NFL
Advertisement
live
Updated
The Seattle Seahawks rallied to beat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime to take over first place in the NFC West.
In overtime, Sam Darnold hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 4-yard touchdown pass — then connected with Eric Saubert for a 2-point conversion and the win.
Matthew Stafford threw for 457 yards, and Puka Nacua had 225 receiving yards for the Rams. Those two connected on two touchdown passes, including a 41-yarder in overtime to give the Rams the lead.
The Seahawks improved to 12-3 to sit atop the NFC, while the Rams fell to 11-4.
GO FURTHER
Seahawks takeaways: Darnold redeems himself himself by beating Rams in OT, clinching playoffs
The Rams, a dome team with an aerial attack, may now have to go play in the January elements in Seattle, Philadelphia or Carolina.
Obviously Tampa Bay possible as well, but Florida weather shouldn’t be too bad.
First downs
Total yards
Passing yards
Rushing yards
Penalties
Turnovers
Time of possession
The Rams have one of the best offenses in the NFL, which means there are ample opportunities for both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to shine.
The second-year running back out of Michigan saw 14 carries tonight, rushing for 48 yards and a touchdown. Corum has double-digit carries in three straight weeks and found the end zone in two of those three games.
Sean McVay has a variety of ways to attack opposing defenses and Corum has become an important option.
Asked about Puka Nacua’s livestream, Rams coach Sean McVay said:
💬 “I know this guy's heart, and for anybody that was offended, terribly sorry about that. I know he feels that same exact way. He's a young guy, that's a great kid that's continuing to learn about just the platform that he has. I love him, we're going to continue to put our arm around him and help him learn and grow, but we never want to do things that ever offend anybody and I know he feels that same way.”
Asked later if the issue had been a distraction, McVay said, “It wasn't a distraction at all.”
💬 “Did you think his play showed that he was distracted?” McVay asked. “I didn't think so either. He went OFF today.”
McVay said he hadn't seen Nacua's postgame tweet about officiating or spoken to the receiver about it. Asked if conversations would be enough to get such behavior fixed, McVay said, “Oh, yeah.”
💬 “It's gonna get fixed. Trust me on that,” McVay said. “He's responsible, he's respectful and I'm going to continue to help him grow and I'm with him every step of the way.”
Asked by Kaylee Hartung on the Amazon broadcast how the Seahawks’ defense was able to shut the Rams’ offense down in the fourth quarter, linebacker Ernest Jones IV replied …
💬 “They were laughing in our face. They thought this s— was over with … but around here, we play until the last snap, last whistle, and we showed up today.”
Minutes after the Rams’ heartbreaker of a loss to the Seahawks, Puka Nacua again has strong words for NFL officials, posting to X:
💬 “Can you say I was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol”
Nacua appears to be referencing comments he made earlier this week on a livestream with influencers Adin Ross and N3on, where he accused NFL officials of being overaggressive in throwing flags so they can appear on TV. Nacua said:
💬 “These guys are lawyers. They want to be on TV, too. You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you just saw me on ‘Sunday Night Football?’ That wasn’t PI (pass interference), but I called it.’”
It was only a matter of time before Jaxon Smith-Njigba got rolling tonight despite seeing bracket coverage from the Rams. He did not record a catch on one target in the first half but finished the game with eight catches for 96 yards on 13 targets, including the huge touchdown in overtime.
It’s impossible to keep a wideout of his caliber contained for long stretches and JSN continues to prove he is one of the best receivers in the league, making big plays when Seattle needed him most.
With Seattle trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, Rashid Shaheed provided a massive spark for the Seahawks and primed the team’s fourth-quarter comeback.
A few minutes after Sam Darnold’s red zone interception, Seattle defense forced a Rams punt and Shaheed took it 58 yards to the house.
This play completely changed the tenor of the game and the energy in the stadium, sparking a division-altering comeback.
The TAFS crew discuss the “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Tune in, live now.
How good must that feel for Sam Darnold? The Southern California native wilted against the Rams in last year’s playoffs. Then he threw four interceptions in a disastrous performance in Los Angeles earlier this season.
And tonight, he leads a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback to vault the Seahawks into the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
With Davante Adams out of the lineup, a majority of the Seahawks defensive game plan was likely designed around stopping Puka Nacua and he still went off.
The third-year wideout was targeted 16 times, catching 12 passes for 225 yards with a short touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter and a 41-yard touchdown in overtime. He entered tonight’s game averaging 105 receiving yards a game and he doubled that number once the game was done.
Nacua’s versatility, toughness and ability after the catch make him as dangerous a weapon as the NFL has to offer.
There are not many quarterbacks who put as much pressure on an opposing defense as Matthew Stafford and tonight was another masterclass from the Rams quarterback.
He completed 29-of-49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Puka Nacua. One was a no-look early in the fourth quarter and the other was a 41-yard strike in overtime.
His ability to manipulate defenses with his intelligence, eyes and arm angles is unmatched — which is why he remains atop the MVP conversation despite a heartbreaking loss.
A narrative has continued to build around Sam Darnold’s play in big games and while things were looking treacherous at first, he came up huge in the second half and overtime.
Seattle’s quarterback completed 22-of-34 passes for 270 yards with twos touchdowns and two interceptions, the latter of which ended a Seahawks drive in the red zone. A few minutes later, after a Rashid Shaheed punt-return touchdown, Darnold dropped a dime to AJ Barner for a 26-yard touchdown.
Then, in overtime, he connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 4-yard touchdown before completing the two-point conversion to tight end Eric Saubert to seal Seattle’s win.
This has to be a massive confidence boost for Darnold.
OT 0:00 – Seahawks 38, Rams 37
WOW! Sam Darnold throws to Eric Saubert over the middle to complete the 2-point conversion.
Seattle rallies to WIN the game by one in overtime over Los Angeles.
Unbelievable.
OT 3:13 – Rams 37, Seahawks 36
Sam Darnold flings a laser of a pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the end zone for the touchdown.
Seattle will go for two to win the game.
OT 3:39 – Rams 30, Seahawks 30
Zach Charbonnet runs up the middle for 5 yards on third-and-3 to get the first down.
First-and-goal Seattle.
OT 4:29 – Rams 37, Seahawks 30
Oh my GOODNESS! Cooper Kupp, showcasing the right toe tap, corrals the ball to complete the 21-yard pass from Sam Darnold.
The Seahawks are in the red zone. This is scintillating football right now!
OT 5:48 – Rams 37, Seahawks 30
Sam Darnold, scrambling outside the pocket, finds Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the outside. He makes the 17-yard catch, keeps both feet in bounds and gets the first down.
Seattle’s drive continues.
OT 6:27 – Rams 37, Seahawks 30
Oh my GOODNESS! Matthew Stafford finds Puka Nacua on the crossing route, who runs 41 yards into the end zone for the touchdown.
Seattle has to score a touchdown to extend this game.
