The Seattle Seahawks came back from a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in an overtime thriller on Thursday night to officially clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the Pete Carroll era.
With both teams coming into the matchup at 11-3 – tied for the top spot in the NFC – neither disappointed at Lumen Field in one of the most highly anticipated games of Week 16.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold – who threw four picks against the Rams in the Seahawks’ Week 11 loss to their division rivals – tossed two interceptions, but the 28-year-old made up for it with 270 yards through the air and two clutch scores in the fourth quarter and OT.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 100 yards and a score, fellow RB Zach Charbonnet added another touchdown on the ground while Rashid Shaheed scored on a sensational 58-yard punt return to kick start the comeback with just over eight minutes left in the game.
Rams quarterback and MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford threw 29-of-49 for 457 yards and three touchdowns on the night while LA’s star wideout Puka Nacua – who came into the game under fire and having apologized for an antisemitic gesture he made on an internet livestream – racked up a career-high 225 receiving yards on 12 receptions, including two touchdowns.
An intense contest
It was the Rams who had the advantage going into halftime as they took a 13-7 lead courtesy of back-to-back field goals and a Stafford touchdown pass to tight end Terrance Ferguson after Charbonnet had given the Seahawks the lead after just under eight minutes into the game.
Seattle opened the second half with a scoring drive of its own as Walker evaded Rams defenders for a 55-yard rush to the house, giving his team a slim 14-13 lead early in the third.
But Los Angeles quickly hit back, scoring 17 unanswered points.
First, the Rams marched downfield to set up a Harrison Mevis 41-yard field goal. Then cornerback Josh Wallace picked off Darnold and ran it back to the Seattle one-yard line, allowing rookie running back Blake Corum to punch it in for the touchdown on the next play.
LA capped off the flurry at the top of the fourth when Stafford led a nine-play, 85-yard drive that ended in a Nacua touchdown, giving the Rams a 30-14 lead with 13:36 left.
It looked as if the Rams had sealed the game when Darnold was picked off by defensive tackle Kobie Turner at LA’s one-yard line.
But Seattle’s defense stood firm and forced LA to punt in the next drive – then came Shaheed. The speedster returned the punt for a touchdown and Darnold connected with Cooper Kupp on the two-point conversion to cut the Rams lead in half and set up a dramatic final eight minutes of regulation.
After another Rams three-and-out, Shaheed ran 31 yards before Darnold found AJ Barner, who reeled in a 26-yard reception for the touchdown.
Then came arguably one of the most bizarre two-point conversions in recent league history to further add drama and intrigue to the contest. Darnold’s deflected pass intended for Charbonnet was initially ruled incomplete, but after a replay review, the play was determined to be a backward pass.
Charbonnet, who had casually picked up the loose ball in the end zone, was thus credited with a successful conversion, tying the game 30-30 with 6:30 left in regulation.
“I’ve never quite seen anything like what happened on the two-point conversion,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay postgame.
“Didn’t get clear explanation of everything that went on, just because of some of the timing of it … but I’ve never seen anything, or never been a part of anything like that.”
More drama in OT
The Seahawks elected to defer to open overtime, allowing the Rams to start with the ball.
Stafford and the LA offense seemed to be marching onward steadily before Ernest Jones IV picked off the Rams QB, elating the home crowd. However, a replay review reversed the play, eventually allowing Stafford to connect with Pacua on a 41-yard touchdown to take a seven-point lead after the extra point.
But Darnold came right back with a touchdown drive of his own, finding star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the back of the end zone. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald then entrusted his quarterback to go and win it with a yet another two-point conversion attempt.
Darnold paid back the confidence, finding a wide-open Eric Saubert in the middle of the end zone to complete the incredible comeback – a run that entailed scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The victory means the Seahawks have officially clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the golden Pete Carroll era and moved into the lead for the NFC No. 1 seed, while the Rams will face a road playoff opener if they can’t overtake Seattle in the next two weeks.
“He’s resilient,” said Seahawks receiver Kupp about Darnold. “His steadiness. His leadership. I mean, all these things that you want in a quarterback.”
