Sawt Falasteen - Darnold, Seahawks defeat Rams 31-27 to reach Super Bowl

In a high-scoring NFC Championship thriller, the Seahawks held off the Matthew Stafford-inspired Rams to advance to next month's NFL showpiece where they will face the New England Patriots in a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl.

The win was the latest milestone in a fairytale campaign for the 28-year-old Darnold, who has enjoyed a renaissance with the Seahawks this season after a rocky start to his NFL career that included spells with four different teams before his arrival in Seattle.

"It's amazing, to be able to do this with these guys in this locker room, with this coaching staff -- it means the world to me," said Seattle quarterback Darnold, who finished with 346 passing yards with no interceptions.

"It's a special group in this locker room and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

A back and forth duel between Darnold and the Rams' veteran quarterback Stafford went down to the wire, with the Seahawks defense also coming up with a crucial stop to deny Los Angeles what would have been a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Instead, Seattle regained possession and took crucial minutes off the clock on the subsequent drive, leaving the Rams just 20 seconds in what turned out to a vain attempt to find a winning touchdown.

L.Hussein--SF-PST