Seahawks Clips
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald saw his team convert a pair of two-point plays on their way to coming back from 16 points down to tie the Rams in the fourth quarter on Thursday night and he went for the hat trick in overtime.
After Sam Darnold’s touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba brought them within one point with 3:17 to play in extra time, the Seahawks picked up a win when Darnold scanned the field and found tight end Eric Saubert for the game-winning points. After the game, Macdonald said it was a situation that he and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had planned for and explained his thought process in the moment.
“Well, it was something we had talked about really throughout the season and then really particularly for this game because of the playoff situation,” Macdonald said, via a transcript from the team. “You know, do you play for the tie and lock up a playoff seed. I just felt great about our play and I trusted our guys. To Klint’s credit, he was really confident and then the players ultimately make it happen. Once we got that drive going it was pretty clear what we were going to do.”
A tie would have clinched a playoff spot, but it would have made it more difficult for the Seahawks to win the division and it never felt like a real option for the Seahawks to go that route in overtime. They chose to kick after winning the toss, which meant that they’d know just what they needed to win once they got the ball and suggested that Macdonald would go that route under any circumstances. The amount of time left on the clock when they scored meant the Rams would have plenty of time to position themselves for a game-winning score in the final seconds, so there was every reason in the world for the Seahawks to leave their offense on the field to win the game.
That’s just what they did and it will go down as one of the most memorable victories in franchise history.
When quarterback Sam Darnold threw his second interception of Thursday night’s game against the Rams while down 16 points in the fourth quarter, it looked like he was on his way to the kind of result that has helped define his last two seasons.
Darnold’s return to the starting ranks with the Vikings and Seahawks has led to a lot of good things and a lot of wins, but it’s also seen him fail to maintain a high level of play in the biggest moments of the season. Darnold played poorly in back-to-back losses that cost the Vikings a division title and knocked them out of the playoffs last season, and he threw four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles earlier this season.
On Thursday night, though, things wound up bouncing the other way. Darnold went 8-of-12 for 101 yards, two touchdowns, and two two-point conversions after his second interception and the Seahawks came back for a 38-37 overtime win that put them in first place in the NFC West with two games left in the regular season.
“I’ve had games like this in the past where I haven’t played necessarily my best football and turned the ball over, but at the end of the game you see yourself on the other side,” Darnold said, via the team’s website. “It’s not great when you have interceptions and turnovers. You want to limit that. But all you can do is fight back. For us, I was just going to continue to plug away, get the ball to open receivers, and go through my reads.”
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said after the game that “our story has stayed the same since day one” when it comes to Darnold’s capabilities, but his previous big-game results had left a lot of other doubts. Thursday night will erase some of them and an extended playoff run would put almost all of them to bed.
Rashid Shaheed spurred the Seahawks’ comeback win on Thursday night with a 58-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter, and afterward he said the whole punt return unit was confident heading into the game about what it could do against the Rams.
“Based off field position we knew we were going to be able to get a return,” Shaheed said. “We’ve been focused on that left return all week. We knew they had kind of a weak point with their special teams.”
Shaheed arrived in Seattle in November, when the Seahawks traded fourth- and fifth-round draft picks to the Saints for him. Shaheed said he immediately recognized that this team is special.
“The belief within this team is amazing. I feel like that’s how we’re able to accomplish all these amazing things,” Shaheed said.
In a season when the NFL had several big moves at the trade deadline, the arrival of Shaheed in Seattle may prove to make the biggest difference to the playoff race. He made one of the biggest plays in one of the biggest games of the year.
The Rams’ loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night means they’ve dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 in the NFC playoff picture. That means they’re probably going to have to win three road games, instead of two home games, to reach the Super Bowl.
Matthew Stafford is not concerned.
Asked after the game about potentially losing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by losing to Seattle, Stafford brushed it off and said his team will be ready to play anyone, anywhere.
“Go play. Where we playing, who we playing, put the ball down and go play. That’s the attitude this team has had since Day One, it’s the attitude we’ll have until the last game we play this year. Respect everybody, fear nobody, go play,” Stafford said.
The No. 1 seed in the playoffs is a big advantage primarily because of the first-round bye that comes with it, and secondarily because of home-field advantage. But Stafford believes in his team, regardless of whether they’re starting the playoffs at home in the divisional round, or on the road in the wild card round.
The primary topic of Rams coach Sean McVay’s post-game press conference after the 38-37 loss to the Seahawks was receiver Puka Nacua. As it relates to the game itself, McVay addressed only one topic — the fluke two-point conversion decision that turned an incomplete pass into a fumble recovered by the Seahawks in the end zone.
