Le Journal

And then, there were four. With the Divisional Round in the rear view, we have just four teams left in the NFL’s tournament to see who gets to play in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8. The NFC Championship game is a particularly interesting pier-sixer in that it has two teams that have already faced off twice this season, with the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams splitting the series in the regular season — both times in thrilling fashion. When we look at X-Factors for each team in these games, for the Seahawks, it’s hard to think of a player on their roster who has done more to annoy the Rams this season than Rashid Shaheed. Even before the November 4 trade that brought Shaheed to Seattle from New Orleans, Shaheed was already putting Sean McVay’s team at sixes and sevens, and the time seems ripe for a repeat performance. It was one of those trades that created a blip on the radar at the time, but even the Seattle Seahawks may not have known just what an effect the addition of former New Orleans Saints receiver/returner/runner Rashid Shaheed would have on the franchise when they dealt 2026 fourth- and fifth-round picks for Shaheed’s services on November 4. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak obviously knew what Shaheed could do based on Kubiak’s role as the Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024, but what the 2022 undrafted free agent out of Weber State has done for the Seahawks has been above and beyond. Not so much as a receiver, though Shaheed does have the speed to take the top off a defense — he’s caught just 15 passes on 25 targets for 188 yards and no touchdowns since the trade — but as a wild-card in the run game, and most certainly as a return stud, Shaheed has made all the difference in the world. You don’t need to tell the Los Angeles Rams, who have already dealt with Shaheed three times this season, and will have to do it again in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. EST, FOX). Shaheed caught two passes on four targets for 27 yards in Los Angeles’ 21-19 Week 11 win over Seattle, adding a 2-yard run and a 20-yard punt return. That was merely a warmup for what happened in what may have been the NFL’s Game of the Year so far; Seattle’s 38-37 overtime Week 16 win over their division rivals. In that game, Shaheed caught no passes on no targets, but that’s not what he was there to do. With 7:04 left in the fourth quarter, and the Rams up 30-22, Shaheed took the ball on a misdirection end-around run, and with several blockers running point downfield, ran 31 yards to the Los Angeles 26-yard line. Sam Darnold hit tight end AJ Barner for a 26-yard touchdown on the next play, and with one of the weirdest two-point conversions ever, Seattle had tied the game. The Seahawks, by the way, went with a very similar play design with similar success in their 41-6 Divisional Round shellacking of the San Francisco 49ers, so we imagine that Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula is game-planning for a repeat performance. Rashid Shaheed's 31-yard run against the Rams in Week 16, and Rashid Shaheed's 30-yard run against the 49ers last Saturday. Somebody went back to the well. pic.twitter.com/szwsqIHfpw— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 21, 2026 Shaheed had already beaten the Rams up at that point. The Seahawks were down 30-14 when the Rams punted the ball to Shaheed with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter, and without Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return touchdown, who knows if the Seahawks would have ever been in position to come back as they did? RASHID SHAHEED 58-YARD PUNT RETURN TD!LARvsSEA on Prime VideoAlso streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/BrJpea7SCE— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2025 “Just being able to create a spark for my teammates is always a great opportunity,” Shaheed said postgame. “Any chance we get to create momentum going into drives or with our special teams or offense, defense. It’s always good for the team. Being able to celebrate with those guys for the big play means everything. “Based on…

Maybe it’s overdue, perhaps it’s the perfect time, but it’s finally happened for John Schneider. The longtime Seattle Seahawks general manager has won his first Executive of the Year award, which is voted on by the Professional Football Writers Association (PFWA). While he never won an award for building the Legion of Boom and an eventual Super Bowl champion, this iteration of Seahawks football under a new power structure has earned him major recognition. Schneider’s 2025 offseason, his second following the departure of Pete Carroll, was bold and ambitious. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was fired and replaced by Klint Kubiak, who’s a finalist for Assistant Coach of the Year. He traded away Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, of which the second-round pick from the Metcalf deal eventually was packaged for a trade-up to get Nick Emmanwori, a Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist. In a far more aggressive free agency than usual, Schneider signed Sam Darnold as Smith’s replacement, and Darnold continued his successful play instead of regressing from his career year with the Minnesota Vikings. He brought in veterans Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence, the latter earning a Pro Bowl nod. Midseason, Schneider acquired wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed, who’s already on the cusp of tying the record for most Seahawks kick and punt return touchdowns of all time. Lest we forget that after years of warranted complaints about the offensive line, Schneider took Grey Zabel in the first round of the NFL Draft, and he’s helped turn the Seahawks into at least a competent line instead of a bottom-tier quintet. Even though this wasn’t a move made this season, Schneider’s hiring of head coach Mike Macdonald (a Coach of the Year finalist) also looks to be a brilliant decision. Virtually every move of consequence has paid off to some degree, and the results up to this point have been amazing: a 14-3 regular season record, an NFC West title, the number one seed, and an upcoming NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams. Well done and congratulations to John Schneider. Hopefully this dream season ends with him lifting another Lombardi Trophy!

As the ground shifts beneath our feet, where is our faith? The post Being a Rabbi in the Midst of an Earthquake + Elan Babchuck appeared first on RNS.

(RNS) — Denmark was the most righteous among the nations during the Holocaust. We need to emulate the Danes’ stunning heroism rather than Stephen Miller’s ethic of ‘might makes right.’ The post Danes risked all to save Jews from Hitler. We must do nothing less to protect Denmark now. appeared first on RNS.