SEATTLE – The Rams' defense got a 4th-and-1 stop inside the redzone, then quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for the walk-off, 39-yard touchdown to earn Los Angeles (4-4) a 26-20 overtime win over the Seahawks on Sunday at Lumen Field.
The Seahawks (4-5) tied the game 20-20 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Geno Smith to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, giving the ball back to the Rams with under a minute remaining in regulation. The Rams reached their own 49, but were unable to get the conversion on 3rd and 2 from that spot, and forced to punt.
Getting the ball back with 19 seconds left in regulation, Seattle drained the clock to take the game to overtime.
Winning the coin toss and getting the ball first in overtime, the Seahawks capitalized and drove to the Rams' 16-yard line, where they went for it on 4th-and-1 and got stuffed by the Rams defense.
On the ensuing possession, quarterback Matthew Stafford marched the Rams downfield, then fired a 39-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson to clinch the win.
Rookie safety Kamren Kinchens recorded his first career interception and returned it 103 yards for a touchdown. The go-ahead pick-six gave the Rams a 20-13 lead early in the fourth quarter; the scoring play was part of the Rams outscoring the Seahawks 17-0 in the second half. Los Angeles trailed Seattle 13-3 at halftime.
The Rams' defense had three interceptions – rookie safety Jaylen McCollough extended his team lead with his fourth of the season – and also notched seven sacks in the victory, led by defensive end Braden Fiske's two.
Los Angeles had to overcome the absence of wide receiver Puka Nacua, who had one reception for 11 yards before being ejected in the second quarter due to an unnecessary roughness penalty.
Both teams combined for 178 penalty yards on 20 penalties in the contest.
Here is the complete game recap:
After a pair of scoreless opening drives, the Rams were well-positioned to add points thanks to an interception by safety Jaylen McCollough at midfield midway through the first quarter, but a holding penalty that took away a long Kyren Williams run ultimately derailed the series. Neither team could establish much of an offensive rhythm in a scoreless first quarter.
The offensive sloppiness from both teams continued well into the second quarter, with each team having a botched snap on one of their drives. Rams kicker Joshua Karty's 38-yard field goal attempt with 3:31 to go in the second quarter gave Los Angeles a 3-0 lead.
On the ensuing series, the Seahawks answered with a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Geno Smith to wide receiver Tyler Lockett on a free play (the Rams were flagged for offsides); however, the ensuing extra point attempt was no good, making it 6-3 Seahawks with 51 seconds left in the first half.
Stafford was intercepted by Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen on the following drive on a deep pass intended for Nacua. Similar to the last series, Seattle used a free play on a Los Angeles offsides penalty for an explosive pass completion, with Smith connecting with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba deep down the right sideline for a 40-yard gain to bring Seattle to the L.A. 24. with 17 seconds left in the first half. That drive also ended with a Seahawks touchdown – a 24-yard completion to Smith-Njigba to give them a 13-3 halftime lead over the Rams.
The Rams cut into that deficit with a length second-half opening drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. A pair of defensive penalties by the Seahawks also aided the drive.
After forcing the Seahawks to punt, the Rams again mounted a length drive, this time reaching the Seahawks 3-yard line with under a minute to play in the third quarter. However, the Seahawks forced a Stafford incompletion on third-and-goal, forcing the Rams to settle for a chip-shot field goal by Karty to tie the game 13-13 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter.
Thanks to pressure brought by outside linebacker Byron Young, Los Angeles' defense turned away Seattle at the L.A. 6-yard line with a 103-yard interception return for a touchdown to take a 20-13 lead with 10:59 to go in the fourth quarter.
However, the Rams' punt with 8:52 to play in the fourth quarter was blocked, setting the Seahawks up at the Rams' 19. Five plays later, Kinchens nabbed his second interception, picking off a Smith pass intended for tight end A.J. Barner at the Rams' 7.
Still, the Rams were forced to punt at the end of the ensuing offensive possession, and they would need to count on their defense again with 4:39 to play. A sack for a six-yard loss and a pair of holding penalties derailed Seattle's offense, forcing it to punt with under 3 minutes left.
Again, the Rams were forced to punt after that drive, though it arrived at the 2-minute warning after causing the Seahawks to burn all of their remaining timeouts.
The Seahawks quickly reached the Rams' 48 with 1:14 to play, and three plays later, Smith connected with Smith-Njigba for a 14-yard, game-tying touchdown to tie the game 20-20 with 51 seconds left in regulation. The Rams were forced to punt on the ensuing series, giving the Seahawks the ball back with 19 seconds left. Seattle elected to drain the clock and take the game to overtime.
After that 4th-down stop, the Rams took advantage with Stafford connecting with Robinson for the game-winner.