By Jourdan Rodrigue, Michael-Shawn Dugar and Lauren Smith
Matthew Stafford tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson for the game-winning score in overtime, and the Los Angeles Rams won a key NFC West contest over the Seattle Seahawks, 26-20, on Sunday at Lumen Field.
Four plays after the Rams stopped the Seahawks on fourth-and-1 in the red zone on the opening series of overtime, Stafford threw the winning pass to the end zone, and Robinson made a one-handed catch to lift the Rams to the win.
MATTHEW STAFFORD TO DEMARCUS ROBINSON ONE-HANDED TD TO WIN THE GAME FOR THE @RAMSNFL! pic.twitter.com/xqFG6xQ4eS
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024
Los Angeles (4-4) outscored Seattle, 23-7, in the final two quarters and overtime after trailing by 10 points at halftime.
The Rams scored the game’s first points on a Joshua Karty field goal in the second quarter, but Seattle answered with a pair of touchdowns in the final minute before the break.
A 30-yard pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett with 51 seconds to play in the second quarter gave the Seahawks their first lead. Three plays later, Riq Woolen intercepted a Stafford pass to set Seattle up near midfield. Rams receiver Puka Nacua was ejected following the play. Three plays after that, Smith connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 24-yard pass for Seattle’s second touchdown in 46 seconds.
GO DEEPER
Rams WR Puka Nacua ejected in second quarter vs. Seahawks
But the Rams were quick to erase the deficit after the halftime break. Los Angeles found the end zone on the opening drive of the third quarter on a 1-yard scoring pass from Stafford to Robinson, and tied the score late in the quarter on another Karty field goal.
Los Angeles then took the lead early in the fourth when rookie safety Kamren Kinchens intercepted a pass from Smith in the end zone and returned it 103 yards for a touchdown with 10:59 to play.
The Seahawks tied the score in the final minute on a 14-yard pass from Smith to Smith-Njigba with 51 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
The Rams have now won three consecutive games since entering their Week 6 bye with a 1-4 record, while the Seahawks (4-5) have lost five of their past six after a 3-0 start.
Rams defense collects three turnovers, seven sacks, key stop in OT
The Rams defense gave up a couple of big breakdowns, including two touchdowns in the first half after what seemed like confusion on penalties and movement by their own teammates up front.
A fourth-and-5 completion by Smith for 29 yards with just over a minute to play set up a touchdown and then game-tying extra point with just 51 seconds left. Those will be regrettable moments when the defense looks at tape from this game.
But overall they did more than enough to set the offense up — with three interceptions and seven sacks.
The Rams’ failure to move the ball or close the game out earlier seem far more troubling for a team that knew its defense would have to grow up a little this year, but believed the offense could carry them when needed.
In Week 1, the Detroit Lions ran the ball down the defense’s throat in overtime and won. Seattle opened overtime with a couple of physical runs, but this time — and on fourth-and-1 — the Rams defense got the stop. Catharsis for the still-growing group, who bailed out their offense all day. — Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams beat writer
Los Angeles offense struggles early
Even with Nacua on the field in the first half, the Rams struggled to move the ball effectively.
Their run game picked up sparse 1- or 2-yard plays, setting them up into bad middle downs and Stafford additionally struggled to connect with his receivers (including the interception right before Nacua’s ejection). They went 2-for-7 on third down in the first half, and had just 14 rushing yards.
While they opened up the third quarter with a balanced, physical touchdown drive (and got a lucky bounce on a Kyren Williams fumble that Cooper Kupp collected for a gain), they didn’t move the ball in the second half.
This also meant putting new punter Ty Zentner, who just arrived Thursday because of starter Ethan Evans’ illness, in a terrible position and Zentner had a punt blocked that Seattle recovered in the fourth quarter.
Both teams couldn’t give the ball away to each other fast enough (Kinchens had a second interception on the corresponding Seahawks possession) on a sloppy, penalty and turnover-filled afternoon in Seattle. — Rodrigue
103-YARD PICK-6!
Kamren Kinchens takes it ALL the way back for the @RamsNFL 🙌
đź“ş: #LARvsSEA on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/vEVC2pom4i— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024
Kinchen scores record-breaking defensive TD
Kinchens’ 103-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was not only the longest of such plays in Rams history, but it also marked the fourth game in a row in which the defense has scored.
The go-ahead score was galvanizing for a team that otherwise had a sloppy day full of mental errors — punctuated by Nacua’s ejection.
Kinchens had another interception later in the fourth quarter. — Rodrigue
Seahawks offense stopped in OT
The Seahawks needed 1 yard to keep their final offensive drive and arguably their season alive. They ended up going backwards.
That’s the story of Seattle’s 2024 season: so close, but not quite ready to do what it takes on consistent basis to deliver when it matters most.
Except for a Week 8 loss to the Bills, the Seahawks have consistently had the ball in the fourth quarter or overtime with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, only to come up short every time save for Week 2 in New England.
The setup Sunday was similar. While the Seahawks couldn’t get a yard, the Rams were able to get 83 in overtime and jump into second place in the division while Seattle falls to last place heading into its Week 10 bye. — Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images)
