It was not the finest game from the Seattle Seahawks defense in the NFC Championship, but the team is headed to the Super Bowl to face the New England Patriots. When the team needed it most, the Seahawks defense came up huge with a late fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter.
Seattle also closed out the game on defense as the Los Angeles Rams offense ran out of time. With the Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl 2026 matchup set, the NFL took to X to show the Seattle defense some love.
“Feeling like the Legion of Boom 2.0 #SBLX,” the NFL posted after the Seahawks punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.
The post is a nod to the Legion of Boom defense who led the Seahawks’ to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl victory during the 2013 season.
Here’s what you need to know about the Super Bowl.
The Current Seahawks Defense Has Earned the ‘Dark Side’ Nickname
Seattle opens as a 4.5-point favorite over New England in the Super Bowl matchup, per FanDuel. The current Seahawks defense prefers the “Dark Side” nickname over anything related to the Legion of Boom as the group aims to form their own identity.
“Dark Side is just a bunch of guys who are willing to risk it all for one another, for their brother,” Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy told The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar in a January 15, feature story titled, “How the Seahawks transformed from little brother to NFC West bully with a ‘Dark Side’.”
“We’re just a violent, ferocious crew. We’re just on that with anybody. The Dark Side is the best side.”
Sam Darnold on Seahawks Reaching the Super Bowl: ‘It Means the World to Me’
The focus for much of Seattle’s season has been the team’s defense, but the Seahawks needed every bit of their offense against the Rams. Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold may have had the best game of his career against a Rams defense that has had his number throughout his NFL career.
“It’s amazing,” Darnold said after the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl, per Associated Press. “To be able to do it with these guys in this locker room, though, with this coaching staff, that’s why it means the world to me.”
The Seahawks Offense Was Led by Sam Darnold & Jaxon Smith-Njigba to Advance to the Super Bowl
Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns while completing 69.4% of his passes. Perhaps the most impressive stat for Darnold is zero interceptions or turnovers against the Rams.
Seattle’s quarterback was helped by a statement game from Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The star playmaker posted 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown.
After the NFC Championship, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald made sure to give Darnold his flowers.
“Barely practicing… really incredible,” Macdonald said of Darnold, per The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell. “Should go down as one of the greatest performance (in NFL playoff history).”
Seattle gets two weeks to prepare for New England as the Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday, February 8, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern in San Francisco. The Seahawks would like nothing more than to win the Super Bowl in their rival’s home stadium.
NFL Immediately Sends Strong 6-Word Message on Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl