SEATTLE — The Rams never solved their season-long special teams issues and now they have an early start to the offseason to figure out the puzzle.
Matthew Stafford’s MVP-caliber gunslinging had covered up holes all season, but he couldn’t pull a rabbit out of his hat Sunday after Xavier Smith’s costly fumble put the Rams in too big of a hole and became the lasting image of a 31-27 loss to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
The clock expired as Puka Nacua tried to hustle the ball to the line of scrimmage and allow one Hail Mary, and the Seahawks exploded off the victorious sideline while 68,773 fans in attendance rocked Lumen Field.
The game’s two biggest swings happened in the third quarter and could be called Smith’s House of Horror and Riq Woolen’s Wild Ride – rides worthy of a spot at California Adventure.
It was a five-second implosion that put the Rams’ season on life support when Smith fumbled a punt for the second time in the game and the Seahawks pounced on the loose ball.
Smith, who was later replaced on punts, stumbled over his own feet and onto his backside as he positioned himself for a fair catch. The ball went through his arms and off his shoulder.
Smelling blood, Sam Darnold immediately attacked Cobie Durant for a 17-yard play-action touchdown pass to Jake Bobo and a 31-20 lead.
The Rams looked finished with 2:20 left to go in the third quarter and an 11-point deficit after Woolen forced an incompletion on third-and-12, bringing the punt team came onto the field.
But Woolen was flagged for taunting the Rams’ sideline – pulling out his mouthguard to yap at Stafford after ignoring the official’s hand gesture to move away. Automatic first down.
Sean McVay and Stafford went right after the distraught Woolen with Puka Nacua, who fell backwards on his butt into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown catch and 31-27 new life.
The Seahawks punted on the ensuing possession to feed into the flipped momentum, and the Rams drove all the way to the 6-yard line. It seemed the lead was only one Nacua catch away.
But Devon Witherspoon broke up passes on third and fourth down – challenging an All-Pro cornerback might not have been the best way to go – and the Seahawks regained possession with 4:54 remaining and a chance to run out the clock.
Cooper Kupp – the MVP of Super Bowl 56 and the center of a revenge game – and Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught first-down passes. And Kupp drew a defensive holding on a crossing route for another first down just before the two-minute warning.
By the time the Rams finally got a defense stop, Stafford took over at the 7-yard line with 25 seconds remaining.
Bon Jovi’s “Halfway There” echoed through a stadium sing-along at halftime because the Seahawks’ legendary “12s” home crowd smelled a path to the Super Bowl and a rematch of a decade-old classic against the AFC champion Patriots.
The Seahawks built a 17-13 halftime lead on the back of a couple chunk passes that fueled touchdown drives and offset back-to-back possessions netting four yards on seven yards.
Darnold’s 51-yard pass to Rashid Shaheed set up Kenneth Walker’s two-yard touchdown pass and his 42-yard pass to Smith-Njigba set up another throw to Smith-Njigba for a 14-yard touchdown catch.
The second big gain set up a showcase for the creativity of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who lined up the NFL’s leading receiver in a split backfield. Smith-Njigba ran through the linebackers uncovered to the front pylon for one of the easiest touchdown catches of his life.
It was the third classic game between the NFC West rivals this season.
The teams split two regular-season matchups about as closely as possible, with the Rams holding a combined scoring edge of 58-57 and combined yardage edge of 830-829.
The Seahawks avenged their only two home playoff losses of the 21st Century – both against the Rams (2005 and 2020).
The Rams were in control late in the first half when, coming out of the first half’s two-minute warning facing a second-and-8, Stafford was in the shotgun flanked to his right by Kyren Williams. Stafford looked off the defense as Williams slipped through the big boys and then came across his field to a wide open to Williams, who had a go-ahead walk-in 9-yard touchdown.
Just like that the signature noise decibel counter at Lumen Field showed plummeting numbers that probably would’ve reached zero if the screen wasn’t cleared after Stafford’s 50th touchdown pass of the season.
It was the payoff for a 12-play drive that almost never was because Smith muffed punt that bounced right back to him at the 13-yard line.
The Rams were not penalized in the first half but still settled for two field goals on fourth-and-longs – one after a Stafford strip-sack – when McVay couldn’t justify going for fourth downs.
Harrison Mevis’ kicks were not enough to make for the other special teams blunder, which really encapsulated the troubles all season that got former special teams coordinator Chase Blankburn fired.
