Sam Darnold Erased a major blemish on his resume when he led the Seattle Seahawks to a 13–3 win at San Francisco in Week 18, clinching the NFC West crown and the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye.
A year ago, Darnold had the Minnesota Vikings in a similar situation, when they flopped in a 31-9 loss at Detroit for the NFC North title and the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs.
A week later, his days as the Vikings quarterback ended with a 27–9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
The Seahawks are confident Darnold can rewrite his postseason fortunes, just like he turned things around in Week 18 from season-ending struggles a year ago.
Abe Lucas said, “Success speaks for itself.” “He’s a Pro Bowl quarterback this year, and it’s been a pleasure to see him have this success and really have it dialed in for everything that goes into it and the process that goes into it. So, he deserves it.”
The Seahawks will face the lowest remaining seed after the wild-card game this weekend.
Seattle’s division title swept both the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on the road with 12–5 records. The Niners play the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and the playoffs begin when the Rams visit the Carolina Panthers, who won the NFC South despite an 8-9 record, on Saturday. The NFC schedule also features the Green Bay Packers visiting the Chicago Bears on Saturday night for the third postseason meeting between the NFC North rivals.
A Lombardi Trophy in three Super Bowl appearances.
Lift Lombardi: The Seahawks, under second-year coach Mike McDonald, are having one of their best regular seasons in the franchise’s 50-year history. Seattle won a franchise-record 14 games in the regular season, besting the Seahawks’ 13 wins in 2005 and 2013. The Seahawks have been bolstered by the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense, which ranks seventh in the NFL with 47 sacks. Overall, the Seahawks are one of the most talented and deepest teams in the NFC on both sides of the ball. But, it has been Seattle’s defense that has been key to its record-setting season, thanks to veterans like CB Devon Witherspoon and newcomers like DE DeMarcus Lawrence.
Cancel Confetti: Darnold is in the midst of a good season by most metrics, throwing 25 touchdown passes for the second-most passing yards of his career.
However, Darnold also had 14 interceptions. Turning the ball over has been an issue for Darnold since his rookie season.
The Seahawks will go as far as Darnold can take them, and that’s if the veteran quarterback can take care of the football.
“We’re here today as a No. 1 seed because of Mike,” – linebacker Ernest Jones IV.
A Lombardi Trophy in two Super Bowl appearances.
Lift the Lombardi: The Bears’ turnaround from worst to first in coach Ben Johnson’s first season has been nothing short of remarkable. They’ve gone from finishing last in the NFC North to winning the division for the first time since 2018. They are making their first playoff appearance in five years thanks to an offense ranked as one of the best in the NFL, with quarterback Caleb Williams making strides in his second season. The Bears have also played well in tight spots, earning six wins despite trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Cancel Confetti: The Bears have lost two in a row, losing 19-16 to Detroit on a last-second field goal after falling 42-38 at San Francisco. He gave up 433 yards against the Lions after the 49ers were blown out for 496. The defense ranked 29th in the league with 361.8 yards per game.
“We’re never out. Our people know that.” —Johnson.
Two Lombardi Trophies in five Super Bowl appearances.
Raise Lombardi: The Eagles are trying to make their second consecutive Super Bowl championship and third appearance in four seasons. Jalen Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, is entering the playoffs fresh after coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to rest several starters in Week 18. Hurts comes into Sunday with a 76.1% winning percentage including playoff games since 2022, which leads all quarterbacks. This season he threw for 3,224 yards and ran for 421 more yards. Their 33 combined touchdowns in the air and on the ground ranked sixth in the NFL, and Hurts’ seven passing scores of 30-plus yards led the league.
Cancel Confetti: The Eagles sat many of their starters in the finals and lost their chance at the No. 2 seed and the potential two home games that come with it. The Eagles were the No. 2 seed last season and played three postseason games at home after being eliminated by top-seeded Detroit. Only five No. 3 seeds have played in the Super Bowl since Carolina in 2003, and none have been out of the NFC.
“The one thing I could guarantee was to give them rest. I couldn’t guarantee them anything else. Staying healthy and getting healthy and going into the playoffs is huge for us.” -Coach Nick Sirianni.
No Lombardi trophies in two Super Bowl appearances.
