Matt Calkins: Patriots won't test Seahawks in Super Bowl like Rams did in NFC title game

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Jan 27, 2026

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — No, this was not the real Super Bowl.

No, the Seahawks have not been crowned.

There isn't a parade scheduled in Seattle — there isn't a banner being stitched.

But the new NFC champions are not going to face a tougher team than the one they matched up with Sunday. The power of the New England Patriots simply doesn't stack up with the relentlessness of the Los Angeles Rams.

That doesn't mean one should expect the slightest sigh of relief from a Seahawks team one game from its second Super Bowl title. Seattle will devour film and practice with precision over the next two weeks.

Still, though the Seahawks (16-3) have not cleared their final hurdle, they have cleared their highest one. That Los Angeles squad they beat 31-27 on Sunday was the best they'll face all season.

"Obviously that offense is so good, the defense is amazing, and the front is so good and they have some really good players on the back end, too," said Seahawks receiver Jake Bobo, whose sole catch Sunday was a 17-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. "When you know somebody as well as we know them and they know us, it's gonna come down to who can make the most amount of big plays, and today we happened to."

It might have been tempting to think the Seahawks had cemented a victory after forcing a three-and-out on L.A.'s first drive and taking a 7-0 lead seven plays later. They had, after all, won their past eight games, had defeated each of the previous three opponents by double digits and notched a 41-6 victory over the Niners last week.

But the Rams (14-6) are not like any other squad in the NFL. Their league-leading offense put up 581 yards against the Seahawks the previous time they played, and if not for a miracle two-point conversion Seattle likely wouldn't have pulled out a 38-37 win that night.

The showdowns between these teams this season had Ali-Frazier trilogy vibes, with L.A. pulling out the first game by two, Seattle winning the second by one and the third by four.

Sunday's game also could have gone either way. As spectacular as the Seahawks played, the Rams seemed to answer at every opportunity. A 10-3 Seattle lead in the first quarter? The Rams came back with a field goal, forced a three-and-out, then scored an 87-yard touchdown drive to go up 13-10.

A 31-20 Seahawks lead in the third quarter? The Rams respond with an 87-yard touchdown drive before forcing another punt. They also gave the Seahawks some unsolicited help.

Up 17-13 in the third quarter, Seattle punter Michael Dickson launched a 55-yard kick that Rams returner Xavier Smith muffed, allowing the Seahawks to recover on Los Angeles' 17-yard line. The aforementioned TD pass to Bobo followed on the next play.

Doesn't mean the Rams were the better team Sunday — though they did have 467 yards to the Seahawks' 379. They just made Seattle summon more strength than any other NFL team demanded of them.

This culminated in a late fourth-quarter stand in which Los Angeles had it on second and four from the Seahawks 6 while down 31-27. But the vaunted Seahawks defense finally got the best of Rams QB Matthew Stafford (374 yards and three touchdowns), forcing two incompletions and essentially sealing the victory.

During the postgame celebration, FOX Sports analyst Michael Strahan mentioned to Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald that Seattle was considered an afterthought behind the Niners and Rams in the NFC West when the season began. He then asked what it was like to go through those two teams in the playoffs.

Answered Macdonald: "We did not care!"

It was an iconic answer, and if you know Macdonald you believe him. The man is allergic to storylines and narratives. He just wants to win.

But the truth is that this third meeting felt inevitable, and the Seahawks rose to the challenge in all phases of the game — with QB Sam Darnold throwing for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no picks, the special teams taking advantage of opportunities, and the Dark Side defense turning Los Angeles' championship hopes pitch black.

Up next is New England (16-3), which scored a 10-7 road victory over a Broncos team sans its starting quarterback Sunday. The Patriots could top the Seahawks — a few botched plays, unlucky bounces or unfortunate calls can derail any team. But they aren't as good as the Seahawks. Not even close.

Seattle's last test is two Sundays away. Its toughest test, however, is behind them.

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