Leonard Williams Soaks In the Moment
For Leonard Williams, the weight of the Seahawks accomplishment hit somewhere between scooping up Julian Love’s son, Noah, to run around and celebrate, and doing confetti angels on the Lumen Field turf with his wife, Hailey.
The Seahawks are Super Bowl bound after Sunday’s 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC championship game, and on one of the league’s youngest teams, a lot of players might not fully appreciate the significance of that accomplishment. But for veterans like Williams, who is in his 11th season, Love, DeMarcus Lawrence, Jarran Reed and Sam Darnold, who have all had long careers without playing in a Super Bowl (Darnold was on the 2023 49ers team that made it but did not play in the game), it was impossible to overlook this moment.
“It means so much,”
“It means so much,” Williams said. “This has been a dream to be in a situation like this. It means even more to me to be here with these guys that I’ve been battling with every day. That’s the reason why this year will be so memorable for me, not because of the winning, but because of the men in this locker room—how close we are, how much we love each other, how much we ride for each other. That type of brotherhood that we have will last for a lifetime.
“I got so excited I took (Love’s) son, Noah, and started running around with him. It means so much. Me and Julian have been side by side since his rookie year, we’ve been through a lot, a lot of adversity. So have so many guys in this building. I can think of so many, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Darnold, so many guys that have had long careers, a lot of adversity, and it means so much to me to see them all celebrating tonight… I think that’s probably when it sunk in the most, honestly. I was celebrating with my teammates, but as soon as I hugged my wife, that’s when I had a flood of emotions and a flood of just all my history and thoughts just kind of came back to me. We’ve been together since college, she was with me when I got drafted, she’s been with me through all the trades and all those things, so I just kind of remembered all that stuff in that one embrace, and it was beautiful.”
A Locker Room Celebration to Remember
A little while later, there was a theme to the postgame music that blared in the Seahawks locker room after another dramatic, down-to-the-wire game against the Rams.
There was also cigar smoke, oh so much cigar smoke, but there was a theme to the songs cued up as players made their way into the locker room following an on-field celebration and presentation of the George Halas Trophy. First, there was “Going Back to Cali” by the Notorious B.I.G., followed immediately by 2Pac’s “California Love.”
Going Back to Cali for Super Bowl LX
Yes, the Seahawks are going back to Cali, where they most recently clinched the No. 1 seed with win over the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, to play in Super Bowl LX in that same building. It will be the Seahawks’ fourth Super Bowl appearance in team history, and first since they played in back-to-back Super Bowl last decade, winning Super Bowl XLVIII 12 years ago, then falling just short the following year.
“I don’t really know what to say,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “I’m incredibly proud of our team. I’m happy for the 12s, for our city. What an atmosphere. Just to be able to take it in after and understand what our team has been able to do up to this point and how they’ve done it, we’re just blessed. Just really blessed that we got a heck of a group and a great organization and owner and the best fans. So it’s humbling, too, and just pretty awesome. I don’t know. I’m kind of speechless. Just really proud of our guys. It was a team win.”
A Complete Team Win Gets Seattle to the Super Bowl
Team win is a great way to describe it, a big reason why the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl. For so much of the season, it was Seattle’s defense leading the way as the Seahawks rolled to a 14-3 record and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. But with the Rams putting up big plays and points on Sunday, the offense needed to step up, and with Sam Darnold playing the game of his life, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover, the Seahawks were able to score 31 points, go 7 for 13 on third down, and outscore the team that led the NFL in points this season.
Special Teams and Defense Deliver in the Biggest Moments
And as has so often been the case for the Seahawks this season, special teams got in on the act as well, with Dareke Young recovering a muffed punt to set up a touchdown. And even though it wasn’t the defense’s best day, that unit still came up with some big stops, none bigger than the red zone stop late in the fourth quarter that featured pass breakups by Devon Witherspoon on third and fourth down. And in the first half, the Rams had a chance to drive for a score late in the second quarter to build on a three-point lead, but Nick Emmanwori broke up consecutive passes to force a punt, and the offense answered with a touchdown to give Seattle 17-13 halftime lead.
“I think the offense and special teams was really saving our butts today,” Williams said. “We didn’t play the way we wanted to, more than once now against the Rams. They have a great offense, (Matthew) Stafford is an incredible quarterback, kudos to them, but what makes us great as a team is that we really can win a game in all three phases. Our special teams showed up big today, our offense showed up big, and then Spoon came up with that incredible play when it counted.”
Seahawks Prove They Can Win in Every Phase
Had Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the rest of the offense not had a monstrous game, the Seahawks wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl, but they also very well might not be there if not for the defense getting up off the mat for a crucial stop, or if not for yet another game-changing play on special teams. All season long, the Seahawks have looked like one of the most complete teams in the league, and they showed that again when it mattered most.
“Just a total complete team win,” Darnold said. “Special teams stepping up on the muffed punt; Dareke recovering that was huge for us especially going into the half. And then getting the ball back. You know, our defense just playing lights out. That fourth down they hit, I think it was fourth and four, something like that. Just an incredible stop by our guys. So like I said, complete team win. Very proud of this group.”
John Boyle Seahawks.com Senior Reporter