Rams have to get over Seattle

(News4UsOnline) – This one is going to be hard to swallow for a while. But there is very little time for the Los Angeles Rams to have a pity-party for themselves. There is still the rest of the regular season to be played out. 

The most difficult part for the team is to quickly wash away their 38-37 overtime defeat to the Seattle Seahawks. 

“This one is a tough one, right there,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “Never seen anything like some of the things that occurred, but you know what, you give them credit. Great back-and-forth battle, but I’m excited about how we’re going to move forward as a football team. Love this group, and we’ll respond like we always do.”

The win by Seattle during a Thursday Night Football contest, knocks the Rams from the No. 1 seeded perch in the NFC all the way into a Wild Card position with two games remaining in the season. 

The Rams play the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals to close out the season, but their highly anticipated showdown against the Seahawks could be a precursor of what is to come in the postseason. 

The Rams beat the Seahawks 21-19 in a game played earlier this season. During that game, the Rams came away with four interceptions of quarterback Sam Darnold in the victory. 

For a while there, it seemed as though history would repeat itself as the Rams defense came up with three turnovers, including two interceptions of Darnold. 

Darnold and the Seahawks had other things in mind, rallying from a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the ballgame and send the contest into overtime where they eventually came up victorious on a two-point conversion following a touchdown in the extra period. 

“It’s just the identity of our team,” Darnold said after the game. “We’re always going to fight no matter what the circumstance is.”

The loss by the Rams is just the team’s second since Week 8, which was their bye week. Despite the defeat, the Rams showed their offense is in good hands with Stafford running the show. 

Once again, Matthew Stafford delivered another clutch performance. Going up against one of the top defenses in the NFL, Stafford went nuclear, completing 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns. 

One of those scores came came courtesy of Stafford hitting wide receiver Puka Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown in overtime. 

Nacua had himself another one of his reaffirmation games where played like the brightest star on the field. His performance against the Seahawks was spectacular.

Stafford targeted Nacua 16 times, connecting with the third-year receiver 12 times for 225 yards and two touchdowns. And the Rams offense, in totality, accounted for nearly 600 yards of offense (581 yards). But it wasn’t enough. 

There were some plays that the Rams and McVay probably wish that they could have back. A couple of instances in the first half proved that. There was the touchdown pass that Stafford fired into the endzone that was nullified because of a penalty. 

There was also the phantom touchdown where Stafford missed a wide open Nacua for what would have been an easy walk into the end zone for another potential score. But the big one, though, came late in the game. 

Placekicker Harrison Mevis, who took over kicking duties after replacing Joshua Karty, misfired on a 48-yard field goal that would have won the game for the Rams in regulation. It was the first kick that Mevis has missed all season.     

The drama was thick surrounding this game. The Rams and the Seahawks played the game as if there was a lot riding on the line. It was. First place in the NFC West and the top seed in the conference had a lot to do with it. 

The Rams and Seahawks played the game like two heavyweight boxers going toe-to-toe, trading stingy blows with the hope of catching their opponent slipping. The Seahawks got in the first blow with the game’s opening touchdown. 

The Rams countered by rattling off 13 straight points to take the lead at the half. Seattle came right back to score on the opening drive in the third quarter before the Rams decided to take control of the game. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Rams looked like they were poised to run away with the game, having established a 16-point lead. Seattle then gave the Rams celebrations a sharp rebuke by scoring 16 unanswered points to tie the game and force overtime. 

Even when Stafford hit Nacua for a touchdown to go up in overtime, the Seahawks were not deterred. Darnold directed the Seahawks down the field for the touchdown and two-point conversion to come away with a come-from-behind win, shocking the Rams. 

“Just talking about our football team, just so proud of our group. This is who we are,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said. “We set out to show that — you know, to prove to ourselves who we were as a team. A lot did not go our way today, both good job by the Rams, some of the stuff we got to obviously clean up on our end.”