NFC Championship Game: Winners, Losers from SEA Seahawks’ 31-27 Win vs LA Rams

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NFC Championship Game: Winners, Losers from SEA Seahawks’ 31-27 Win vs LA Rams

NFC Championship Game: Winners, Losers from SEA Seahawks' 31-27 Win vs LA Rams — Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Matt Johnson · Sportsnaut

Mon, Jan 26, 2026 ·

7 min read

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Conference Championship Weekend on Sunday wrapped up with the NFC Championship Game delivering the rubber match between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks . With a spot in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at stake, we got a great rivalry game on Sunday night.

Let's dive into the winners and losers from the Rams vs Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, with Seattle clinching its spot in the Super Bowl.

Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba , WR, Seattle Seahawks

NFL: NFC Championship Game-Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks — Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

In a matchup featuring the top two Offensive Player of the Year candidates, Jaxon Smith-Njigba stole the show in the first half. Seattle wide receiver was already having a strong performance heading into the final drive. On 2nd-and-10 from the 36-yard line, he made an outstanding catch through contact for a 42-yard gain to set the Seahawks offense up just outside the red zone with 37 seconds left. Four plays later, he was wide open for the go-ahead touchdown snag right before halftime. Smith-Njigba was everywhere in this game, putting up 115 receiving yards on seven receptions in the first half alone. JSN also came up clutch on the game-sealing drive to kill the clock and send Seattle to the Super Bowl.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba stats in NFC Championship Game:10 receptions, 153 yards and 1 touchdown

Loser: Xavier Smith , WR, Los Angeles Rams

The Rams tempted fate on special teams and it came back to bite them. Returner Xavier Smith fielded a punt at the 13-yard line early in the second quarter, muffing the football and seeing it bounce onto the turf right in front of him. Fortunately for Los Angeles, the closest Seahawks player was several yards away so Smith could recover. Luck would not be on the team side in the third quarter, when Smith muffed a punt at the 17-yard line and Seattle recovered. On the very next play, the Seahawks found the end zone. Smith really could have cost the Rams at least 14 points in this game, but they caught a break with him only costing them seven.

Winner: Sam Darnold , QB, Seattle Seahawks

Coming into the NFC Championship Game, the biggest question mark everyone had about the Seahawks centered on Sam Darnold. Seattle had the defense and rushing attack to reach the Super Bowl, but many doubted if Darnold could play well enough for the team to be in position to win in a high-scoring game. He delivered. On the biggest stage, he performed like an MVP-caliber quarterback and outdueled future Hall of Famer Matthew Stafford . This kind of performance on a national stage is the kind of game that can be tied to a quarterback legacy for the remainder of his career and elevate him when stacking him up compared to his peers around the league.

Sam Darnold stats in NFC Championship Game ( ESPN ):5-of-36, 346 passing yards, 9.6 yards per attempt, 3-0 TD-INT, 127.8 QB rating

Read More: 2026 NFL Draft Order, NFL Draft Picks By Team After the NFC Cham pionship Game

Loser: New England Patriots

Heading into Sunday, the consensus seemed to be that the winner of the NFC title game would go on to win the Super Bowl. Nothing we saw in the New England Patriots victory in the AFC Championship Game nor Sunday night Rams vs Seahawks duel suggests otherwise. It is not going to be a blowout by any means, and even treating the Patriots as a huge underdog in the Super Bowl feels dangerous. With that said, New England performance throughout the NFL playoffs and the struggles of Drake Maye suggested that Mike Vrabel team is destined to lose two weeks from now at Levi Stadium.

Winner: Davante Adams , WR, Los Angeles Rams

In his first two games back from a hamstring strain, Rams wide receiver Davante Adams had just 96 receiving yards on 19 targets (5.1 yards per target). He looked nothing like the player who put up 14 touchdowns in his first 12 regular-season games in 2025. It left some wondering why Matthew Stafford kept targeting his No. 2 receiver so often. It finally paid off in the NFC Championship Game, or perhaps Adams is finally healthy. He looked in midseason form, finding the end zone and eclipsing 85 receiving yards with some huge plays in the intermediate areas. Puka Nacua is still the star of the Rams passing game, but the re-emergence of Adams was massive for Los Angeles tonight.

Davante Adams stats in NFC Championship Game:4 receptions, 89 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Loser: Riq Woolen , CB, Seattle Seahawks

We are five months into the season, and players know the NFL rules about taunting. Whether or not the purpose of the rule is dumb, the league made it clear this season that refs will crack down on taunting opponents. That brings us to Riq Woolen. Seattle stopped Los Angeles on 3rd-and-12, creating a punt situation that would have given the Seahawks the football back with a 31-20 lead. Then, Woolen stared down the Rams sideline after the incompletion and got flagged for taunting. On the very next play, he got burned by Puka Nacua for a 34-yard touchdown. It is things like this that will probably make it a lot easier for Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald to sign off on the team letting Woolen walk in NFL free agency this offseason.

Winner: Kenneth Walker III , RB, Seattle Seahawks

Kenneth Walker has made himself millions of dollars this offseason. Coming into the NFC Championship Game, the Seattle running back had 499 scrimmage yards with 4 touchdowns in his last four games. He decimated the San Francisco defense in the Divisional Round, and with Zach Charbonnet out with a torn ACL, the Seahawks were ready to make him their featured back. He delivered once more. Not only did Walker open the game with a diving touchdown, but he also put up 90-plus scrimmage yards for the fifth consecutive game. The Seattle top priority this offseason needs to be re-signing Walker.

Kenneth Walker stats in NFC Championship Game:111 scrimmage yards on 23 touches, 1 touchdown

Loser: Colby Parkinson , TE, Los Angeles Rams

One play can overshadow an entire game. Colby Parkinson made some big plays against Seattle's defense, but he cost his team in the most significant moment. Parkinson's wide-open drop on 3rd-and-1, hitting him directly in the hands, is a touchdown if he snags onto it. It didn't end the drive, but the Rams offense stalledout on 4th-and-4 from the 6-yard line. What effectively proved to be a dropped touchdown wind up proving devastating to the Rams in this one.

Winner: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

If not for Parkinson's fourth-quarter drop, we'd be talking about a four-touchdown game from Matthew Stafford in the NFC Championship Game. We also have to tip our cap to Stafford, who days shy of his 38th birthday, even used his legs to make a 13-yard scramble and a huge fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter. Stafford put up the caliber of performance worthy of an NFC title, keeping pace with the Seahawks offense on a night when Darnold was nearly flawless.

Matthew Stafford stats in NFC Championship Game:22-of-35, 374 passing yards, 10.7 yards per attempt, 3-0 TD-INT, 127.6 QB rating

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