“I’ve never quite seen anything like what happened on the two-point conversion, where you’re lined up to kick off, then they say it’s a fumble because they had the clear and obvious recovery,” McVay said. “Now you tack it on, you make it a 30-30 game. Very interesting. Didn’t get a clear explanation of everything that went on, just because of some of the timing of it. They were trying to be able to do that, but that’s the thing that I’ve said, I’ve never seen anything or never been a part of anything like that, and I’ve grown up around this game.
“I’m not making excuses, we don’t do that, I don’t believe in that. It doesn’t move us forward. But we do want clarity and an understanding of, you know, the things that we can do to minimize that when we rejected the two-point conversion.”
Although it may not have been clear to McVay from the sideline, anyone watching the Prime Video broadcast understood what had happened. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s pass was deemed to be a lateral. It struck Rams linebacker Jared Verse’s helmet and bounced into the end zone. Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet casually picked up the loose ball like Paul Crewe, making it a clear recovery as part of the continuing action.
Once McVay sees the film, he’ll understand it. And the coaching point for his defensive players will be a simple one — anytime there’s a loose ball on a two-point conversion or any key play, go get it.
After Thursday’s 38-37 barnburner against the Seahawks, Rams coach Sean McVay was asked about the topic that dominated the day: The use of an antisemitic gesture by Puka Nacua during a midweek livestream.
“I don’t think he understood the totality of some of the things,” McVay said. “I think he issued that apology. I know this guy’s heart, and for anybody that was offended, terribly sorry about that. I know he feels that same exact way as a young guy that’s a great kid that’s continuing to learn about, you know, just the platform that he has. I love him. We’re gonna 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. . . .
“We always want to make sure that we handle ourselves with class, learn from it, put my arm around him and continue to educate our guys. I love this team. I love his heart. I think he’s gonna continue to grow and mature, and I’m gonna be there right there with him, and continue to help do that. . . . There were some things that came up with you address it, and you keep it moving, and I think, most importantly, you never want to offend anybody, and I know that that’s where his heart is as well.”
McVay also was asked whether he was aware that Nacua tried to bring the hosts of the livestream into the team facility.
“I don’t know anything about that stuff,” McVay said. “They came on our property?”
McVay then was told that Nacua explained to the livestreamers that “the boss man” wouldn’t allow them to enter.
“It wasn’t me,” McVay said.
Was any of it a distraction?
“No, it wasn’t a distraction at all,” McVay said. “Did you think his play showed that he was distracted? I didn’t think so either. He went off today.”
Even if it didn’t impact Nacua’s career-best performance, it definitely became a distraction for the organization. And it clearly distracted from McVay’s press conference, which he cut short when the questions pivoted back to Nacua, after McVay had addressed replay review’s decision to award the Seahawks a two-point conversion after an on-field ruling that the play had failed.
Asked whether conversations are enough to solve the issues Nacua has created this week, McVay said, “Oh, yeah, it’s gonna get fixed. Trust me on that. He’s responsible, he’s respectful, and I’m gonna continue to help him grow and I’m with him every step away. Thank you guys.”
With that, McVay left. Whether the controversies Nacua has created this week (especially in light of his post-game tweet criticizing the officials) will disappear so quickly remains to be seen.
With 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday night against the Seahawks, Rams receiver Puka Nacua took a major step toward putting the short week’s miscues into the rear-view mirror.
And then he grabbed his phone moments after the game ended and created a new mess for himself.
“Can you say I was wrong,” Nacua tweeted. “Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. lol.” (He later deleted it.)
The message was an obvious reference to his criticism of the officials during an ill-fated livestream, during which he said, “The refs are the worst.”
The most controversial call of the game happened after an incompletion a potential game-tying two-point conversion was reversed by replay review into a backward pass and a fumble that was recovered by the Seahawks in the end zone, when running back Zach Charbonnet nonchalantly picked up what he (and everyone else) assumed was a dead ball.
Coach Sean McVay was asked about the tweet during his post-game press conference. He said he wasn’t aware of it. “I can’t answer questions about something I’m not aware of,” he said. “I’ve got to have more information before I answer any of those kind of questions.”
Nacua is already facing a fine for his comments about the officials from the livestream. He could end up getting a second fine for his deleted tweet.
The Rams did not get a victory on Thursday night, falling to the Seahawks in overtime 38-37 in what was an epic comeback performance by Seattle.
But Los Angeles’ star receiver Puka Nacua still made some history.
