What we're watching
• NFL’s conference championship games: Super Bowl LX looms and one team is already set: The New England Patriots are headed to Santa Clara to play in the sport’s biggest game. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are fighting for the other spot in the night cap.
• Rams-Seahawks: The Seahawks have gotten started on the right foot, marching down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive to take an early lead over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game. It’s 10-6 in the second quarter in favor of Seattle.
• The Patriots return to the Super Bowl! What a long ride it’s been for the Patriots, from dynasty to dumpster fire and back to the Super Bowl. The Patriots make the plays they need to make and defeat the Denver Broncos and the snow to earn a 10-7 victory in a snowy championship game.
• Follow along: Stay with CNN Sports today for live updates, analysis, news and highlights from these massive contests.
Darnold fumbles and sacked, but escapes disaster as Seahawks punt
Oops, sorry for the jinx about the Rams stuff, Sam Darnold.
After a fruitful first quarter, the Seahawks have their first ineffective drive of the night that ends when Darnold fumbles a snap for a significant loss and then is sacked on second-and-nineteen.
The Seahawks are forced to punt but still lead.
Score: Seahawks 10, Rams 6
Rams settle for another field goal after a promising drive
With the Seahawks’ offense looking dangerous, the Rams may already feel like they’re behind the eight ball in Seattle tonight.
The Rams started off successfully trying to assert their ground game, with Kyren Williams picking up 15 yards on a pair of rushed to get the ball out near midfield as the first quarter comes to a close.
Los Angles picked up a big chunk on a pass from Matthew Stafford to Davante Adams on a crossing route for a 23-yard gain.
The Seahawks stifled the Rams after that, with officials possibly missing a facemask penalty against Seattle on a third down sack.
Harrison Mevis drilled a 50-yard field goal to get more points on the board for the Rams, but it feels like field goals might not cut it tonight for Los Angeles.
Score: Seahawks 10, Rams 6
Seattle extends its lead after a dynamic drive ends in a field goal
Kenneth Walker III has ten touches and 59 yards total already in the first quarter as the Seahawks march 56 yards down field.
But the highlight of the drive was a ridiculous one-handed snow-cone catch by Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ultimately, Seahawks settle for a field goal after a holding penalty pushes them back to the 19 yard line on second and goal.
They’re up by a touchdown as the ball goes back to L.A.
Score: Seahawks 10, Rams 3
Huge pass from Stafford to Nacua sets up Rams' field goal
After a three-and-out on their first possession, the Rams’ offense came to life quickly on this drive.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford aired out deep ball on second down, hitting Puka Nacua for a huge 44-yard gain.
The Seahawks’ defense put the clamps on the Rams after that, forcing Los Angelesel to settle for a 44-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis -- aka the Thiccer Kicker – to cut into the Seattle lead.
Score: Seahawks 7, Rams 3
51 yard pass sets up an early TD for Darnold and the Seahawks
It’s early still, but it certainly didn’t look like Seattle’s QB is haunted by his recent history against the Rams.
In his last four games against L.A. over the past two seasons, Sam Darnold had seven interceptions, 16 sacks, and a 1-3 record. But just about five minutes into the NFC and he’s given Seattle the lead with a little help from his star running back.
The Seahawks go 81 yards on only seven plays including, a 51-yard pass to Rashid Shaheed, to score a touchdown. Kenneth Walker III takes the ball into the end zone and gives their famed fanbase something to cheer about. Loudly.
Score: Seahawks 7, Rams 0
Seattle's defense smothers the Rams on their first possession
A 25-yard kickoff return from Jordan Whittington set the Rams up with pretty good field position for their first possession of the game.
But the Seahawks smothering defense picked up where they left off in last week’s win over the San Francisco 49ers.
On third down, Rams QB Matthew Stafford went to his favorite target, Puka Nacua, but the receiver was draped by Seattle’s Riq Woolen to break up the play.
Rams are forced to punt to Seattle.
