Seattle Seahawks studs & duds from a thrilling playoff win over LA Rams

The Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. Tonight's 31-27 win in the NFC Championship Game over the Los Angeles Rams puts them back in contention for the sport's ultimate prize for the first time in 11 years. It was never for certain until the final moments, but the Seahawks survived their third tussle with their toughest rivals of the year.

Here are your NFC title game studs and duds for the Seahawks.

Stud: DB Nick Emmanwori

Normally we start with the offense, but Seattle's defene is what got them to the big dance this year, so they deserve top billing this week. The best player on this side of the ball (or any other unit on the field) was rookie DB Nick Emmanwori, who made an incredible impact in coverage - blanketing everything that came into his den. Emmanwori finished with five tackles and a team-high three pass breakups.

Dud: Seahawks cornerbacks

The biggest surprise of the game was how much man defense the Seahawks played. While the rest of Mike Macdonald's defense help up reasonably well, Seattle's cornerbacks had a rough outing. The normally awesome trio of Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen got lit up several times by Davante Adams and Puka Nacua one-on-one. Woolen's taunting penalty followed by a touchdown allowed was the worst of it, though. At least Spoon came through with two big stops in the red zone.

Stud: LB Ernest Jones IV

Another defender who pulled his weight was middle linebacker Ernest Jones, who had the unenviable task of manning the middle of the field against a Sean McVay offense. Jones came through with a huge game against his former team, posting a team-best eight total tackles.

Dud: Seahawks run defense

Seemingly for the first time since they traded for Jones, Seattle had some problems against the run. The Rams utilized a two-headed monster consisting of Blake Corum and Kyren Williams, who both did pretty well against an elite unit. Together they combined for 94 rushing yards on 19 carries and as a team LA averaged 5.2 yards per attempt.

Stud: QB Sam Darnold

The best thing coming out of this game for the Seahawks is that their starting quarterback is entering the Super Bowl playing red hot. For the third straight week Darnold avoided throwing any interceptions and he absolutely toasted the Rams with his arm. Darnold went 25/36 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 127.8 in the biggest game of his life.

Stud: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Darnold's primary partner in crime all year has been Seahawks superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and No. 11 came to work and did his part,as per usual. JSN wound up seeing 12 targets from Darnold. He caught 10 of them, racking up 153 yards and a touchdown along the way.

Stud: WR Rashid Shaheed

In a surprise twist, Rashid Shaheed's routine monster play came on offense this week rather than special teams. Darnold's first completion of the game went to Shaheed down the right boundary for 51 yards, setting the table for an early lead and a sharp performance offensively.