Seahawks PFF grades: Takeaways From NFC Championship Win Over Rams

Win or lose in the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks are as well set up to compete for multiple championships as any team in the NFL right now.

While there are some veterans in key spots like DeMarcus Lawrence and Cooper Kupp, the core of this Seahawks team is young - making their ascent to the Super Bowl that much more dangerous to the rest of the league.

That young core shined especially bright in Sunday night's NFC Championship win over the Los Angeles Rams. Here are some of the big takeaways from their Pro Football Focus grades.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominates again

The biggest numbers for the Seahawks offense this week came from a familiar place. Seattle's breakout superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba treated the Rams' tough defense like as series of paperweights for a cat to knock off the table, posting a team-high 153 receiving yards on a touchdown on 10 catches.

Charles Cross comes through

The second-highest grade for Seattle's offense went to left tackle Charles Cross, who just signed a four-year, $104 million contract extension with the Seahawks. Cross held up really well against a ferocious Rams pass rush, posting an 81.6 pass blocking grade to go with a 78.8 in run blocking.

Sam Darnold solid

Aside from the shootout with Baker Mayfield that ended badly, we have never been more impressed by Sam Darnold than during Sunday night's win over LA. Darnold threw only one turnover-worthy pass by our count and finished with 346 yards and three touchdown passes. PFF was less impressed, though, giving Darnold a decent-but-not-amazing grade of 67.4 overall, with a 72.0 passing grade.

Anthony Bradford on the bottom again

Seattle's offense was great overall, but there were a few blemishes. The lowest grade for any Seahawks starter on this side of the ball went to right guard Anthony Bradford. He somehow managed to post a 3.1 grade in pass blocking to go with a 51.0 in run blocking, earning him a team-low 35.5 overall grade this week.

Nick Emmanwori tops Seahawks defense

it says a lot that the best player in Sunday night's game was Seahawks rookie Nick Emmanwori, who managed to outshine more than one future NFL Hall of Famer. Emmanwori proved to be a demon in pass defense against the Rams, posting three PBUs and five total tackles. For his efforts, Emmanwori earned an 89.5 overall grade, topped off by an 89.5 grade in coverage.

Julian Love strong in relief

It was a brutal game for Seattle's normally-strong cornerback room, but they got a big assist from Seattle's most experienced DB, safety Julian Love. Having to clean up several big mistakes at corner, Love saved more than a few points with late stops. His 82.9 tackling grade led the team, boosting his overall mark to 75.8, second only to Emmanwori on defense.

The Riq Woolen Rollercoaster

This was an uncommonly bad game from Seattle's vaunted cornerback room. Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe had their own problems in coverage, but nobody struggled more on the Seahawks defense than Riq Woolen.

After coming through with a critical stop on third down, Woolen threw it away with a bone-headed taunting penalty, followed by a coverage lapse that resulted in a touchdown that could have cost the Seahawks the game. Woolen came out with a 54.2 grade in coverage and a 43.6 overall. Only linebacker Drake Thomas (42.6 overall) got a lower grade on defense.

Woolen is an exceptional talent, but he may also be a liability. The most-difficult decision John Schneider's front office will face in the coming weeks is what to do with No. 27.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay greets Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) after the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images