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

The Seahawks dominated with what you'd expect: smothering defense, especially in the secondary, plus standout special teams. But here's the bombshell: Sam Darnold played the best game of his career.

Darnold finished 25-of-36 for 346 passing yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers. The stunning part—all three touchdown throws came under pressure, a career high. The former New York Jets castoff out-dueled Matthew Stafford in the biggest moment of his life.

The Seahawks' Secondary Suffocates the Rams' Final Drive

The Rams mounted their best chance with 4:59 remaining from the 6-yard line on fourth-and-4. Stafford dropped back for 3.6 seconds—an eternity in football—but found nobody open. Not Davante Adams. Not Puka Nacua. Not Kyren Williams.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon broke up the intended pass to tight end Terrance Ferguson before it mattered.

This Seahawks secondary is otherworldly. In an era where quarterbacks should dominate, it's rare to see defensive backs take over a playoff game. The Seahawks' offense burned the remaining five minutes, and the Rams never threatened again.

Tariq Woolen's Trash Talk Costs Seattle a Touchdown

A mental lapse nearly derailed Seattle's championship run. With two minutes left in the third quarter, cornerback Tariq Woolen broke up an incompletion intended for Nacua near the Rams sideline. He then stayed to jaw at the Rams—even after an official warned him to leave.

The penalty flag flew: 15 yards and an automatic first down.

On the next play, Stafford delivered a 34-yard touchdown to Nacua. Woolen has allowed five touchdowns this season; four came against the Rams, per Next Gen Stats.

Brilliant Play-Calling Exposes Both Defenses

Back-to-back touchdowns showcased the chess match between Rams coach Sean McVay and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

On the Rams' score, tight end Colby Parkinson motioned inside before the snap. The movement confused Seattle's safeties—both crashed on Parkinson, leaving Williams wide open for the touchdown.

Seattle answered immediately. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba lined up as a running back instead of his normal position. The Rams had nobody covering the best receiver in the NFL in the end zone. Darnold found him for a 14-yard touchdown.

These weren't defensive lapses—they were forced errors by two offensive masterminds finding the seams in championship-caliber defenses.

Seattle's Opening Drive Set the Tone

The Seahawks won the coin toss and deferred, attacking on defense first. The strategy worked immediately.

The Rams managed just seven yards in their opening drive—a three-and-out. For all of McVay's brilliance, his offense failed to score on an opening drive for the first time this postseason after touchdowns against the Panthers and Bears.

Seattle's offense clicked on what makes them dangerous: the explosive passing game. During the regular season, Darnold led the league in big plays after Drake Maye and Jordan Love. He also led the league in turnovers (20). On Seattle's first drive, Darnold connected on a 51-yard pitch-and-catch to Rashid Shahid. Kenneth Walker finished with a touchdown.

The Seahawks went up 7-0, and controlled the game from there.

Beware the Patriots

The Seahawks will enter the Super Bowl as heavy favorites. But don't sleep on New England.

The Patriots look flawed on offense. Drake Maye threw for just 86 yards in the AFC Championship and only 533 yards across three playoff games. He also posted three turnovers against the Texans and has looked nervous throughout the postseason. New England lacks a WR1, and its rookie left tackle has been vulnerable—sometimes downright awful.

But here's the catch: The Patriots defense has allowed just 26 points in three playoff games, the second fewest in NFL history by a team entering the Super Bowl. Coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are game management perfectionists.

Maye plays to win, regardless of statistics. The Seahawks should worry about that.