Lumen Field (Seattle) — You saw that the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will play in Super Bowl LX. You saw the blizzard that rolled into Denver and rendered the Broncos and New England Patriots’ offenses useless. You saw the shootout where Sam Darnold kept pace with — and ultimately surpassed — Matthew Stafford.
So let’s try to spin it forward, dive deeper and think outside the box about what we witnessed in the conference championship games. This is “Sound Smart,” where we prepare you for Monday morning with observations from the penultimate round of the postseason. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent in the NFL’s playoff action.
1. IF THERE’S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY, IT’S THAT ….
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called a better game — and outcoached Rams coach Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
In practice this week, there was one play where Jaxon Smith-Njigba found himself wide open. Unbelievably open. The star receiver lined up in the backfield in a two-back set and broke for the back right corner of the end zone, where he found what every receiver craves: no coverage.
“Am I going to be that open in the game?” Smith-Njigba remembered wondering.
Yup.
During Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks wideout did exactly what he’d practiced. And it worked out exactly as they’d practiced — with nobody near him when he hauled in the touchdown pass. It put the Seahawks ahead to end the first half, but more importantly, it marked a strategic advantage for the Seahawks.
It takes a special play to throw an invisibility cloak over arguably the best receiver in the NFL. But that’s what Seattle’s OC did.
“I got to give credit to coach Kubiak. He called a great plan,” Smith-Njigba told me. “We’ve been running that [at practice], and I’ve been open on that every one week lengthy.”
Receiver Rashid Shaheed, whose route broke the wrong way, knew that JSN was scoring earlier than the ball got here out of quarterback Sam Darnold’s palms.
“It was the exact look we were looking for. As soon as I saw the safety off the corner following me, I knew that Jaxon was gonna be open for a touchdown,” Shaheed informed me. “So that was a special play, a play that we needed in that moment.”
This was a typical chorus within the Seahawks’ locker room, the place music blared, cigars engulfed the room in smoke and gamers sipped from crimson solo cups and glass bottles. In the moments that modified the sport, Seattle’s offense had performs that had been good towards the Rams protection. The Rams noticed it, too.
It was how Darnold performed the most effective sport of his profession within the greatest sport of his profession.
“[The Smith-Njigba touchdowns] was kind of a beater for what we was in,” linebacker Omar Speights informed me. “At certain points, they caught us where certain plays matched up perfectly against ours. Hats off to them.”
There wasn’t a defender inside 10 toes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba as he caught the go-ahead landing earlier than halftime of the NFC title sport. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Another instance?
That 51-yard reception from Shaheed to start out the sport. That opening drive set the tone for the Seahawks and for Darnold, who completed with 346 yards and three touchdowns — all regardless of stress on the scores. The 51-yarder was the third play of the sport. It was their scripted drive. And Seattle noticed an instantaneous benefit, which it wasted no time exploiting.
“They gave us the perfect look, man,” Shaheed informed me. “Sam put it on the money.”
Speaking of Darnold …
2. STATS DON’T LIE — OR DO THEY?
Darnold accomplished three touchdowns beneath stress, probably the most of his profession and probably the most ever recorded since 2016, per Next Gen Stats.
There have been occasions when Darnold appeared unable to shake his status for flopping in large video games. The most up-to-date instance, after all, was when he threw 4 interceptions towards L.A. Most Rams gamers wouldn’t admit after the sport that this model of Darnold seemed totally different than the man they noticed earlier this 12 months — and even the man they bounced from the playoffs with the Minnesota Vikings roughly 13 months in the past. But Speights lastly conceded.
“He played better, for sure,” he informed me. “He was able to find [his receivers] when we brought certain pressures.”
That was within the Rams’ locker room.
In the Seahawks’ locker room?
“He’s the best in the world,” receiver Jake Bobo stated.
Take it straightforward there, Bobo.
“He just shut a lot of people up tonight,” Macdonald stated throughout a postgame press convention.
OK, I can agree with that.
Sam Darnold has been vindicated after experiencing nice struggles early in his profession after which being handed over by the Vikings this previous offseason following a profession 12 months. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Macdonald isn’t mendacity. Nor are the stats. Darnold performed the most effective sport of his profession and that was regardless of the stress of the NFC Championship Game, regardless of the cross rush’s stress and although the Rams protection has been his kryptonite, whilst he has smoothed out different kinks in his sport. He did all that in every week when he was “barely practicing” because of an indirect harm, per Macdonald. Darnold figured one thing out towards this L.A. crew.
