The lineup for Super Bowl LX was set after contrasting championship games that showcased quarterback resilience, defensive resolve and decisive moments in all three phases.

In Santa Clara, the Seattle Seahawks punched their ticket behind the finest performance of Sam Darnold’s Pro Bowl season, edging the Los Angeles Rams in a tight NFC Championship Game. Plagued by turnovers in previous matchups with L.A., Darnold was nearly flawless, finishing 25-of-36 for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no giveaways. To that end, Seattle trusted Darnold late, allowing him to throw repeatedly on the final drive, where he generated four first downs to bleed the clock and secure the win.

The Rams, meanwhile, moved the ball effectively behind Matthew Stafford, but repeatedly stalled in the red zone, settling for early field goals and later turning the ball over on downs with a chance to take the lead. A critical special teams error when returner Xavier Smith muffed a third-quarter punt set up a quick Seahawks touchdown and an 11-point swing that the Rams were unable to overcome.

Seattle’s defense also delivered when it mattered, holding the Rams to 1-of-8 on third down and forcing early field goals before sealing the game with that late fourth-down stop. On offense, the Seahawks were carried on the wings of the league’s leading receiver, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown while lining up all over the formation.

Earlier in the day, the New England Patriots survived brutal conditions in Denver to claim the AFC title. Second-year QB Drake Maye struggled throwing the ball, but used his legs to decisive effect, scrambling 10 times for 65 yards and the game’s only offensive touchdown. New England’s defense smothered the Broncos in the second half, limiting them to 32 yards on five possessions and forcing two turnovers from backup QB Jarrett Stidham, who was starting his first game in more than 700 days in relief of the injured Bo Nix.

A field goal block by Leonard Taylor III with under five minutes remaining preserved the Patriots’ tenuous lead and, as the conditions closed in — going from dry and sunny at the start of the second half to a snow-covered field and swirling winds midway through the third quarter — Sean Payton’s decision to forgo a short field goal when the weather was clement loomed large.

The results set up a repeat of Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix, where Tom Brady’s expression change on the final Seahawks play said it all about a dramatic showdown.