It was a tightly-contested first half between divisional rivals, as the Seattle Seahawks lead the Los Angeles Rams 17-13 at half time of the NFC Championship Game from Lumen Field in Seattle.
Total yardage favoured the Seahawks, 239-203, and both sides did not register a turnover in the opening half.
Sam Darnold finished with 209 yards on 12-of-18 passing and a touchdown for the Seahawks, while Matthew Stafford threw for 125 yards on eight-of-15 passing with a touchdown.
Two of the top wide receivers in the NFL are featured in this clash, as the Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba made multiple highlight-reel grabs and finished the half with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
The Rams’ Puka Nacua finished the half with four catches for 75 yards on eight targets.
Kenneth Walker III led the way on the ground for the Seahawks with 37 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while Blake Corum and Kyren Williams combined for 13 carries for 66 yards for the Rams.
Seattle took the lead heading into the half on a Darnold throw under heavy pressure to a wide-open Smith-Njigba that capped off a long drive to take a 17-13 lead into the tunnel.
The Rams took their first lead of the game with fewer than two minutes remaining in the half, as Stafford found Williams sneaking out of the backfield unmarked in a redzone passing play, and the running back waltzed in for a nine-yard touchdown as Los Angeles took a 13-10 lead.
Los Angeles picked up its second field goal of the game on its third drive, as the eight-play drive - keyed by Davante Adams’ 23-yard catch and run - ended with a Mevis field goal from 50 yards out, cutting Seattle’s lead to 10-6.
Defensive problems have persisted for the Rams early in this game, after the team struggled to stop the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears in the first two rounds of these playoffs. The Seahawks drove down the field on their two opening drives, notching points in both - a field goal at the end of the first quarter increased Seattle’s lead to 10-7.
Seattle opened the scoring after Darnold hit Rashid Shaheed on a 51-yard passing play to set up Walker’s short rushing touchdown on third down, for a 7-0 lead.
The Rams responded with a deep 44-yard pass to Nacua, but were unable to cash in and settled for a field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3 midway through the first quarter.
Seattle is seeking its fourth Super Bowl berth after making it to the big game in 2006, 2014 and 2015. Their only win came in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos in 2014.
The Rams franchise is battling for its sixth Super Bowl appearance - the Rams made two appearances while playing in St. Louis (2000, 2002) and three while playing in Los Angeles (1980, 2019, 2022). They won Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans, and defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
The winner of this game will play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX in two weeks time.