“He gets a lot of antics thrown his way from the media or whatever, and for him to stay resilient and keep going is truly remarkable. I’m super proud of him,” Smith-Njigba informed reporters.
“It’s so hard for the words right now. Sam’s just unbelievable,” sort out Charles Cross informed me.
And the touchdowns beneath stress?
“It doesn’t say anything that we didn’t already know about him,” Bobo informed reporters. “He’s the man, and obviously you see the arm talent out here every Sunday. But his leadership is what makes him special, and so everybody in this locker room wants to play for him. … Hopefully he doesn’t see me saying this, because I’ll get some s— for it.”
Again, that’s Bobo being Darnold’s greatest hype man. All the Seahawks had been competing to be Darnold’s greatest hype man. But for all of the effusive reward of Darnold, right here’s yet another quote that stood out:
“We’re super proud of the way that he commands the offense,” Shaheed informed me. “We wouldn’t be here without him.”
For the longest time, that wasn’t true.
Against the 49ers final week, the Seahawks most likely may’ve gained with Jarrett Stidham. Darnold might need engineered explosive performs on the third-highest price amongst QBs behind Drake Maye and Jordan Love throughout the common season. But that additionally got here on the expense of turnovers (20; most within the NFL) with the second-highest turnover price (3.7%) behind solely Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (4.6). You know … the man who acquired memed into oblivion this 12 months.
So, you get it. Darnold was actually good, at occasions — and actually dangerous, at occasions. The Seahawks needed to compensate for his errors. Or they needed to carry him altogether.
This was the sport when Shaheed’s sentiment was most true: We would not be right here with out him.
Darnold was that good. The Seahawks wouldn’t have crushed the Rams to advance to the Super Bowl with out him.
3. EVERYONE IS AFRAID TO SAY
Part 1: Drake Maye was the youngest QB within the playoff discipline, however he’s taking part in with knowledge past his years.
Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas informed me a couple of weeks in the past that Maye was mature past his years. Douglas is 25 years previous himself, so what does he know, proper?
Well, since Douglas stated that, the Patriots have gained three straight playoff video games — and with Maye serving to them win in three other ways. This isn’t to say he’s been good and even exceptionally constant, particularly when in comparison with an unimaginable common season. But for those who look across the NFL, you’ll see that quarterbacks have struggled all through the playoffs.
Even for a man like Matthew Stafford, it has been about doing simply sufficient.
So that’s what Maye did on Sunday towards the Broncos in a sport that — within the second half — devolved right into a white-out blizzard. Maye had zero turnovers, rectifying a problem that plagued him all playoffs lengthy. He additionally had 65 speeding yards and a speeding landing.
Drake Maye beat the Broncos along with his legs as a lot as his proper arm, as he scrambled for a number of first downs. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
“These conditions — they’re not great throwing the football,” Maye stated with a chuckle in a postgame interview on CBS. “We did what we needed to do.”
Those speeding stats proved all-important for the passer — as oxymoronic as that sounds — due to snow. It was laborious to throw towards the Denver protection when the sport began. It was downright unattainable when the blizzard confirmed up. Maye was 10 of 21 for 86 yards and 5 sacks. But Maye found out how one can rating along with his legs. Maye additionally found out how one can ice — pun supposed — the sport along with his legs on third-and-6 with a rollout run that allowed New England to knee the sport to shut it out.
It’s a credit score to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has — the entire season — met his gamers and his quarterback the place they’re. McDaniels has a well-known and notorious system. Its problems have flunked loads of gamers. But those that get it, get it.
Even after studying film of Tom Brady, Maye has made this offense his personal.
“Tell me who the players are. Tell me what their strengths are,” McDaniels informed me a couple of weeks in the past. “And let’s try to build the system around them. And that’s what we try to do with Drake. We ran the option [against the Chargers.] We never did that with Tom [Brady]. Why? Because Drake can do it. … We scored on two rushing touchdowns against the Bills. Those were designed runs. We’ve moved Drake out of the pocket, and we’ve done other things that he can do well.
“We’re not simply going to do this as a result of I believe he can do virtually the whole lot, to a degree. … We can do extra issues — or various things — as a result of he has totally different ability units.”
Maye’s path to the Super Bowl will draw skepticism.
