Devoted Sam Darnold critic picks Seahawks to advance past the Rams

It is hard to ignore what the Seattle Seahawks have been doing over the last few weeks. The Seahawks are on an eight-game winning streak and looked dominant on both sides of the ball.

The Seahawks are one win away from reaching the Super Bowl after beating their divisional rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, 41-6 in the NFC Divisional Round. Seattle will have to get past their other big divisional rival, the Los Angeles Rams, at home in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. This game will be the third time this season that the Seahawks and Rams meet on the field.

Many analysts and experts are putting their faith in the Rams based on the playoff experience from both head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Others are seeing how dominant this Seahawks' defense and running game have been as they are turning non-believers and critics into believers.

An example is CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, a serial critic of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. On Wednesday, Prisco made his picks for the AFC and NFC Championship games, where he has the Seahawks defeating the Rams for the second time this season.

Prisco says a lot of things in this game. The Rams are playing in their third consecutive road playoff, which could be too much for even McVay to overcome. Lumen Field in Seattle has been loud since the Week 16 matchup between the Rams and the Seahawks. The Seahawks are hungry for a Super Bowl title just as much as the team, meaning crowd noise will be a serious factor.

The big matchup of this game is the Seahawks' elite defense that ranks first in points allowed per game (17.2) versus the Rams' explosive offense that ranks first in points per game (30.5) and first in passing yards per game (268.1).

Seahawks edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence presssuring the quarterback in the Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers. — Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is pressured by Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

While the Seahawks pitched another elite defensive performance on Saturday against the 49ers, the Rams haven't been as explosive in their two playoff games. Los Angeles was 3-of-13 on third downs in the 34-31 road Wild Card win over the Carolina Panthers, who have a defense ranked 15th in points allowed per game (22.4).

The Rams didn't play better offensively in the 20-17 Divisional Round win in overtime against the Chicago Bears. The Rams only accumulated 340 total yards, and Stafford went under 50% of his passes against a Bears' defense that finished the regular season ranked 23rd in the league in points allowed per game (24.4).

The Seahawks have the momentum from their elite defense and high-power rushing game developed over over a month and a half. Momentum won't mean much, however, if turnovers plague the team, which is why Prisco turned to Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold as the key factor of the game.

Darnold has thrown six interceptions combined in the Week 11 and 16 games versus the Rams. The Seahawks might get away with one turnover, but Darnold can't risk putting the team in jeopardy.

Darnold has not only played big in the Week 18 and the Divisional Round win over the 49ers, but he has also avoided turnovers. Prisco thinks he can do the same against the Rams' defense to help push the Seahawks into the Super Bowl with a 23-17 win on Sunday.

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