As noted by the Prime Video broadcast, Nacua became just the second player in league history to have at least 150 receiving yards in three straight games.
The third-year wideout finished Thursday’s contest with 12 catches for 225 yards with two touchdowns.
He previously had seven receptions for 167 yards in the Rams’ Dec. 7 victory over the Cardinals and had nine catches for 181 yards in his club’s Dec. 14 victory over the Lions.
Nacua caught a 41-yard touchdown in overtime to give L.A. a seven-point lead. But it was not enough, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught a 4-yard touchdown before Eric Saubert’s successful two-point conversion to give Seattle the victory, a postseason berth, and the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb was the first receiver to go over 150 in three consecutive games, with performances of 158, 191, and 151 during the 2023 season.
Entering Thursday night’s game, the Seahawks had never won when they trailed by at least 15 points in the fourth quarter of a game.
The Rams were ahead 30-14 with 13:34 left in regulation.
The Seahawks won 38-37 in overtime.
Seattle put together an epic comeback in the game’s final quarter and overtime to clinch a postseason berth and take over the NFC’s No. 1 seed with just two more games left on the schedule.
Everything was going Los Angeles’ way when Sam Darnold threw his second interception of the night in the fourth quarter, this time being picked off by defensive lineman Kobie Turner.
But after that, the Rams went three-and-out and Rashid Shaheed returned the punt 58 yards for a touchdown. Seattle got a successful two-point conversion on a Darnold pass to Cooper Kupp, making the score 30-22 with 8:03 left in the contest.
On the next drive, Shaheed had a 31-yard run to set up Darnold’s 26-yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner. That’s when one of the wildest two-point conversions to ever occur happened, as Darnold’s pass went backward and off the helmet of a Rams defender, before it was recovered in the end zone by Zach Charbonnet. The play was initially ruled incomplete until officials reviewed it and corrected the play, making it a tied ballgame at 30-30 with 6:23 left in regulation.
But from there, neither team could score for the rest of the fourth quarter. The Rams had a chance to put a field goal on the board with a 48-yard field goal attempt by Harrison Mevis with 2:11 on the clock, but the kick sailed wide right — continuing Los Angeles’ season-long special teams woes.
Seattle won the overtime coin toss and elected to kick, setting up the Rams for the first possession. Matthew Stafford made that count with a 41-yard touchdown to Puka Nacua, making the score 37-30 with 6:27 left in the contest.
But after a solid performance for much of the day, the Rams’ defense could not get a stop as Darnold marched Seattle down the field. The club faced just one third down on its overtime scoring drive, which Charbonnet converted with a 5-yard run on third-and-3 from the 9.
On the next play, Darnold hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 4-yard touchdown. With time running down, the Seahawks went for two and got it with Darnold’s pass to a wide-open Eric Saubert, completing a stunning comeback.
Darnold finished the contest 22-of-34 for 270 yard with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith-Njigba led with 96 yards on eight catches with a TD. He did not have a catch with just one target in the first half.
On the other side, Stafford was 29-of-49 for 457 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the first time he’d ever thrown for over 400 yards with the Rams, and is the third-most yards he’s thrown for in his career.
Nacua posted 12 receptions for 225 yards with two touchdowns, marking a new career-high in yards for him. Nacua also became just the second player in league history to register at least 150 yards receiving in three consecutive games — joining CeeDee Lamb from 2023.
But at the end of the day, the win mattered most. And that’s what the Seahawks have come away with to not only clinch a postseason berth, but also to now control their own outcome in the NFC West and the NFC as a whole.
The result is also good news for the 49ers, who could potentially take over the NFC’s top seed with a victory over Seattle in Week 18.
The Seahawks will finish their season with two road games, facing the Panthers next Sunday before facing the 49ers at the site of Super Bowl LX in Week 18.
For the Rams, they’ll have an extra day to stew over a crushing loss, as they’ll face the Falcons on Monday night in Week 17 before finishing the regular season at home against the Cardinals.
The Seahawks have tied it up.
A Sam Darnold 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner put the score at 30-28, Rams.
While it initially looked like the Rams had stopped Darnold’s two-point conversion pass by breaking it up, upon review, Darnold had actually thrown it backward with Zach Charbonnet recovering the ball in the end zone for a successful two-point play — tying the score at 30-30.
The Seahawks were down 30-14 with 13:34 left in the fourth quarter and have now scored two touchdowns with two successful two-point conversions in just over seven minutes.
After a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown, Rashid Shaheed got the Seahawks started again with a 31-yard run down to Los Angeles’ 26-yard line. On the next play, Darnold connected with Barner for the big score.
