NFL writer identifies what the Seahawks have that can carry them to Super Bowl

Jeff Chadiha of NFL.com evaluated 18 playoff contenders and their Super Bowl LX aspirations. He’s sold on the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks, who currently own the best record in their conference.

“Seattle made a huge statement on Thursday night with a 38-37 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. In overcoming a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Seahawks proved they had more than enough mental toughness to take the NFC West crown and send the road to the Super Bowl through their city. It also was evidence that quarterback Sam Darnold has a chance to avoid the postseason horrors that haunted him last season when he melted down in a wild-card loss to the Rams after turning around his career with the Vikings.”

In a 27-9 loss to Sean McVay’s team in January, Darnold was sacked nine times and turned over the ball twice—one of those miscues a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. In the one-point win over the Rams last Thursday, he made amends after a slow start.

“Darnold had some struggles on Thursday night—he threw two interceptions,” added Chadiha, “including one midway through the fourth quarter that could’ve clinched the game for Los Angeles—but he made several clutch plays after that. His effectiveness is obviously critical to Seattle’s Super Bowl hopes, especially if the Seahawks defense continues to be the elite unit we’ve watched most of the year.”

Mike Macdonald's squad is giving up just 8.6 points per game, and has allowed only 28 offensive touchdowns in 15 games. The team has come up with 22 takeaways, four more than they managed all of last season (18).