Trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Seattle Seahawks rallied to force overtime, with Sam Darnold finding tight end Eric Saubert for a two-point conversion and a 38-37 victory over the visiting Seattle Seahawks on a wet night at Lumen Field on Thursday.
The Seahawks clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2022 with the win and are in the driver’s seat to earn an NFC West title and No. 1 seed in the NFC at 12-3. The loss was devastating for the Rams (11-4), who will have to get some help from other teams over the final two weeks to host a playoff game in the postseason.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Sam Darnold struggles early, heats up late and earns first signature victory
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The USC product finished with four interceptions in an earlier loss to the Rams five weeks ago at SoFi Stadium. In the rematch, Darnold didn’t look much better early on, throwing two interceptions in the second half that led to some boos from the crowd on hand at Lumen Field.
However, Darnold kept grinding and helped lead the Seahawks to an improbable fourth-quarter comeback. Darnold finished 22-of-34 for 270 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown to tight end A.J. Barner that closed L.A.’s advantage to two points. Seattle then tied it on an odd conversion when replay officials ruled a backward pass on a screen pass by Darnold out to the flat.
The Rams’ defensive players stopped pursuing the ball, but running back Zach Charbonnet picked up the loose ball in the end zone, and replay officials ruled that a successful two-point conversion.
In overtime after the Rams got the go-ahead score, Darnold methodically drove Seattle down the field and found receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a crossing route in the back of the end zone to tie the game. Smith-Njigba finished with eight receptions for 96 yards on 13 targets.
2. Kenneth Walker III helps Seahawks rediscover running game
The Seahawks entering Thursday’s contest averaging just 113 rushing yards a game, No. 22 in the league. However, Walker ignited Seattle’s offense with some explosive plays, including a 55-yard run for a score to open the second half and a 46-yard scamper on a screen pass in the first quarter.
Walker finished 100 rushing yards and 164 scrimmage yards to power Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks totaled 171 yards on the ground.
Receiver Rashid Shaheed also created some big plays, including a punt returned 58 yards for a score and a 31-yard run on a reverse to help Seattle close the gap in the fourth quarter.
3. Matthew Stafford’s MVP chase on track with another sparkling performance
(Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Stafford kept his status as the frontrunner for this year’s NFL MVP award with another impressive performance, finishing with a season-high 457 passing yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions for a 110.7 passer rating.
With Davante Adams out, receiver Puka Nacua had a monster game, finishing with 12 receptions for 225 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard touchdown on a crossing route in extra time.
Stafford completed passes to nine different pass catchers. The Rams finished with 581 total yards, but it wasn’t enough.
4. Rams lean on heavy personnel with Davante Adams out
The 32-year-old Adams leads the league with 12 red zone touchdowns. However, the veteran receiver was unavailable due to a hamstring injury suffered in L.A.’s win over the Detroit Lions in Week 15.
Well, the Rams missed Adams, as they had to settle for field goals twice inside Seattle’s 10-yard line. The Rams finished 3-of-6 in the red zone for the game. The only red zone for Los Angeles was a 3-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson.
However, with Adams unavailable the Rams leaned on heavy personnel with three-tight end sets to control the ball on the ground. Los Angeles ran three-tight end sets on 54 plays, gaining 318 yards and scoring four touchdowns. The Rams also ran for 124 yards on the ground.
Sean McVay was surprisingly aggressive on fourth down, going for it three times and converting on two of those opportunities to extend drives.
4 ½. What’s next?
The Seahawks now control their own destiny and can earn the No. 1 seed in the postseason by winning out the rest of the way. However, the Seahawks have a tough road remaining, traveling to the Carolina Panthers next week and finishing out the year in the Bay Area against the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle is 13-2 on the road since Mike MacDonald has taken over as head coach.
Los Angeles will look to rebound by hitting the road to face the Atlanta Falcons and finish out the year at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
