The Seattle Seahawks are one game away from reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2014 season. The Seahawks were bidding to become back-to-back champions as they had overwhelmed the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. They had to face Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, and they were one yard away accomplishing their goal.
Unfortunately for the Seahawks, quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception to Malcolm Butler when he could have handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch for a game-winning touchdown. As a result, the Patriots walked out of University of Phoenix Stadium with a 28-24 victory.
That loss has been stinging the Seahawks franchise ever since, but now they are 2.5-point favorites to return to the Super Bowl. They will have to get past the division rival Los Angeles Rams if they are going to have a chance to win the team's second Super Bowl title.
The Seahawks have had a brilliant season, winning the NFC West and earning the top seed in the NFC playoff structure with a 14-3 record. First-year quarterback Sam Darnold has been an excellent fit for head coach Mike Macdonald. Darnold came into his own with the Minnesota Vikings a year ago, and he came to the Seahawks as a free agent during the offseason.
Seahawks' balanced offense takes a hit
Darnold has led the offense with his accurate passing and superb leadership. He has connected on 323 of 477 passes for 4,048 yards with 25 TD passes and 14 interceptions. While he is not a dynamic runner, he moves well enough to escape the pass rush and buy time for his receivers.
The Seahawks have one of the best 1-2 punches at the wide receiver position in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. Seattle's offense also features tight end A.J. Barner, who excels at making plays in the red zone and on 3rd down plays.
Smith-Njigba was the leading receiver in the league with 119 receptions for 1,783 yards and 10 TDs. He has excellent speed, is a fluid pattern runner and he has glue-like hands. Kupp is an excellent complementary receiver and the former Ram caught 47-593-2 during the regular season.
The Seahawks had a similar 1-2 punch at the running back position during the season with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.
However, Charbonnet tore his ACL in the Seahawks 41-6 divisional playoff round victory over the San Francisco 49ers, so it will be up to Walker to carry the ground attack. Walker rushed for 1,027 yards, averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored 5 TDs. Charbonnet was one of the premier goal line running backs as he rushed for 730 yards and an eye-catching 12 TDs.
Rashid Shaheed can give the Seahawks a major lift as X-factor
The Seahawks made one of the key moves of the 2025 season when they completed a trade with the New Orleans Saints for return specialist Rashid Shaheed. The move turned out to be a brilliant one for general manager John Schneider. The Seahawks sent 4th- and 5th-round picks to the Saints in this year's draft to acquire Shaheed.
Shaheed demonstrated his skill as a kickoff returner and a punt returner during his 9 regular season games, scoring touchdowns in each discipline. He wasted no time in the playoff victory over the Niners showing off his ability. He took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and set the tone for the victory with his decisive and explosive journey through the Niners' coverage team.
He is capable of doing the same thing — or at least causing quite a bit of damage — with his return skills against the Rams. If he can change field position in the Seahawks' favor with a kickoff or a punt return, he can turn the game in Seattle's favor.
Shaheed is also competent receiver. He caught 59 passes for the Saints and Seahawks for 687 yards and 2 TDs. However, it is his return ability that is likely to allow him to be an X-factor for Seattle.
Seahawks also have a game-changing defense led by LB Ernest Jones
The Seahawks should have an excellent chance to play a dominant defensive game against the Rams. Seattle allowed 17.6 points per game, and that ranked 1st in the league during the regular season
They have multiple defensive players who can take control of the game, but linebacker Ernest Jones has to be first on that list. He led the Seahawks with 126 tackles and he excels in pass coverage. He had a team-leading 5 interceptions, and he returned one of those picks 85 yards for a touchdown. He also had 7 passes defensed.
He will get an assist from safety Nick Emmanwori, who had 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery.