Score: Rams 0, Seahawks 0
We are underway in Seattle!
The Seahawks won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, so the Rams will get the ball first. The boisterous Seattle crowd – known as The 12s – are in full voice and it is load in the Emerald City.
The Rams’ Jordan Whittington takes it out to the 31-yard line and that’s where Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ offense take over.
Score: Rams 0, Seahawks 0
Patriots headed to the Super Bowl after beating the Broncos and the elements in Denver
It wasn’t a pretty game, but in the end, the New England Patriots are headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2018 season and the Tom Brady glory days.
With the Denver crowd at a fever pitch, the Patriots couldn’t get anything going offensively in the early stages of the game.
The Broncos were pinning their hopes on back-up quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who was filling in for Bo Nix after the starting quarterback suffered a broken bone in his ankle in the final minutes of Denver’s win over the Buffalo Bills last weekend.
Denver struck first, with a 52-yard pass from Stidham to Marvin Mims Jr. setting up a six-yard scoring pass from Stidham to Courtland Sutton to put the Broncos ahead 7-0.
The Broncos’ stiff defense completely stymied the Patriots’ offense, but New England was able to take advantage of a costly mistake late in the second quarter.
Stidham fumbled the ball on a sack, and the Patriots’ Elijah Ponder recovered deep in Denver territory, and only a premature whistle from the officials prevented Ponder from returning the fumble for a touchdown. But the Patriots capitalized two plays later as quarterback Drake Maye ran the ball in for a touchdown from six yards out to tie the game just seconds before the two-minute warning.
Both teams missed field goals as snow flurries began to fall in the final seconds of the first half – a sign of things to come in the Mile High City.
But the time the second half started, conditions were deteriorating rapidly at Invesco Field, with visibility and footing worsening by the minute.
The Patriots were able to strike early before the snow truly began to dictate to terms of the game. New England put together the longest drive of the game - a 16-play, 64-yard epic that drained 9:31 off the clock and ended in a 23-yard field goal from Andy Borregales.
Borregales’ boot proved to be the decisive score of the game. As the weather turned into white-out conditions down on the gridiron, Broncos’ field personnel struggled to keep the yard lines and hashmarks cleared, and the CBS broadcast had to add yard line graphics to the telecast for views at home to follow the action on the field.
Neither team’s offense found any success in the blizzard-like conditions, but a terrible punt from New England set the Broncos up with a golden opportunity. Denver couldn’t convert a first down, but did set up a 45-yard field goal chance for Broncos kick Wil Lutz.
Patriots’ lineman Leonard Taylor III was able to get a fingertip on Lutz’s kick, just enough for the kick to flutter wide left.
The Broncos got the ball back one last time, but with Denver forced to take shots downfield, a deep pass from Stidham was picked off by Christian Gonzalez to put the game on ice.
The Patriots needed to convert just one first down to run out the clock, and they did just that with an inspired play call and a seven-yard scramble from Maye on a third-and-five. Three kneel downs later, the New England was victorious and headed to Santa Clara for a date with the NFC Champion in Super Bowl LX.
How the Rams got here
The Rams entered the NFL playoffs as one of the favorites to get to the Super Bowl. They’ve been made to work to get this far.
Los Angeles beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 in the wild card round, using a game-winning drive in the final minutes from Matthew Stafford and company to survive an upset attempt.
Third-year quarterback Bryce Young was throwing all over the Rams’ typically stout defense and led the Panthers to a touchdown that gave them the lead early in the fourth quarter. Both teams battled back-and-forth before Young found wide receiver Jalen Coker for a seven-yard touchdown to give Carolina a four-point lead with just under three minutes left.
But Stafford did what Stafford does – lead game-winning drives.
He marched the offense down the field and capped it off with an incredible 19-yard throw to tight end Colby Parkinson, who made an acrobatic catch for the game-winning touchdown with seconds remaining.
Last week, the Rams outlasted the Chicago Bears 20-17 in overtime in a game dominated by the tough conditions at Soldier Field on Sunday.
