- REWATCH: Rams-Seahawks on NFL+ Premium
- READ: Seahawks clinch playoff berth with win
- READ: Seattle moves into NFC's No. 1 spot
- READ: Darnold exorcises Rams demons in improbable OT win
- Seahawks stunned Rams, pushing them into NFC command. The most-hyped Thursday game of the season turned into an all-time overtime classic, with the Seahawks overcoming a 16-point deficit in the final nine minutes of regulation and scoring their third two-point play of the night to shock the Rams. Sam Darnold threw two second-half picks, and the Seahawks were down to a 3% chance, per Next Gen Stats, to win with just over eight minutes left in regulation, but Rashid Shaheed's punt return touchdown gave them an opportunity, and one of the flukiest two-point conversions -- on a Zach Charbonnet fumble recovery off a Darnold backward pass -- on an ensuing TD allowed the Seahawks to take it to overtime. After Matthew Stafford and the Rams struck first in OT, Darnold hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a touchdown and the two-point conversion to the unlikely Eric Saubert, who had never caught a two-pointer in his career and had two catches on the season coming in. Like Saubert’s catch, the Seahawks’ comeback was improbable -- and it put Seattle into the playoffs, along with driver’s seat for the NFC West crown and the NFC’s top seed.
- Rams’ collapse was hard to believe. The Rams controlled the Seahawks for most of their short-week game without Davante Adams, taking a 16-point lead well into the fourth quarter and appearing to lock up control of the NFC. Alas, Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ offense went cold in the fourth quarter, the special teams fell apart and the defense allowed the game-tying touchdown in regulation and the game-winning TD in overtime -- both capped with two-pointers, for a total of three in the game -- to collapse. This one will be hard for Sean McVay to get over. He came out aggressively, lining up to go for it on fourth down five times early in the game, but the Rams couldn’t finish this one off, in spite of outgaining Seattle by 166 yards and winning the turnover battle, 3-0. Harrison Mevis' first missed kick of any kind this season was a killer with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter.
- Seahawks’ two-point plays were the difference. The 2000 Rams still hold the NFL record for most two-point conversions in a game with four, but the Seahawks had a shocking three in the victory -- all coming in the final 8:03 of the fourth quarter and overtime. After Rashid Shaheed’s touchdown cut into the Rams’ 16-point lead, Seattle made it a one-possession game with Cooper Kupp’s two-pointer. Then after another quick Rams punt, Sam Darnold found AJ Barner for a score, followed by one of the stranger conversions you’ll ever see. It was originally ruled incomplete, with Darnold throwing the ball off the helmet of the Rams’ Jared Verse and the ball trickling into the end zone after Kamren Curl couldn’t pluck it out of the air. Zach Charbonnet simply picked up the ball, and after a lengthy review, it was ruled that Darnold’s throw was backward. Wacky stuff. Then in overtime, after the Rams took a 37-30 lead, Darnold led the game-winning drive, with Eric Saubert the shocking recipient of the game-winning two-pointer. Teams often will prep a pair of two-point plays for a typical game, but the Seahawks had a dig deeper into their bag -- and it worked.
- Rams’ red zone failures, special teams meltdown cost them. The Rams rang up a season-high 581 yards and didn’t turn the ball over, with Matthew Stafford (457 passing yards, third-most in his career) and Puka Nacua (career-high 225 yards, two TDs) dominating, but they left several points on the field and coughed up a few more late. The Rams turned it over on downs on the opening drive and were only 3 of 6 in the red zone, with Sean McVay failing to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Seattle 5-yard line on their second possession after going for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 38-yard line earlier. They also had a TD called back by penalty early on, keeping the game close at halftime at 13-7. The special teams melted down late, with a punt return TD allowed, a muffed kickoff, a 32-yard punt and Harrison Mevis’ missed field goal try from 48 yards, the first time he missed a kick of any kind this season. Those are plays the Rams will rue in what will be a painful film session this week, knowing they had a great chance to take a dominant position heading into the postseason. Now they’re starting at a potential road playoff opener.
- Darnold, Walker came through in the clutch. It was shaping up as another tough night for Sam Darnold, who threw four picks in a loss to the Rams earlier this season and had two more in the second half, putting the Seahawks in a 16-point hole. But Darnold picked himself off the mat and threw for 144 yards, two TDs and three two-point conversions in the fourth quarter and OT to lead the improbable comeback and give Darnold one of his signature victories -- not just as a Seahawk but also as an NFL QB. He received a ton of help from Kenneth Walker III, who ran for 100 yards and a 55-yard TD that gave the Seahawks a lead early in the third quarter they were frankly lucky to have. He also had three catches for 64 more yards and chased down the Rams’ Josh Wallace to stop him at Seattle's 1-yard line after an interception. Even though the Rams scored the next play, the hustle was inspirational. Why Walker only received 14 touches is anyone’s guess, but he gave the Seahawks everything he could Thursday night, with every yard counting in the massive win.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Rams-Seahawks (via NFL Pro): Kenneth Walker had a faster max speed on his chase-down tackle of Rams DB Joshua Wallace (21.09 mph) than he did on his 55-yard TD run (21.07 mph).
NFL Research: Matthew Stafford eclipsed 4,000 yards passing on his no-look TD pass to Puka Nacua, giving Stafford multiple TD passes in nine straight games, the longest stretch of his career.
