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The Seattle Seahawks completed one of the most breathtaking comebacks in franchise history, rallying from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime on “Thursday Night Football” at Lumen Field. The win not only moved the Seahawks to 12-3, but also guaranteed a playoff berth and pushed Seattle into first place in the NFC West, giving them the No. 1 seed with two games remaining.
Seahawks quarterback Darnold had a shaky start with a pair of interceptions, but he ended up completing 64.7% of his passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns.
“That was crazy… I don’t think we played our best football, I didn’t, but at the end of the day, we won,” Darnold admitted postgame (h/t ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry).
The Rams entered the matchup with an 11-3 record, tied with Seattle, and boasted one of the league’s most dangerous offenses. Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns, achieving a 110.7 passer rating. Wide receiver Puka Nacua grabbed 12 catches for 225 yards and two scores. The Rams looked unstoppable, but the Seahawks mounted a furious comeback thanks to late-game heroics and strategic risk-taking.
Seattle’s early scoring came via a 4-yard Zach Charbonnet touchdown run set up by a 46-yard screen pass to Kenneth Walker III. Walker finished with 11 carries for 100 yards and added 64 receiving yards on three catches, including a 55-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Seattle a 21-20 lead. However, turnovers hurt Darnold early. The Seahawks quarterback’s second interception, inside Los Angeles’ 10-yard line, and a fumble by Cooper Kupp left Seattle down 30-14 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation. At that point, Seattle was 0-172 all-time when behind by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks’ comeback began with a 58-yard punt return touchdown by Rashid Shaheed, followed by a successful two-point conversion to shrink the gap to eight. After a defensive stop, Darnold connected with AJ Barner for a 26-yard touchdown, and a controversial two-point attempt — a backward pass recovered by Zach Charbonnet in the end zone — tied the game at 30-30. A missed 48-yard field goal by Los Angeles kicker Harrison Mevis sent the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Stafford and Nacua struck first with a touchdown connection, but Darnold led Seattle downfield, finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a touchdown. Instead of settling for the extra point, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald opted for a two-point conversion, and Darnold found Eric Saubert, who hadn’t caught a single pass all game, for the game-winning score.
The win was Seattle’s fifth straight victory. Smith-Njigba finished with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, surpassing the franchise single-season record for receptions with 104, previously shared with Tyler Lockett.
With this victory, the Seahawks now control their playoff destiny, holding the NFC West lead over the 11-4 Rams and the top seed in the conference. The Seahawks will next take on...