Snow fell, the temperature kept dropping and both teams struggled. The two teams combined for 11 total punts with the Bears electing to go for it on fourth down six times. It was a 10-10 game through three quarters but LA running back Kyren Williams broke the deadlock after his second TD of the game with just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
But as Caleb Williams did all season, his clutch gene came through, leading to a miraculous 14-yard heave (officially 14, it was more like 40 after Williams scrambled backward) to tight end Cole Kmet to tie the game up with 18 seconds left.
In OT, the Bears defense got a big stop to open the extra period but a Williams interception gave the Rams the ball right back. From there, Matthew Stafford and the high-powered LA offense found a way to set up Harrison Mevis with a 42-yard field goal to win the game.
How the Seahawks got here
The Seahawks had a bye through the wild card round and started off their Super Bowl quest with a showdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Seahawks put on one of the most dominant performances you’re ever going to see as they steamrolled the Niners 41-6 at Lumen Field in Seattle.
It was all Seattle from the opening kickoff, which Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed ran 95 yards for a touchdown.
That was about as good as things were going to get for the 49ers on this night.
With the Seattle fans in a full frenzy, the hosts pummeled the Niners with a punishing defense. A turnover on downs led to a Seattle field goal, then a fumble resulted in another Seahawks touchdown and it was 17-0 after the first quarter.
The Niners clawed back with a couple of scoring drives, but Brock Purdy and the San Francisco offense couldn’t find the end zone, twice settling for field goals.
The Seahawks tacked on another touchdown before halftime with an 80-yard drive culminating in a seven-yard touchdown run from Kenneth Walker III. Walker came up huge for Seattle after starting running back Zach Charbonnet exited the game with a knee injury. Walker finished the game with 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
The 49ers couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second half, as the Seahawks’ offense wore down San Francisco’s defense and the Niners’ offense couldn’t mount any sort of consistent attack against Seattle’s swarming defense.
Seattle QB Sam Darnold was playing with a oblique injury that limited his reps during practice this week, and the Seahawks’ total dominance meant that Darnold didn’t have to shoulder much of the load. He finished the game just 12-of-17 passing for 124 yards and one touchdown.
Does Sam Darnold have an LA Rams problem?
OK, we just talked about how these two teams make for an especially potent matchup, but dig deeper than division rivalry and the opposing superlative status and you get an even juicier storyline.
That’s because Sam Darnold’s history against the Rams predates his time on the Seahawks.
After bouncing around for his first six years, Darnold signed with the Minnesota Vikings last season and was cruising to his best career year to date when they ran into the Rams in the wild card and Darnold was sacked nine times in the brutal loss. That was his last game with Minnesota. The Seahawks signed him to a contract that would allow them to cut ties after a year to accommodate the uncertainty that inspired.
Instead, it looks like the best free agent signing of the offseason. Darnold had another career year in Seattle. That said, his biggest stumbles have come in games against the Rams, including tying a career-high with four interceptions without a touchdown thrown in the loss to them in Week 11. A month later, another shaky performance against LA set up a heroic comeback.
Darnold is a potentially dominant QB on probably the best all around team in the playoffs. Except for when he’s a liability. There’s no reason to think he can’t beat LA — indeed, the overtime comeback in Week 16 was the last impression these two teams have of each other — but Seahawks fans have to hope he isn’t haunted by the ghost of Rams games past.
Can Matthew Stafford step up against the Seahawks?
I know New England Patriots QB Drake Maye might win MVP, but more likely it’ll be veteran Matthew Stafford, who is having his best season at 37. He did not, however, have his best game last week.
Against a Chicago Bears team with a flair for the dramatic and in frigid, flurry-filled conditions, Stafford went 20-of-42 for 258 yards and failed to throw a single touchdown. For a team that practiced all week in sunny Los Angeles, the weather was probably a contributing factor in that performance.