And to the credit of the skeptics, he has not had to outduel an offense with considerable firepower. But what those skeptics won’t point out is that Maye is the first QB to win three playoff games against top five total defenses in a single postseason, per FOX Sports research. Those units are all also three top nine defenses in points allowed per game, and two of them (the Broncos and the Texans) finished in the top three.
Because of that, Maye will be the second-youngest QB to start the Super Bowl — just behind Dan Marino — where, perhaps fittingly, he’ll face the top defense in the Seahawks.
Part 2: Special teams matter!
In the Rams’ loss to the Seahawks, we saw yet another reminder that there are three phases of this game. And it was special teams that provided the moment when the Seahawks took control of the game.
Rams receiver Xavier Smith fell over while trying to field a punt early in the third quarter and muffed it. The Seahawks were there to recover at the 17-yard line. And one play later, Darnold threw a touchdown to Jake Bobo to give the Seahawks a 12-point lead they ultimately wouldn’t squander.
“Every 12 months, they lose key video games and fail to maximise their potential because of a scarcity of funding in particular groups,” a former NFL head coach texted me on Sunday night after the Rams’ muffed punt. “Look on the investments of who they rent. [It went from] from [former Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel] and [Joe] DeCamillis (two of the most effective) to the bottom bidders who promise in interviews to principally not play the part. Whenever they play groups who put money into particular groups, it prices them!”
A Rams fumble deep in their own zone led to a Seahawks touchdown and proved to be the difference in the NFC title game. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
We have receipts, too. These are simply from the Rams’ losses this 12 months.
- In L.A.’s 33-26 loss to the Eagles in Week 3, Philly blocked two Rams field goals late in the fourth, including a 44-yard game-winning attempt with three seconds left.
- In L.A.’s 26-23 loss to the 49ers in Week 5, Josh Karty missed a 53-yard field goal and an extra point.
- In a 38-37 loss to the Seahawks in Week 16, the Rams allowed a Rashid Shaheed punt-return TD. Kicker Harrison Mevis also missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 30-all.
The Rams often win despite their special teams. But when a team like the Seahawks can use that phase to their advantage, it can tip the scales in a game that’s otherwise even.
4. WE GOTTA TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER
The NFL playoffs are not a marathon — they’re a steeplechase. Or maybe it’s skijoring.
Before you take off to Google what those sports are, just know that they’re weird. They don’t test athletes in clean or aesthetic ways. If I told you those sports were for the Cowboys, you’d believe me. And playoff football — it turns out — is in that same category.
That’s what we saw with the crazy snowfall in Denver.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was made for the playoffs. His team was made to win in any kind of weather.
Behind Vrabel and defensive playcaller Zak Kuhr, New England’s protection allowed simply 26 factors in all the three-game playoff run, second-fewest in NFL history by a team with three games playing into the Super Bowl. The Chargers offensive gamers admitted to Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane that they had no idea what they were seeing in terms of disguised coverages. The same was probably true when C.J. Stroud threw 4 interceptions within the divisional spherical.
It’s safe to say weather was a factor in Sunday’s AFC title game between the Patriots and the Broncos. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
With help from the snow, Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham couldn’t see … anything. There was a brief moment when it seemed, maybe, Stidham could contend. He had a 52-yard play to Marvin Mims on Denver’s second drive before throwing a touchdown. But that competence was short-lived. Otherwise, Vrabel and the Patriots smothered the Broncos — as they should against a backup QB. New England made do with the conditions they got.
With the win, Vrabel tied George Seifert for the most wins in NFL history by a head coach in their first season with a team, including the playoffs, per FOX Sports Research.
No, the more questionable decision from Sean Payton came on the Broncos’ final drive when they tried to throw the ball downfield twice (into the peak of the storm). On the first, Stidham had his guy open (enough) to try it. Instead, he checked down. On the second throw, Stidham did not have his guy — but tried it anyway. There were a lot of moments where the game didn’t go the Broncos’ way. That was the real back-breaker, where the decision didn’t match the situation.
Whether it was luck or versatility, the Patriots beat the snow — and, in turn, the Broncos.
5. HE SAID WHAT?!
“No curfew tonight. But the bus is leaving at 8:00 within the morning — so for those who ain’t on it, you ain’t taking part in within the Bowl.”
Wherever you are right now, remember that the Patriots are somewhere in Denver having more fun than you. (Unless it’s Monday after 8 a.m. — then you’re probably feeling better than them.)
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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