Raise Lombardi: Carolina has picked up some big wins this season, beating the Packers on the road and the Rams at home. The cornerbacks are a force behind the duo of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and the defense overall has performed well this stretch. If the Panthers can keep games close, they have a chance. Bryce Young, who will make his playoff debut, has led 12 fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning drives since 2023, more than any QB in the league.
Cancel Confetti: The Panthers are the best hope of the 14 teams in the postseason to win a Super Bowl, and are a 10 1/2-point home underdog heading into Saturday’s wild-card game against the Rams. They don’t have an abundance of experience – 31 players on the roster have never played a playoff game – or many playmakers on offense. The running game behind Rico Dowdle was a force at the beginning of the season, but that has also dissipated. Carolina managed just 19 yards on 10 carries in a game at Tampa Bay last week, which they needed to win to capture the NFC South title outright. Instead, the Panthers had to rely on the Falcons to defeat the Saints to reach the postseason for the first time since 2017.
“I’m very excited for Bryce and the whole squad, but in my mind it’s moments like these, when we’ve put Bryce in these high-risk situations, he’s performed well.” —Coach Dave Canales,
Two Lombardi Trophies in five Super Bowl appearances.
Raise Lombardi: The Rams appeared to be the NFL’s most complete team in the second half of the season before they hit a two-game skid that dropped them out of the No. 1 spot in the NFC. They still have a talented roster with the league’s most productive offense and surprisingly effective defense, and they’re bringing back Davante Adams and Quentin Lake into the lineup for the postseason. At their best this season, the Rams have been dominant behind their Super Bowl-winning coach and quarterback.
Cancel Confetti: Los Angeles has regressed significantly on defense, and coordinator Chris Shula’s unit has a weak secondary that has been torn apart by its top quarterback all season. The Rams’ running game will get worse if left guard Kevin Dotson doesn’t return from injury soon. That two-game skid means they may spend the entire postseason on the road, and their last two seasons ended with road playoff losses. They may have peaked a few weeks ago.
“It feels great to be at this point. It’s on us to continue to be the team we’ve been preparing for, go out there and play, and then see where it takes us.” – QB Matthew Stafford.
Five Lombardi Trophies in eight Super Bowl trips.
Raise Lombardi: The offense has been mostly potent for the 49ers since quarterback Brock Purdy returned from a toe injury in November. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are tough opponents for any defense and can help overcome any defensive deficiencies. If the team can reach the conference title game, star linebacker Fred Warner has a chance to return and be a big boost. The Super Bowl would then be played on the home field for the Niners, an ideal setting for the franchise’s long-awaited sixth title.
Cancel Confetti: With Warner and Nick Bosa out with injuries, the 49ers defense has struggled mightily. San Francisco finished last in the league with 20 sacks and second to last with six INTs. The run defense that was solid in the first half of the season became weak during the stretch run, putting more pressure on the offense. While San Francisco lit up the scoreboard against some of the league’s lesser defenses, Purdy and the offense struggled at times against elite units like Seattle and may not have been able to overcome the weak defense.
“I like the mentality of, ‘Nothing has gone right for this team this year, so why would we have it any other way right now?’ Let’s do this the hard way. This has kind of been the theme of the season. So let’s just focus on that. – Fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Four Lombardi trophies in five Super Bowl trips.
Raise Lombardi: Green Bay showed it could make some noise as a No. 7 seed two years ago, when it won a wild-card upset in Dallas and led San Francisco in the divisional round before losing 24-21 on a late touchdown. The Packers have experience at this stage as they are making their third consecutive playoff appearance. QB Jordan Love is having a quality season as he has thrown 23 touchdown passes with only six interceptions.
Cancel Confetti: The Packers lost their last four regular season games. They are the fourth team to enter the postseason after losing at least four games. Only one of the last three teams won a playoff game, and none advanced beyond the divisional round. The defense has gone from a strength to a legitimate concern since the Packers lost linemen Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt to season-ending injuries. Love has not played since suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter of an overtime loss on Dec. 20 at Chicago. He’s feeling fine now, but his lack of recent game action is a cause for concern.
“I believe in that locker room. I believe in the talent we have, the players we have, how committed they are, how united they are, and I know the type of fight we have as a football team.” -Coach Matt LaFleur.
Pro football writer Josh Dubow and sports writers Steve Megargee, Andrew Seligman, Steve Reed, Greg Beacham, Andrew Destin and Dan Gelston contributed.
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