Seahawks-Rams NFC Championship: 1st half notes
Retrospective on the most important Seahawks game of last season
A lot of people were calling the Rams the best team in the NFL at the end of the regular season (after they lost to the Seahawks), at the end of the playoffs (after they lost to the Seahawks), and right now (what do you think follows here?).
This week, I’ve been re-visiting the Seahawks 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC Championship game. These are some of my findings from the first half of the game with a few months to process it.
Re-watch the Seahawks-Rams NFC Championship game here.
Kenneth Walker III is an elite running back
Jadarian Price has huge legs to fill.
I can only speak for myself by saying that Walker’s career in Seattle will be defined more by what could have been rather than what was, a narrative that could have only changed last minute based on how unreal he was in the playoffs: 313 rushing yards, 104 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns, Super Bowl MVP, and umpteen highlights.
It’s sort of like if you buy Bitcoin and just watch the value go up and down, up and down, up and down…the Seahawks just hope they sold at the right time.
Kenneth Walker first quarter TD:
Walker’s first half stats included 37 rushing yards with a touchdown, plus 24 receiving yards. Why he stands out as “elite” is often something you have to see, you can’t just read it on a box score.
Kenneth Walker up the middle:
All the more impressive that Walker recently said that he knew he wasn’t going to be re-signed by the Seahawks before the end of the regular season. Some would lose motivation at that point, but in Walker’s case it seemed to light a fire under his ass for the home stretch—which in turn helped Seattle win the Super Bowl because they could not have done it without him.
No surprise really. Remember Walker against the Rams in the regular season?
The Jets recently extended Breece Hall to a contract that pays him slightly more than Walker, and maybe that’s completely fair, but it’s interesting that Walker had to play like a top-3 running back in the biggest moments of the NFL season just to get up to the level of someone who has never had a high-stakes game in his pro career.
Moving on from Walker at $15 million per season could be the right move. That doesn’t mean that Seattle won’t miss him or that they couldn’t end up wishing they had found a way to make it work; I sold Bitcoin when it was $7,000 and now it’s at $82,000.
The “best” Sam Darnold is a top-3 quarterback
There were only a couple of times in the first half when it seemed like Darnold made a poor throw or a hasty decision. Which is great in general, but even better when that quarterback is being scapegoated by the media as the reason that the Seahawks would lose and never be a Super Bowl threat.
Perhaps that’s why Klint Kubiak dialed up a winner on the first drive.
Sam Darnold 51-yards to Shaheed:
The one thing that fans of other teams swore was Darnold’s weakness — surviving against pressure — was probably his greatest strength during the playoffs. He had some Houdini magic down the stretch and that was just as apparent against the Rams.
Darnold went 12-of-18 for 209 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
In a world where we love to rank people, I have a hard time believing that Darnold is the best quarterback out there—and an equally hard time coming up with reasons for why that matters. He is as good as a quarterback needs to be in this league to contend for Super Bowls.
Nick Emmanwori was an incredible rookie
Whereas I think Darnold met my expectations of him, Nick Emmanwori vastly exceeded the player who I thought the Seahawks were getting in the draft. Maybe in 2027 or 2028 he’d be really good (still didn’t think he was as good as Kyle Hamilton) but by the playoffs — and before then — he was sometimes the best defensive player on the best defense.
Some people have Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in their top-10 lists (Chad Johnson just said that) right now and Emmanwori broke up passes to BOTH OF THEM in the first half.
Emmanwori pass breakup Puka Nacua:
He can also stop the run.
Emmanwori run stop on Kyren Williams:
This guy was still 21-years-old during the NFC Championship.
Pass breakup on Davante Adams:
Emmanwori was probably a better player in his first NFL season than he was at any point in college. I can kind of relate to that actually.
Although I nearly flunked most of my high school classes, I got straight A’s in college. Why? Well, I figured at that point I was paying for it so I should start to give some effort. When you put money in the mix, motivation tends to follow.
Emmanwori pass breakup #3:
Want Emman-More-I?
All-22 had a longer Emmanwori breakdown after the game:
Replacing Anthony Bradford is still a long-term priority
I’ve said many times before that Bradford isn’t as bad as most fans think and that he’s going to be Seattle’s starter at right guard once again in 2026. I also believe that once he hits free agency, Bradford’s contract numbers will shock you. He might also get better next season.
He’ll need to.
Bradford gives up the sack:
This was one instance. There was another time I saw Bradford pancaked flat onto his ass by Braden Fiske.
Bradford’s a huge human being. Sometimes that works to his advantage. Other times it just means the harder he falls.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a Hall of Famer (so far)
While we’re on the topic of Seahawks worthy of the Hall of Fame, why not credit JSN for being on the most ideal trajectory possible after only three seasons. He’s not a Hall of Famer yet, but he’s got the best resume anyone could ask for going into year four.
And that was on display early in the NFC Championship game, as Smith-Njigba had seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone.
JSN touchdown:
JSN’s playoff stats were underwhelming compared to what he did in the regular season as Offensive Player of the Year (199 yards in three games) but most of the reason for that was that Seattle blew out the 49ers and Patriots.
Smith-Njigba had 153 yards in this game, mostly in the first half.
Through three seasons, JSN has 3,551 yards, 20 touchdowns, OPOY, two Pro Bowls, and is a Super Bowl winner.
He also motivated the Rams to address their cornerback situation, trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson in free agency to replace their starters in the NFC Championship game who were rarely in position to stop JSN.
Stafford-Nacua is a problem
Having a great rivalry like Seahawks-Rams means that problems go both ways and it’s obvious that Mike Macdonald still hasn’t solved Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, and Puka Nacua.
Puka Nacua for 44 yards:
Nacua had four catches for 75 yards in the first half. In total, he had 465 receiving yards in three games against Seattle last season!
His laundry list of off-field problems is the only thing holding Nacua back from potentially being the next Larry Fitzgerald or George Kittle in Seattle’s side for a decade. But his issues seem largely due to maturity and again, the motivation to sign a $200 million contract could grow him up fast.
Respectfully, these coverage stats are worrisome:
Aside from Emmanwori, almost all of Seattle’s secondary had a bad game.
Credit to the Seahawks defense—Stafford’s first half stats weren’t great (8/15)—but of all the quarterbacks to face Seattle in 2024-2025, he’s probably the best.
Should I continue to the second half notes?
Woolen gave up two TDs in that game, one to Adams and one to Nacua. Throw in the penalty and he was a big reason the game was close. We’ll never know how the game would have turned out if the Rams punted on 4th and 12 at the end of the third quarter (if no taunting) vs throw that TD to Nacua beating Woolen in coverage. Seattle would have had huge momentum and could have gone up three scores with less than a quarter to play.
I would not just hand Bradford the starting job just yet. I feel Cabeldue and Stephens both have a shot and taking the job, while I agree it is Bradford’s job to lose. I was a big fan of signing K9 and paying him, but since JS let him walk, and Wilson was the only RB signed in free agency, I think Price was the replacement plan. I have to feel JS believes he’s the right man for the job at almost 1/4 the cost. I have Price as offensive rookie of the year.
Schedule comes out Thursday. I will have a prediction and I hope I under predict like last year (13 wins vs the 14 they got) Currently I believe the floor is 14 wins and the ceiling is 17 wins in the regular season.