SEATTLE — For most of the biggest game at Lumen Field in 11 years, it was the Dark Side defense again getting its lights knocked out by Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams offense.

At one point, the Seattle Seahawks’ defense even delivered what was almost a knockout blow to themselves.

But when was the best defense in the NFL this season absolutely had to make a play, it did.

And from there, it was an offense led by Sam Darnold — who played his best game as a Seahawk — that led Seattle to the promised land of the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history with a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field.

“We’re here and we did it,” Darnold said excitedly on the same stage as the team was presented the George Halas Trophy as the NFC Champion by Michael Strahan.

It marked the fourth time the Seahawks won an NFC title game at home to advance to the Super Bowl, all since 2006 and the first since a 28-22 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers to advance to play the New England Patriots.

This one also went down to the last play and means the Seahawks will again play the Patriots Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

“We’re headed to San Francisco,” yelled receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown.

“Let’s get it,” he sid.a

The Rams used one of the most ill-timed penalties in Seahawks — if not NFL — history on Riq Woolen to cut an 11-point lead to four in the third quarter.

After getting a stop, the Rams moved from their own 10 to the Seattle 6, with a second-and-4.

Tyrice Knight stopped a run for no gain and pass breakups by Devon Witherspoon on third and fourth downs kept the score at 31-27 with 4:54 remaining.

The Seahawks offense ran out all but the last 25 seconds as Darnold twice completed passes for first downs on a day when he threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns despite being limited in practice all week because of an oblique injury.

Two final completions took the ball to the 50 before time ran out.

The win marks a rise under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald that has at least exceeded almost every expectation the Seahawks and their fans had after he was named the ninth head coach in franchise history on Jan. 31, 2024. He succeeded Pete Carroll, the most successful coach in team history but whose tenure had begun to stagnate with a record of 25-26 in his last three seasons and no playoff wins in his last four years.

After a midseason slump in his first season, Macdonald led the Seahawks to a 6-2 record in the second half of 2024 and a 10-7 record.

A season-opening home loss to the 49ers and a 3-2 start — achieved while the Mariners were making their deepest playoff run in history — left the Seahawks seeming to be almost off the radar on the Seattle sports scene.

But the Seahawks have completely stolen it back with their ninth straight win, during which time the they won at San Francisco to clinch the NFC West and No. 1 seed, beat the 49ers again to advance to the NFC title game and on Sunday defeated the Rams.

“We did not care!,” Macdonald yelled excitedly when asked about having to beat the 49ers and Rams to get to the Super Bowl. “It’s about us. It’s always been about us and what we do and now we are going to the Super Bowl.”

Darnold, meanwhile, threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in a a performance that answered definitively the question of whether Darnold can lead a team to the Super Bowl.

Now comes the even more enticing question of whether he can win one.

Woolen drew a taunting penalty after breaking up a third-down pass that allowed the Rams to go from punting on a fourth-and-12 late in the third quarter to getting a first down at the Seattle 34.

On the next play, Puka Nacua beat Woolen off the line of scrimmage and twisted to bring in a pass at the pylon from Stafford for a touchdown that cut the lead to 31-27 with 2:06.

The Seahawks moved to the Rams’ 44 yard-line. But a sack helped kill the drive and Los Angeles got the ball back after a punt on its own 10 with 12:18 to play.

Stafford moved the Rams down the field. On a third-and-1 at the 26, a pass from Stafford to tight end Colby Parkinson went just off his hands.

Los Angeles went for it and the 37-year-old Stafford scrambled and fought through a tackle by DeMarcus Lawrence to gain three yards.

The Rams faced a third-and-4 at the 6 with just over five minutes left.

Finding no one open, Stafford tried to force it into the corner to Mumpfield. But Witherspoon broke it up.

On fourth down, Stafford again found no one open and threw to the back of the end zone to tight end Terrance Ferguson. Witherspoon broke that up, too.

The Seahawks took over at their own 6 with 4:54 remaining and two plays later running back Kenneth Walker III took a short pass and slithered his way for 13 yards and a much-needed first down.

Two plays later, the Seahawks faced third-and-7 at its own 28 with 3:20 remaining.

After lining up in an empty set, the Seahawks called time.

Darnold found former Ram Cooper Kupp on a crossing route for seven yards and a first down to the 35.

The Rams used their second time out, appearing to hope replay might look at either the spot or whether Kupp lost control before the play was dead.

To no avail.

The Seahawks had a first down at its 35 with 3:11 remaining.

Two plays later Darnold rolled and threw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 14-yard gain and a first down.

Two plays after that, the Rams were called for defensive holding.

That gave the Seahawks a first down with 2:12 left and essentially ended the game.

It was the second dramatic win for the Seahawks over the Rams at Lumen Field in the last five weeks. The first, a 38-37 overtime win on Dec. 18, helped give Seattle the NFC West and home-field advantage through the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks appeared to take command in the third quarter when they feasted on yet another mistake by a Rams special teams unit that has struggled all season, firing special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn last month following Seattle’s overtime win.

The Rams forced the Seahawks to punt on its first series of the second half.

But Rams returner Xavier Smith, who had fumbled a punt in the second quarter that he recovered, circled under another booing Michael Dickson kick — this one of 55 yards — then stumbled and tried to catch it while laying on his back.

That predictably proved unsuccessful as it bounced off his chest and to the turf where Seattle’s Dareke Young jumped on it at the Rams 17.

A play later, Darnold found Jake Bobo open in the end zone for a 17-yard TD that put the Seahawks ahead 24-13 with 12:02 to play in the third quarter.

The Rams answered quickly with a 40-yard pass from Stafford to former Seahawk Colby Parkinson setting up a Stafford 2-yard TD pass to Davante Adams to make it 24-20 with 9:41 to play in the third quarter.

But Seattle then answered the Rams’ answer. A Darnold pass for 12 yards to Kupp converted a third-and-9 to get the drive going.

Then on a third-and-3 at the Los Angeles 13, Darnold fired a pass to a wide-open Kupp in the slant and the former Ram rumbled the final five yards or so to complete a touchdown play that put the Seahawks up 31-20 with 4:52 to play in the third quarter.

Then came Woolen’s penalty and far too much drama than the Seahawks seemed to need to endure.

But ultimately, the party was on in Seattle.

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