Ultimately, Stafford — with a clutch assist from kicker Harrison Mevis — did just enough to advance, sending the Rams back to the West Coast to take on their division rival in the conference championship.
The matchup here is between the two best teams out of the best division this year with opposing strengths. It pits the best offense by points scored (Rams) against the best defense by points allowed (Seahawks). Historically, in those situations, the defense has prevailed. Top-scoring teams are 0-4 against uber-elite defenses in the conference championship and Super Bowl.
But the Rams have done damage against the Seahawks’ defenders before. LA is the last team to have beaten Seattle, back in Week 11. Even in their Week 16 loss to the Seahawks – an overtime stunner decided by a single point – the Rams scored 37 points. In fact, the Rams’ two games were two of the five most points allowed by the Seahawks’ otherwise shutdown D.
Stafford and the rest of the offense will need to look better than they did against the Bears and the elements and more like they did against the Seahawks themselves, to stand a chance. At least, it probably won’t snow in Seattle.
Drake Maye has one message after clinching Super Bowl ticket
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye made a quite a statement after the team’s grueling 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos to advance to Super Bowl LX in a game that featured wild weather and great defense.
“What an atmosphere out here. Battling the elements, love this team. How about the defense? Love each and every one of them man,” Maye told the CBS broadcast after the game.
“Pats are back baby! Let’s go win one.”
The New England Patriots are headed back to the Super Bowl!
And it’s over! The New England Patriots are AFC champions and are headed to Super Bowl LX!
Maye gets first down to seal Patriots' Super Bowl ticket
And just like that, the New England Patriots appear to be on their way to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX in two weeks.
Needing a first down, Drake Maye took it himself for a seven-yard gain and sealing the game in the process.
All the Pats needed to do is kneel it a few times to secure the win.
New England is back in The Big One for the first time since 2019 when a Mr. Tom Brady was still playing quarterback for the storied franchise.
Final: Patriots 10, Broncos 7
Time running out on the Broncos after Stidham interception
OK. Three minutes to go. Down by three points. I can’t see the defenders on TV and it’s unclear if the Broncos players can see anything on the field.
Maybe they can’t see the defenders either. Jarrett Stidham tries to make something major happen, throws deep down field and a sneaky snow camo Christian Gonzalez intercepts it.
Not only a tough play in these conditions but a tough play to ask Stidham to pull off. The inexperienced backup has looked rattled for much of this game and that was a bit of a prayer.
We’re at the two-minute warning and the score hasn’t changed since a Pats’ field goal less than 10 minutes into the third quarter.
Score: Patriots 10, Broncos 7
Interception, New England!
That trust pays off – the Patriots get a massive interception!
That may be all New England needs to go to the Super Bowl!
Score: Patriots 10, Broncos 7
Patriots appearing to continue to trust defense
Another quick three-and-out for New England, which stays true to their previous few drives.
Trust the defense to keep the Broncos off the scoreboard amid the snow and wind.
Denver takes over on offense with just over three minutes remaining to decide who goes to Super Bowl LX in two weeks.
Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos take over in their own territory needing points. It’s so snowy the broadcast can’t tell where the ball is – it’s at the Denver 32.
Score: Patriots 10, Broncos 7
Second missed field goal of the game leaves Broncos trailing
As the visibility quite literally disappears, the Broncos get the ball with great field position at the Patriot’s 33-yard line. It might be field-goal range already if they could see the uprights.
Stidham scrambles to get them seven yards closer. But it’s not enough.
Leonard Taylor III, just called up to the active roster by the Patriots, tips the would-be 45-yard field goal and Wil Lutz misses his second of the game.
The Broncos are running out of time to come back.
Score: Patriots 10, Broncos 7
Stop us if you've heard this before: More snow gives us more punts
A quick three-and-out for the Patriots after an ugly drive that went absolutely no where. It appeared on third down that the Patriots play call actually was just to throw the ball away and play defense.
Broncos have seven minutes to find points amid the snow and wind.
Score: Patriots 10, Broncos 7
