Nobody on the Seattle Seahawks has supported Sam Darnold quite like Ernest Jones IV.

Maybe the game itself will live up to the hype, because Super Bowl Opening Night was calmer than usual.

Sean McVay had zero interest in discussing whether Matthew Stafford, his soon-to-be 38-year-old quarterback, will be back for the Los Angeles Rams next year.

Sam Darnold threw for three touchdowns, the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense came up with a critical fourth-down stop, and Seattle advanced to the Super Bowl, beating the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in an electrifying NFC championship game.

Jesse Minter, Robert Saleh and Jeff Hafley earned their head coaching opportunities on the defensive side of the ball.

The NFL’s conference championship games feature both No. 1 seeds, two division rivals and a backup quarterback making his first start of the season.

All-Pro Matthew Stafford rallied the Rams to a victory at Carolina last week to set up a divisional round matchup at Chicago on Sunday.

George Holani pounced on a live ball in the end zone for an improbable touchdown, and the Seattle Seahawks took advantage of sloppy play by the Pittsburgh Steelers to pull off a 31-17 surprise.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner has repeated as the NFL’s top cornerback in rankings by The Associated Press.

Rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon scored on a 97-yard interception return late in the third quarter and the Seattle Seahawks tied a team record with 11 sacks in a 24-3 victory over the struggling and offensively inept New York Giants.