdown passes with only six interceptions.
Cancel the confetti: The Packers lost their last four regular-season games. They’re the fourth team to enter the postseason on a losing streak of at least four games. Only one of the previous three teams (the 1986 New York Jets) won a playoff game, and none advanced beyond the divisional round. Defense has gone from a major strength to a legitimate concern since the Packers lost linemen Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt to season-ending injuries. Love hasn’t played since sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter of a Dec. 20 overtime loss at Chicago. He’s feeling fine now, but the lack of recent game action is cause for consternation.
“I believe in that locker room. I believe in the talent that we have, the players that we have, how committed they are, how together they are, and I know the type of fight that we have as a football team.” — coach Matt LaFleur.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and AP Sports Writers Steve Megargee, Andrew Seligman, Steve Reed, Greg Beacham, Andrew Destin and Dan Gelston contributed.
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