Seahawks-Rams NFC Championship Game Preview

This NFC Championship Game will be the most significant Rams-Seahawks Game to date. Here’s everything fans need to know about both squads.

Fifth Time’s The Charm In Emerald City

Sam Darnold was prematurely coronated as the messiah of the New York Jets before his first career start in Week One of 2018. Since flaming out in the Big Apple, Darnold has been with four other teams – the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and now the Seahawks.

The San Clemente, California native had shown tantalizing glimpses that were overshadowed by prolonged stretches of futility. But in 2024 as he continued to traverse the NFL in hopes of saving his career, Darnold caught fire with Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold accrued 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and posted a 102.5 passer rating, all good for fifth, fifth, and sixth-best in the NFC, respectively. He also finished 10th in MVP voting and ranked 10th in DVOA among all quarterbacks.

Despite his career renaissance with then Vikings, Minnesota opted to pivot to JJ McCarthy, a decision they’re certainly regretting right now. Darnold inked a three-year, $100 million deal with Seattle in March of last year, and he went on to register 0.145 EPA/dropback, ninth-highest in the NFL.

The bulk of Darnold’s production is courtesy of All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose 1,793 receiving yards led the NFC and all of the NFL. Smith-Njigba is going to get Offensive Player of the Year votes, and he has formed a formidable partnership with Darnold. Darnold has a 122.0 passer rating when he targets Smith-Njigba, per Pro Football Focus.

For all of the fanfare and commotion about Darnold’s revival, he isn’t the only quarterback in this contest in the midst of a dream season…

Stafford Keeps On Slinging

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has enjoyed perhaps the greatest season any quarterback has ever had in the history of the franchise. Better than Jared Goff, and even better than Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf.

A Georgia product who is in his 17th season, Stafford led the NFL in passing yards, touchdown passes, touchdown rate, and finished second in passer rating – and he did so at age 37. Stafford wasn’t just the best passer in the NFC; he was the best in all of football.

Not convinced just yet? Consider this: the seasoned gunslinger finished first in DVOA among all quarterbacks and went eight consecutive games without throwing an interception; he threw 28 touchdown passes in that span.

Over the past three seasons, Stafford has formed a dynamic partnership of his own with Puka Nacua, whose 129 catches topped the entire league. Since Nacua’s rookie season in 2023, only Ja’Marr Chase has more receiving yards.

The Rams have the deepest receiving corps in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. Davante Adams is looking to add an elusive Lombardi Trophy to his Hall of Fame résumé. He and Nacua aren’t quite Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, but they’re the next best thing in Rams lore.

One thing is for certain: this NFC Championship Game is a battle between quarterbacks on opposite spectrums. Stafford is looking to augment to a borderline Hall of Fame case, and Darnold is seeking redemption and is trying to become arguably the most successful journeyman quarterback ever.

Frequently Formidable X-Factors

It’s not a winner-take-all football game without X-factors. Said components can vary from a team’s biggest stars to secret weapons who explode onto the scene.

The Rams’ X-factor is their offensive line, particularly right guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. They’re two of the best at their respective positions, and they’ll have to be just that in the NFC title tilt since they’ll be tasked with neutralizing Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence. Williams and Lawrence combined for 13 sacks and 68 pressures, and they are Seattle’s X-factors. The two commandeered a Seahawks defense that finished first in scoring and third against the run.

As if those stats weren’t daunting enough, then consider that defensive coordinator Aden Durde’s unit finished third in total pressures, sixth in pressure rate, and logged 47 sacks despite having the seventh-lowest blitz rate in the NFL.

The Rams’ offensive line finished fifth and second in ESPN’s proprietary pass and run block win rate metrics, respectively. The also ranked first in adjusted line yards and second in adjusted sack rate. Never mind the dichotomy between the quarterbacks – the NFC champion will be the whoever wins in the trenches.

End Of My NFC Championship Game Rant

The Seahawks are 3-0 at home in conference championship games, and they are 3-0 all time in NFC Championship Games. Their only loss in a conference championship game was in the 1983 AFC Championship Game on the road against the Raiders. Both games between Seattle and Los Angeles were decided in the final minutes, and this game will be no different.

Will Seahawks fans see the Sam Darnold who posted a 110.9 passer rating against the 49ers last week? Will they witness the man who averaged 9.9 yards per attempt and pulled together a 116.5 passer rating through nine games? Or will Darnold see ghosts again?

As for the Rams, their special teams need to show up, and they’ll yet again have to close out a close game, something the team has struggled to do this season, but has executed well in the playoffs. Let the fun begin.