Sam Darnold threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 3:13 remaining in overtime, then hit backup tight end Eric Saubert with a two-point conversion as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the visiting Los Angeles Rams 38-37 Thursday night.
The Seahawks (12-3) rallied from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to break a tie with the Rams (11-4) atop the NFC West.
Darnold finished 22 of 34 for 270 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and had three receptions for 64 yards. Smith-Njigba made eight catches for 96 yards and a TD, all after halftime.
Los Angeles’ Matthew Stafford completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns, the last a 41-yarder to Puka Nacua with 6:27 left in overtime.
The Seahawks subsequently scored on their overtime possession and went for two and the win.
Nacua had 12 catches for a career-high 225 yards and two touchdowns. Rams running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined to rush for 118 yards on 37 carries.
With Los Angeles ahead 30-14, Rashid Shaheed sparked Seattle’s comeback with a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown. Darnold completed a two-point conversion to Cooper Kupp, cutting the Seahawks’ deficit to eight with 8:03 to play.
The Seahawks’ defense forced a three-and-out and Shaheed went 31 yards on an end around on the next play from scrimmage. Darnold hit a wide open tight end AJ Barner from 26 yards on the next snap with 6:23 to play.
The Seahawks went for two again in an attempt to tie the score, but Darnold’s pass was batted down. After a video review, it was determined it was a backward pass, with the Seahawks’ Zach Charbonnet recovering the ball in the end zone for an unlikely conversion to knot the score at 30-30.
The Rams’ Harrison Mevis, who kicked three field goals, missed a 48-yard attempt with 2:07 left.
Seattle got a first-quarter touchdown from Charbonnet on a 4-yard carry and Los Angeles got a second-quarter TD on a 3-yard pass from Darnold to Terrance Ferguson, and the Rams led 13-7 at halftime.
Both teams played without offensive starters. The Rams’ Davante Adams, who leads the league with 14 touchdown receptions, and Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross were both sidelined due to hamstring injuries.
