The Seattle Seahawks came back from 16 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Rams 38–37 in overtime on Thursday Night Football. This win gave them first place in the NFC West and a spot in the playoffs. Sam Darnold led the comeback by completing 22 of 34 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also found tight end Eric Saubert for the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime after not having any targets all night. Seattle’s win brought their record to 12-3, while the Rams’ loss dropped them to 11-4 and cost them the No. 1 seed.
Rashid Shaheed’s touchdown on a punt return started the comeback, and Darnold’s 2-point pass to Cooper Kupp cut the lead to 30–14. A strange backward pass by Jared Verse of the Rams bounced into the end zone, where Zach Charbonnet picked it up for two points after a review, tying the score at 30-30. Darnold threw a touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in overtime, and Saubert was wide open to finish the game.
Puka Nacua caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns during a time of controversy. Stafford, on the other hand, went 29-of-49 for 457 yards and three touchdowns without being sacked or throwing an interception. Kenneth Walker III ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 96 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Seattle made three important two-point tries
Seattle’s win puts them in first place in the NFC West with a record of 12-3. They had never come back from being down by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter before. The Rams’ missed field goal and loss in overtime bring their chances of winning the division down to 25%. They still have to play Atlanta and Arizona, so the race is very close. Fans called it the best game of the year in the NFL.
