The Los Angeles Rams had a chance to get back to the Super Bowl, but they had a tough task ahead of them as they had to go on the road to face the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
These teams split their two regular-season matchups with the margins being razor thin, setting up an intriguing matchup at Lumen Field. After another highly-competitive game, the Rams ultimately came up short, losing 31-27.
It wasn’t a great start for the Rams as they went 3-and-out on their first drive and then gave up a Seahawks touchdown after a long play to Rashid Shaheed.
The Rams’ offense eventually settled in with a pair of field goals from Harrison Mevis and then a touchdown from Matthew Stafford to Kyren Williams to to take the lead.
L.A. had a chance to add to that lead before the end of the first half, but the offense again went 3-and-out. The defense then gave up a big play and then a touchdown to Jaxson Smith-Njigba, giving the Seahawks a 17-13 advantage at the half.
PUKA! pic.twitter.com/nCwbIBxEYr
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) January 25, 2026
Stafford finds a wide open Kyren for the first TD of the day! pic.twitter.com/ly3x5z0DnL
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) January 26, 2026
Davante Adams’ first playoff TD as a Ram is a big one.pic.twitter.com/CgLlHDdCNR
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) January 26, 2026
Puka Nacua doing what he does best! pic.twitter.com/0QnP4v2rZs
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) January 26, 2026
Kam Kinchens shot out of a cannon!pic.twitter.com/J3Te0uRBpH
— Rams Newswire (@RamsNewswire) January 26, 2026
The start of the third quarter was also a disaster for the Rams as while their defense got a stop, Xavier Smith muffed the punt and Seattle immediately took advantage with a touchdown.
Needing a response with the game in balance, Stafford led the Rams right down the field and connected with Davante Adams for a touchdown. The guy he replaced in L.A., Cooper Kupp, immediately had a touchdown of his own for the Seahawks though.
Seattle cornerback Tariq Woolen had a costly taunting penalty to keep the ensuing Rams drive alive, and this time it was them who capitalized with Puka Nacua making an incredible catch for a touchdown, beating Woolen.
The Rams had a chance to take the lead and put a long drive together. It unfortunately got stopped on fourth down in the red zone, however, with the Seahawks getting the big stop they needed. Looking to run clock, Seattle then sealed the victory by running it all the way down to 25 seconds.
That wasn’t nearly enough time for Stafford and the offense, coming up short.
What’s next for the Rams…
With this loss, the Rams will not return to the Super Bowl as the Seahawks will be taking on the New England Patriots. While it’s a tough pill to swallow, there is optimism for the organization moving forward as they have a lot of young talent and two first round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
