It wasn’t Woolen’s initial jab that led to the penalty, but his continued jawing at the Rams bench after repeated attempts by officials to go to his own bench were ignored that led to the washout.
In the immediate aftermath, there was some frustration on the Seahawks’ sideline. What could have been a play that tilted the contest in Seattle’s favor — getting the ball, up double digits — turned the game into a charade.
Fortunately for Woolen, the Seahawks defense tightened up on the Rams’ next few possessions, denying Matthew Stafford a fourth-and-goal to maintain a four-point lead. Seattle’s offense then milked most of the clock to secure a trip to the Super Bowl.
“We told each other you’ve got to keep going, keep playing,” defensive lineman Byron Murphy II said. “We have Riq back, no matter what. No matter if it’s positive or negative, you just have to keep going.”
“I said, ‘Don’t do it again, obviously. But I love you and you’re going to make plays for us,'” safety Julian Love added. “That’s how we approach what’s next.”
The Seahawks will need Woolen, who was one of Seattle’s three defensive backs with multiple passes intercepted in the NFC Championship Game, to join rookie Nick Emmanwori (three) and Devon Witherspoon (two), who had a TD save in the fourth game, when they head to Santa Clara to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
“He just made an emotional decision and we had to pick him up,” coach Mike Macdonald said of Woolen. “It’s not the time to point (the finger), be upset. You’ve got to go play the next game and score and rebound and rebound. Riq came back and played well the rest of the game. So, I mean, it’s literally like ’12 as one.’ Just keep picking each other up.”