The Seattle Seahawks pulled off a spectacular overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams last Thursday, rallying from a 30-14 fourth-quarter deficit to stun their division rivals and take control of their path to a potential number one seed in the NFC. Two-point conversions told the story, as Seattle converted tries on their last three touchdowns, the second of which was a highly controversial backwards pass that bounced into the endzone after hitting the helmet of Jared Verse ...

... and the last of the three saw Darnold find an open Eric Saubert to secure the gutsy victory.

My Hottest Take: Seattle Controls its own Destiny, but the Path is Challenging

That Thursday night thriller was the last regular-season home game for the Seahawks, and they exited it at 12-3, one game ahead of the Rams and two up on the San Francisco 49ers, who have yet to play as of this article’s writing. Seattle’s last two games present two likely playoff opponents in the Carolina Panthers and the 49ers, both on the road. Carolina sits at 8-7 and is easy to scoff at given their weak division, but they should absolutely scare Seahawks fans.

The Panthers run a very balanced offense, attempting 28 rushes per game, and pairing them with 30.4 passing attempts per game, but they’re at their best when Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard are gashing defenses on the ground. The Panthers also take “any given Sunday” far too seriously, alternating impressive wins against playoff teams like the Green Bay Packers and Rams with head scratching losses to the New Orleans Saints twice(!) and Arizona Cardinals. Given how random they are week to week, it’s impossible to predict what Panthers team Seattle sees. Should the Seahawks get out of Carolina unscathed, it would set up a simple scenario in Santa Clara: win and receive a bye, lose and likely head on the road for a wildcard game against Carolina or Tampa Bay.

What You Need to Know: Sam Darnold Won a Big Game!

The narrative that Sam Darnold can’t win big games is very premature. Darnold spent his first six seasons playing nothing but meaningless games for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, then as a backup for San Francisco before getting his shot with Minnesota last year. He didn't play well down the stretch for the Vikings against the Detroit Lions and especially against the Rams in the playoffs, which is what gave this narrative life. His four interception game against the Rams in October only amplified the noise, and it felt like Chris Shulas defense might just have Darnold’s number through three quarters on Thursday. Rashid Saheed got Seattle’s comeback started, but Darnold led a game tying drive that took only two plays, and the game winning drive in overtime to capture a win against the NFC favorites.

The point of this isn’t to say Darnold should be forgiven from past performance, but that a guy whose about to finish up just his second year of high pressure football and play in his second career playoff game should get a bit more time before fans and media declare that he’ll never be able to get it done in big moments.

Before You Go: Welcome Back Kenneth Walker

It’s been a rough fourth season for Kenneth Walker. He’s topped 15 carries just four times this season, and only had one 100-yard rushing performance before Thursday, but he showed up in a big way for Seattle against the Rams. His 55-yard touchdown run was his longest carry of the season and it propelled him to his second 100-yard rushing game, although he still only received 11 carries. Walker also chipped in 64 yards on three catches, easily a high for the season. Walker’s involvement has deteriorated as Klint Kubiak clearly prefers Zach Charbonnet’s more consistent approach to the position as opposed to Walker's desire to hunt the big play, but he can still be a weapon for Seattle if they can keep Thursday's momentum going.