In front of a loud, energetic, and sold-out crowd, the Seattle Seahawks earned their right to play in Super Bowl LX by defeating their rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in a thrilling 31-27 victory at Lumen Field. With the win, the Seahawks become the NFC Champions and are set to appear in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015 and for the fourth time in franchise history.

The Super Bowl will take place in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, where the Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots, who advanced to the Super Bowl by defeating the Denver Broncos 10-7 in the AFC Championship. The Seahawks vs. the Patriots sets up a rematch from the infamous 2015 Super Bowl XLIX.

Still a sore spot for all Seattle football fans, in the 2015 match the Seahawks lost to the Patriots 28-24. The game came down to the final play where with only 20 seconds left, Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the one-yard line, preventing the go-ahead touchdown and sealing the win for New England. (Yes, the fan consensus is still that they should have handed the ball off to Marshawn Lynch to run it in.)

Thanks to the win in the NFC Championship, Seattle now has the chance to redeem that Super Bowl loss.

The NFC Championship match between the Seahawks and the Rams was set-up by a season where both teams continuously showed that they were some of the best in the league, including two previous meet-ups during the regular season. When looking at the combined stats of the previous two matches, the Rams and the Seahawks were separated by a single point, and one yard of total offense, showing how well-matched the two teams are.

The first time they played was on Nov. 19 in Los Angeles, and the Rams came out victorious, defeating the Hawks 21-19. Their second meeting turned out to be an overtime nail-biter (and arguably the best game of the regular season in the entire league) where the Seahawks came out on top 38-37 after coming back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter. This comeback was highlighted by three straight 2-point conversions, including one in overtime to seal the win in the Dec. 18 rematch at Lumen Field. 

During their third outing, with win-or-go-home playoff stakes, the offensive firepower of the Hawks was on full display as they amassed 31 total points. The four total touchdowns were scored by four different players: Kenneth Walker III ran in the first one, while wide receivers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo, and Cooper Kupp all recorded receiving touchdowns. 

Sam Darnold, the Seahawks quarterback, quieted his doubters with a stellar performance where he threw for 346 passing yards, three touchdowns, and maybe more importantly, no turnovers (as he threw four interceptions in the team’s first meeting). He started the game off fast where on the third play of the game he connected with speedy receiver Rashid Shaheed for a 51-yard gain that would eventually lead to Walker’s touchdown. Later, in the second quarter he also connected with Smith-Njigba for a 42-yard completion; that drive would set up Smith-Njigba’s touchdown.

Seattle’s offensive leaders were Darnold, Smith-Njigba who ended the day with 10 receptions for 153 yards, and Walker who rushed for 62 yards on 19 carries and tacked on 49 more yards as a receiver.

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp was featured throughout the day and his storyline was a highlight of the game (and season). Kupp, a Super Bowl MVP, was released from the Rams this last off season after eight years with the team, the only one he has ever played with up to that point. A Yakama, Wash., native Kupp then signed with the Seahawks, his hometown team, to bolster their receiving corps. 

Late in the third quarter, Darnold connected with Kupp for a 13-yard touchdown that would prove to be the game-winner against his former team, sending the Hawks to the Super Bowl and the Rams home to Los Angeles. 

In a post-game press conference Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald spoke about what a fortuitous opportunity it was to see Kupp score. “How about that? Coop against his former team, NFC Championship, gets a touchdown,” said Macdonald. “(There were) some whispers before the game, like, ‘How cool would it be if Coop scored a touchdown today? And he did. … I mean, we love him. He’s the best.”

While the touchdown was pivotal, so too was a lesser-highlighted play in the fourth quarter. With 3:20 left in the game (and Seattle holding onto a four-point lead while trying to run out the clock), on a third and 7 from Seattle’s 28 yard line, Kupp was the recipient of a short pass, where he had to run through defenders and stretch the ball out to barely secure the first down. That first down would clinch the win as Seattle was able to use all but 20 seconds of the remaining time on that drive and Los Angeles would not recover. 

One of the most influential factors of such a tight game came as a result of special teams, which resulted in the only turnover by either team. Ram’s returner Xavier Smith botched two punts during the duration of the game, one he recovered, but one early in the third quarter was recovered by Seattle’s Dareke Young at their own 17-yard line. The very next play resulted in Bobo’s 17-yard touchdown.

The second season under coach Macdonald, and first season with Darnold at the helm, has proven to be a success, with the team amassing a 16-3 record and advancing to their first Super Bowl in over a decade. But no matter the dramatics and achievements that the season has held, the mission never feels accomplished until they are hoisting the Lombardi trophy, as the 2014-15 team will attest to. 

So one question remains, one that will only be answered in Levi Stadium on Feb. 8: Will the 2025-26 Seahawks bring home the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory by slaying their past demons against the Patriots, or will they fall one game (or one yard) short?