The Seattle Seahawks won their NFL home game against the Los Angeles Rams in dramatic fashion, giving them the best chance of a bye in the playoffs. The Seahawks were still down 14:30 in the final quarter – then they forced overtime with two two-point conversions and finally the 38:37 victory.
For the Seahawks, the victory after a 16-point deficit in the final quarter was, according to US media, the biggest comeback in their NFL history. With twelve wins, they are now at the top of the NFC and would therefore have no games in the first weekend of the playoffs. Both teams are certainly qualified for the knockout rounds.
“A game like that on Thursday night is something special,” said Seahawks professional Ernest Jones IV. “They laughed in our faces. They thought the shit was over. Sorry for my language.”
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold made two bad passes, but was convincing when it mattered most and ended the evening with two touchdowns and a gain of 270 yards. “One play at a time. That’s the attitude we went into at the end,” said Darnold. Matthew Stafford gained an outstanding 457 yards of space and three touchdowns for the Rams, but still left the field as a loser.
A compensatory scene is a rarity
The scene that made the 30:30 equalizer possible for the hosts was absolutely unusual. After the touchdown to make it 28:30, Seattle decided against a relatively safe kick worth one point and instead went for another play in order to get two points if successful. Darnold’s pass slammed into a helmet, and both teams reacted as if the attempt had failed. Because the pass was not thrown forward, but slightly backwards, it was not considered a failed attempt – and the ball picked up by Zach Charbonnet in the end zone was recognized by the referees as an action to equalize, according to the video images.
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