With plenty on the line, the Seattle Seahawks found a way to overcome miscues on both sides of the ball and prevail in a thrilling 38- 37 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. With the win, the Seahawks are in the sole position of first place in the NFC West. If the Seahawks win out, they will win the NFC West and, more importantly, the No. 1 Seed in the NFC. To have all to play for, the Seahawks made the most remarkable comebacks in team history.
FINALLY A FAST START
After the Seahawks defense made a dramatic 4th-down stop at its own 39-yard line, the offense was in a favorable field position to start the game. A five-play 61-yard drive that ended with a Zach Charbonnet four-yard touchdown saw the Seahawks offense score a first-quarter touchdown since week 10. The fast start was short-lived as the Seahawks’ next three offensive possessions ended in two punts and a fumble by Cooper Kupp at the Rams’ twenty-yard line with less than a minute left in the first.
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE HAS NO ANSWER FOR RAMS OFFENSE
The Seahawks offense had 120 total yards in the first half. The Seahawks’ defense was struggling to stop the Rams’ offense. Mathew Stafford was 12 of 18 for 167 passing yards, one touchdown, and led the Rams to 257 total yards in the first half. The Rams offense ran 42 offensive plays compared to the Seahawks’ 20.
SECOND HALF SPARK SHORTLIVED
Ken Walker gave the Seahawks offense a much-needed spark when he raced down the right sideline on a 55-yard touchdown run, giving the Seahawks a 14-13 lead after a successful extra point by Jason Myers to start the second half. The Rams answered with a 41-yard field goal by kicker Harrison Mevis and took a 16-14 lead. Just like the first half, the Seahawks’ offense regressed after scoring a touchdown. The Rams’ Josh Wallace intercepted Sam Darnold’s intended pass for Rashid Shaheed and ran the ball back to the Seahawks ‘ one-yard line. The Rams extended their lead to 23-14 on a one-yard run by Blake Corum.
RAMS PULL AWAY
Another Seahawks offensive punt saw the Rams widen their lead to 30-14 on a Stafford-to-Nacua one-yard touchdown pass. All seemed lost when Darnold threw his second interception of the game on the Seahawks’ next offensive possession.
A SPARK
A defensive stand by the Seahawks defense forced a Rams punt. On the ensuing punt, Shaheed brought life to his team and the 12s when he returned the punt 58 yards for a touchdown.
Mike Macdonald called for a two-point conversion, which was successful on a Darnold-to-Cupp pass play. With the fans behind them, the Seahawks defense forced another Rams punt. Another good return by Shaheed put the ball on the Seattle 41-yard line. Two plays later, Darnold found a wide-open AJ Barner on 26 26-yard TD pass. Zach Charbonnet’s two-point run tied the game at 30 all. Back-to-back punts sent the ball back to the Rams, who drove down the field to the Seattle 29-yard line with 2:11 left in the game.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The Rams attempted to take the lead on Mevis’s 48-yard field goal. The kick was wide right, giving the ball back to the Seahawks, who wasted a golden opportunity to win the game. Darnold was sacked for minus nine yards on second down and threw an incomplete pass on third down. The Seahawks punted the ball back to the Rams, who began the drive on their 12-yard line. The Seahawks defense made its biggest stand of the game when it forced the Rams to punt from their 49-yard line. The Seahawks offense ran three plays and decided to play for overtime.
THRILLING END
The Seahawks’ Jaxson Smith-Njigba won the coin toss and deferred the first possession of overtime to the Rams. The Rams duo of Stafford and Nacua continued their dominance of the Seattle defense, scoring on a 41-yard pass play to give the Rams a 37-30 lead. The Seahawks offense found its composure and scored the game-tying touchdown with its dynamic duo of Darnold and Smith-Njigba. After the pair connected on the 11-yard TD play, the Seahawks went for the walk-off win. Darnold found TE Eric Saubert for the walk-off catch.
