4 Takeaways From the Seahawks' Win Over the Rams

Lumen Field (Seattle) – The Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl, and they’ll have a familiar opponent: the New England Patriots.

And they did it in most of the ways you would’ve guessed: 1) smothering defense, especially with the secondary, 2) great special teams and 3) … well, here’s the surprise. Sam Darnold played out of his mind. He finished the game 25-of-36 for 346 passing yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. All three of his touchdowns came under pressure, per Next Gen Stats. That’s a career high.

Who had Darnold playing the best game of his life in the biggest game of his life? Incredible stuff from the former New York Jets castoff, who out-dueled Matthew Stafford. 

Here are my takeaways:

1. The Rams’ best and final go-ahead opportunity was an example of the Seahawks’ dominance

On his final drive, Matthew Stafford was playing out of his mind, with patience and an incisive style that a good surgeon can appreciate.

But when a defense is truly dominant, there’s nothing a QB can do. We saw that on fourth-and-4 from the 6-yard line with 4:59 left in the game. The Rams had a chance to take the lead, but they couldn’t score. And that’s because – despite Stafford dropping back for 3.6 seconds (a very long dropback) – he had nowhere to go with the ball. Not to Davante Adams. Not to Puka Nacua. Not to Konta Mumpfield. Not to Kyren Williams.

Even though tight end Terrance Ferguson was the intended target, he didn’t stand a chance. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon broke up the pass.

This Seahawks secondary is otherworldly. In an era when QBs should be able to win — because they seem to have every advantage — it’s special to see a group of defensive backs take over a game. And then, to the credit of the offense, which burned most of the remaining five minutes of the game. The Rams never threatened on their final drive.

The Rams didn’t have the best QB. It didn’t matter because they were as good — or better — at practically every other position.

2. A rare Seahawks’ mental mistake cost the team a touchdown – and nearly the game

With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Seahawks had held the Rams without points on the drive. It was third-and-long and Stafford had thrown incomplete for Nacua with Tariq Woolen in coverage. Woolen wanted to let the Rams know just how big that play was.

So, he went over and told them. After breaking up the throw near the L.A. sideline, he stayed there and talked trash – even after an official clearly told him to leave. When Woolen failed to heed the official’s warning, that official threw a penalty flag for 15 yards. And a first down.

The next play, Stafford threw it right at Nacua and Woolen for a 34-yard touchdown. Of Woolen’s five touchdowns allowed, four of them have come against the Rams, per Next Gen Stats.

Puka Nacua celebrates his second-half touchdown with head coach Sean McVay. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

3. These two TDs showed just how deeply these two teams know each other

On the penultimate touchdown of the first half, the Rams ran a short motion – moving Rams tight end Colby Parkinson inside — and that simple pre-snap movement was enough to confuse the safeties about who was covering whom. Because they both covered the tight end and no one covered the running back, Williams, who was wide open for the touchdown.

Matthew Stafford finds Kyren Williams for nine-yard TD to give Rams a lead over Seahawks | NFL Highlights

On the Seahawks’ retaliatory touchdown – and the final score of the first half – wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was just as wide open. How? Well, he lined up as a running back. That weird wrinkle created enough confusion to the point where the Rams didn’t have anyone covering the best receiver in the NFL in the end zone.

It would be foolish to think these busted coverages happened by way of a defensive lapse. No, they were forced errors by two incredible offensive minds in Rams coach Sean McVay and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who found a way to create weakness and confusion. Sometimes, the perfect play call can break a defensive system.

Sam Darnold finds Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 14-yard TD to give Seahawks the lead over Rams | NFL Highlights

That’s what I think happened on back-to-back touchdowns.

4. The Seahawks’ opening drive went exactly how Seattle designed

I’m not just talking about Seattle’s offense. I’m talking about its defense, too.

The Seahawks won the coin toss and decided to defer. They were happy to start on defense, and we saw why. The Rams managed just seven yards in their three-and-out opening drive. For all of coach McVay’s brilliance, his offense couldn’t score on its opening drive for the first time this postseason (with touchdowns against the Panthers and Bears).

To make matters worse, the Seahawks clicked on the thing that makes them dangerous: the downfield passing game. During the regular season, Darnold threw explosive passes at the third-highest rate in the NFL after Drake Maye and Jordan Love. Of course, Darnold also led the league in turnovers (20). When Darnold has the ball, big plays happen — for the offense and defense. So it was notable that, on the Seahawks' first offensive drive, it broke Seattle’s way for a 51-yard pitch-and-catch to Rashid Shahid. Kenneth Walker later finished the drive with a TD.

And all was right in Seattle. I get that every team would be happy with a 7-0 lead after two drives. But it was how they got to that point that really dictated the early part of the game.

4 ½. What’s next?

The Seahawks have to like any matchup given how well they’re playing. Even Darnold looked unflappable against a Rams defense that always seemed one step ahead of him during the season. So, it’ll be fascinating to see what Mike Vrabel’s Patriots will have in store for Darnold.

On one hand, the Patriots look like pretenders. Maye threw for just 86 yards in the AFC Championship Game and just 533 passing yards between New England’s three playoff games. He also had three turnovers against the Texans and has looked nervous to start all three of his games. New England doesn’t have a WR1, and its rookie left tackle hasn’t just looked vulnerable – he’s looked downright bad.

But!

But the Patriots defense has allowed just 26 points in their three-game run, the second fewest in NFL history by a playoff team in that same span, leading into a Super Bowl. Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are managing games to perfection. So, when you watch Maye, you see a QB who is playing to win – regardless of stats.

The Seahawks will surely enter the Super Bowl as favorites, but underestimate the Patriots at your own risk.