Seahawks take first place in NFC West with instant classic vs. Rams

The game already loomed as one of the more inexplicable comebacks in the 50-year history of the Seahawks even before they lined up for one final play to win it.

But when Sam Darnold found reserve tight end Eric Saubert wide open in the front of the end zone on a two-point play that gave the Seahawks a 38-37 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the game turned into a win that almost defied description.

Not that a happy Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t try.

“Holy smokes what a great football game,” Macdonald said.

It was a game that featured a 16-point comeback in the fourth quarter to force overtime, a rally sparked by a bizarre two-point play that went the Seahawks’ way. It also included Seattle having to overcome the usually stout defense giving up the most yards in team history, 581.

So after all that, Macdonald said the choice not to settle for a tie after Darnold hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba to pull the Seahawks within 37-36 in overtime was an easy one.

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“I just felt great about our play and I trusted our guys,” Macdonald said. “… Once we got that drive going, it was pretty clear what we were gonna do.”

There would have been some value in a tie as it would have clinched a playoff berth. But the Seahawks have bigger goals than simply getting in the postseason as Macdonald’s decision showed.

With the win, the Seahawks are 12-3 and took over first place in the NFC West from the Rams, who fell to 11-4. They also took over sole possession of the top seed in the NFC and will need only to beat Carolina and San Francisco the next two weeks — albeit each on the road — to get a bye in the first round of the playoffs and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

None of that seemed in the offing when they fell behind 30-14 early in the fourth quarter.

At that point, the Seahawks had just a 2.7% chance of winning, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

And according to some of the Seahawks, the Rams felt the game was in the bag, too.

Linebacker Ernest Jones IV — who played the first three seasons of his career in L.A. — said some of the Rams began to talk in what he said was “a disrespectful” manner.

“They were saying stuff,” Jones said. “Yeah, they were saying stuff. I won’t repeat what they were saying because it was not good. But they were talking.”

But if that gave the Seahawks fuel, Jones said the Seahawks simply kept to who they are.

“If time’s still running and we’ve got a chance, it’s not over,” Jones said.

And down 30-14, the Seahawks used a Rashid Shaheed 58-yard punt return touchdown, a quick three-and-out, and a 26-yard Darnold TD pass to AJ Barner — as well as a wacky two-pointer — to tie the game in the span of just 1:40 in the fourth quarter.

Still, the game went to overtime, and the Seahawks again appeared in trouble when the Rams grabbed the lead to begin overtime on a 41-yard Matthew Stafford TD to Puka Nacua, which gave L.A. 581 yards, the most ever gained in a game against the Seahawks and gave Nacua 225, the second-most ever by an opponent.

Under new overtime rules, the Seahawks got the ball and scored on a 4-yard TD pass from Darnold to Smith-Njigba to cut the lead to 37-36.

The decision to go for two having been made, Darnold lined up in shotgun before the Rams called a timeout.

After the Seahawks again lined up for the play, Darnold called a timeout of his own.

The Rams got no rush on Darnold, who had time to wait for Saubert to come open in the front of the end zone — Macdonald said he was the fourth progression — and complete a most improbable comeback.

“Just a phenomenal play,” Macdonald said.

The comeback made up for a 21-19 loss to the Rams last month in Los Angeles in which Seahawks kicker Jason Myers missed a 61-yard field goal on the final play. There was also the overtime loss here against the Rams last October that was essentially the difference in deciding the NFC West title.

The Seahawks tied the game in the fourth quarter on one of the more inexplicable two-point conversions in team history if not the annals of the NFL.

After the Barner TD made it 30-28, a pass from Darnold initially appeared to be incomplete after going through the hands and off the helmet of L.A. defensive end Jared Verse.

The ball ended up in the end zone and was initially ruled an incomplete pass, which would have left L.A. ahead.

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But Zach Charbonnet picked the ball up in the end zone as the play ended.

And after the teams lined up for the kickoff, the play was reviewed and it was determined it was a backward pass and a live ball — and hence two points for the Seahawks thanks to Charbonnet’s recovery. It was officially called a rush for Charbonnet.

The Seahawks got more good fortune a few minutes later when L.A.’s Harrison Mevis, who had made three field goals earlier in the game, missed a 48-yard field goal with 2:06 remaining to leave the game tied heading into overtime.

Stafford threw for 457 yards against the Seahawks in a game in which the Rams seemed to have control from the middle of the second quarter through to the middle of the fourth before a comeback that figures to be dissected for ages.

The game appeared over when Darnold threw his second interception of the game — and sixth this season against the Rams — to L.A. defensive lineman Kobie Turner at the 1-yard line, who returned it to the 11 with 9:39 remaining.

But the Rams went three-and-out and had to punt from their own 15.

Shaheed fielded a poor punt by Evans in the middle of the field at the Seattle 42. He used good blocks from Patrick O’Connell and Ty Okada to find an opening down the left sideline and was gone.

Darnold hit Cooper Kupp on a slant for the two-point play to cut the lead to 30-22 with 8:03 remaining.

The Seahawks forced another three-and-out and got the ball back at their own 43 with 7:02 left and quickly drove the field to score on a 26-yard TD pass from Darnold to Barner with 6:23 to play followed by the Charbonnet two-point play that tied it.

“That was crazy just overall,” Darnold said.

The game had appeared to turn L.A.’s way midway through the third quarter when Rams cornerback Josh Wallace jumped in front of a Darnold pass intended for Shaheed and returned it 56 yards to the 1. Blake Corum scored on the next play to put L.A. ahead 23-14 with 6:30 to play in the third quarter.

It appeared over for good when the Seahawks marched to the L.A. 6 following the TD that made it 30-14 hoping to keep some suspense alive and Darnold threw his second interception when he tried to sneak a pass to Smith-Njigba, who had just caught a pass to set the franchise single-season record for receptions in a season (he had shared it with Tyler Lockett at 100 and now has 104).

The ball went right to defensive end Turner, who had dropped into coverage, at the 1, with 9:39 left in the game.

“I certainly didn’t play my best football,” Darnold said.

At that point, it was possible the only people in the stadium who thought the Seahawks still had a chance were the players and coaches.

That proved to be all that was needed.

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