Super Bowl 60 Is Set: Seahawks and Patriots Punch Their Tickets After Championship Sunday Thrillers

Championship Sunday delivered two dramatically different but equally compelling football games, and the result is a Super Bowl 60 matchup few predicted at the start of the season: the Seattle Seahawks versus the New England Patriots, set for Santa Clara in two weeks.

NFC Championship: Seahawks 31, Rams 27

Sam Darnold was magnificent in the NFC Championship Game, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Seahawks past the Los Angeles Rams 31-27. It was a shootout befitting two of the NFC's best, with Matthew Stafford answering with 374 yards and three touchdowns of his own in a losing effort.

"That JSN is a beast," Dan Sileo said on The National Football Show. "JSN in Seattle is insane. That dude is a special player. He gets open in space... spectacular hands." Jaxon Smith-Njigba was Darnold's primary weapon, continuing a season that has established him as one of the premier receivers in football.

The Seahawks are now 16-3 counting the playoffs, and Darnold is 2-1 in postseason play — a stunning turnaround for a quarterback who was released by four different teams. Head coach Mike McDonald, one of the league's most underrated coaches according to Sileo, has built a complete team with the sixth-ranked defense in football supporting a high-powered offense.

Sean McVay drew criticism for a pivotal fourth-quarter decision. With seven minutes remaining and the Rams trailing by four, McVay elected to go for it on fourth down rather than kick a field goal. The attempt failed, and Seattle ran out the clock.

"If you take the points, you can go 50 yards instead of 92 yards to give yourself an opportunity to win the ball game. Nope. These nerds and these analytic guys, that's not a feel for the game." — Dan Sileo

AFC Championship: Patriots 10, Broncos 7

In Denver, the New England Patriots muscled their way to a 10-7 victory over the Broncos in a game defined by deteriorating weather and a critical coaching blunder by Sean Payton.

With starting quarterback Bo Nix sidelined, Denver turned to backup Jarrett Stidham, who hadn't thrown a meaningful pass in three years. Payton drove the Broncos into the red zone on the opening possession — then passed on a field goal attempt. Those three points would haunt Denver for the rest of the afternoon.

"Stupid," Sileo declared. "You're on the road, you got a backup quarterback who hasn't thrown a pass in three years, and you pass on three points... the weather was rapidly decreasing and getting worse. Cost yourself a ball game because of your ego and your arrogance."

Drake May and the Patriots defense did the rest. The second-year quarterback made a pivotal play late in the game, reportedly going off-script on a quarterback keeper to seal the first down that ended the contest. Mike Vrabel was seen sprinting down the sideline in celebration.

The Patriots are now 9-0 on the road this season — the first team to accomplish that feat — and boast the eighth-ranked defense in football. Milton Williams was a force on the defensive line, continuing his dominant season.

Super Bowl 60 Preview

Super Bowl 60 will be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Seahawks installed as early 4.5-point favorites. It marks the franchise's 12th Super Bowl appearance for New England and Bob Kraft's 11th as owner.

"Both defensive coaches," Sileo noted. "Defense travels. The Seahawks have the sixth-ranked defense and the Patriots have the eighth-ranked defense and they're in the Super Bowl."