Rams-Seahawks on ‘Thursday Night Football’: What we learned from Seattle’s 38-37 overtime win

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1. The Seahawks stunned the Rams and pushed them into NFC control. Thursday’s loudest game of the season turned into an all-time overtime classic, as the Seahawks overcame a 16-point deficit in the final nine minutes of regulation and scored their third two-point play of the night to stun the Rams. Sam Darnold threw two picks in the second half and the Seahawks were down to a 3 percent chance, according to Next Gen Stats, to win with just over eight minutes left in regulation, but Rashid ShaheedThe punt return touchdown gave them a chance, and one of the rarest two-point conversions — on a Zach Charbonnet fumbled a Darnold reverse pass recovery – on the next TD allowed the Seahawks to take it to overtime. After Matthew Stafford and the Rams struck first in OT, Darnold struck out Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a touchdown and a two-point conversion into the improbable Eric Saubertwho had never made a two-pointer in his career and had two catches coming into the season. Like Saubert’s catch, the Seahawks’ comeback was unlikely — and it put Seattle in the playoffs, along with the driver’s seat for the NFC West crown and the top seed in the NFC.
2. The Rams’ collapse was hard to believe. The Rams dominated the Seahawks for most of their short game without Davante Adams with a 16-point lead late into the fourth quarter and appeared to lock up control of the NFC. Alas, Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ offense went cold in the fourth quarter, the special teams fell apart and the defense allowed the game-tying touchdown in regulation and the game-winning drive in overtime — both contested by two points, for a total of three in the game — to fizzle. This will be tough for Sean McVay to overcome. He came out aggressive and lined up on fourth down five times early in the game, but the Rams couldn’t finish it off, despite outgaining Seattle by 166 yards and winning the turnover battle, 3-0. Harrison Mavis The first missed kick of any kind this season was killed with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter.
3. The Seahawks’ two-point play was the difference. The 2000 Rams still hold the NFL record for most two-point conversions in a game with four, but the Seahawks had a shocking three in the win — all in the final 8:03 of the fourth quarter and overtime. After Rashid Shaheed’s touchdown cut the Rams’ 16-point lead, Seattle made it a one-possession game. Cooper Kuppdouble pointers. Then after another quick Rams punt Sam Darnold found AJ Barner for points, followed by one of the stranger trades you’ll ever see. It was initially ruled incomplete as Darnold threw the ball off the Rams’ helmet. Jared Versewith the ball trickling into the end zone after Kamren Curl couldn’t take it out of the air. Zach Charbonnet simply picked up the ball, and after a long pass, Darnold was ruled to throw backwards. Ridiculous stuff. Then in overtime, after the Rams took a 37-30 lead, Darnold led the scoring drive, with Eric Saubert the shocking receiver of the two-pointer. Teams will often prepare two two-point plays for a typical game, but the Seahawks were able to dig deeper in their pockets — and it worked.
4. Rams red zone breakdowns, special teams meltdowns cost them. The Rams racked up a season-high 581 yards and didn’t turn the ball over, with Matthew Stafford (457 passing yards, third-most in career) and Puka Nacua (career-high 225 yards, two TDs) dominating, but they left a few points on the field and coughed up a few more late. The Rams turned it over on downs on the opening drive and were just 3-of-6 in the red zone, as Sean McVay failed to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Seattle 5-yard line on his second possession after going for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 38-yard line earlier. They also had a TD that was called back by an early penalty, keeping the game at halftime at 13-7. The special teams melted down late, with a punt return TD allowed, a muffed kick, a 32-yard punt and a failed 48-yard field goal attempt by Harrison Mevis, the first time he missed a kick of any kind this season. Those are plays the Rams will lament in what will be a painful film session this week, knowing they have a great opportunity to take a dominant position heading into the postseason. Now they’re starting a potential playoff opener.
5. Darnold, Walker came through in the clutch. It was shaping up to be another rough night for Sam Darnold, who threw four picks in a loss to the Rams earlier this season and had two more in the second half to put the Seahawks in a 16-point hole. But Darnold rallied from the mat and threw for 144 yards, two TDs and three 2-point conversions in the fourth quarter and OT to lead the improbable comeback and give Darnold one of his signature victories — not just as a Seahawk but also as an NFL QB. He got a lot of help from Kenneth Walker IIIwho ran for 100 yards and a 55-yard TD that gave the Seahawks an early third-quarter lead they were, frankly, lucky to have. He also had three catches for 64 more yards, pacing the Rams. Josh Wallace after an interception at Seattle’s 1-yard line. Even though the Rams scored on the next play, the commotion was encouraging. Why Walker had just 14 touches is anyone’s guess, but he gave the Seahawks all he could Thursday night, as every yard counted in the big win.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Rams-Seahawks (via NFL Pro): Kenneth Walker had a faster top speed on his pursuit of Rams DB Joshua Wallace (21.09 mph) than he did on his 55-yard TD run (21.07 mph).

NFL Research: Matthew Stafford eclipsed 4,000 yards with his no-look TD pass to Puka Nacua, giving Stafford a career-high nine consecutive TD passes.