Seattle completed the most improbable comeback in franchise history with a 38-37 overtime victory against Los Angeles on December 18, 2025, at Lumen Field. The Seahawks trailed by 16 points in the fourth quarter and saw their win probability drop to 2.7% according to Next Gen Stats. Matthew Stafford threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns while Puka Nacua caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two scores. Sam Darnold finished with 270 yards and two touchdowns despite two interceptions, and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 100 yards with a touchdown.
Table of Contents
Passing Stats
| Quarterback | Team | Comp/Att | Yards | TDs | INTs | Sacks | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | Rams | 29/49 | 457 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 110.7 |
| Sam Darnold | Seahawks | 22/34 | 270 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 84.2 |
Stafford’s 457 passing yards marked the third-highest total of his career and the most by any Ram since Jared Goff’s 517-yard performance in 2019. He completed 59.2% of his passes without taking a sack, connecting with Nacua repeatedly. His three touchdowns came without an interception, making him the fifth quarterback in NFL history with 450-plus yards, three scores, and zero picks in a loss. He averaged 9.3 yards per attempt.
Darnold threw two interceptions that put Seattle in a 16-point hole. After his second pick, he completed 8 of 12 passes for 101 yards, two touchdowns, and converted two two-point attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Rushing Production
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | YPC | TDs | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker III | Seahawks | 11 | 100 | 9.1 | 1 | 55 |
| Kyren Williams | Rams | 23 | 70 | 3.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Blake Corum | Rams | 14 | 48 | 3.4 | 1 | 9 |
| Zach Charbonnet | Seahawks | 9 | 32 | 3.6 | 1 | 9 |
Walker hit a top speed of 21.07 mph on his 55-yard touchdown run according to Next Gen Stats. He averaged 9.1 yards per carry while Seattle totaled 171 rushing yards on 25 attempts. LA managed 124 yards on 39 carries. Walker added three catches for 64 yards, including a 46-yard screen pass on the opening drive.
His most important play came after Darnold’s second interception. Walker chased down cornerback Josh Wallace at the 1-yard line, preventing a pick-six that would have put the Rams up by double digits. “Talk about favorite plays of just who Ken Walker is, I mean, that’s Seahawks football,” Macdonald said. “That’s us right there and that’s Ken. We love him.”
Receiving Numbers
Los Angeles
| Player | Receptions | Targets | Yards | TDs | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puka Nacua | 12 | 16 | 225 | 2 | 58 |
| Xavier Smith | 2 | 2 | 57 | 0 | 48 |
| Konata Mumpfield | 3 | 8 | 40 | 0 | 19 |
| Davis Allen | 2 | 5 | 34 | 0 | 27 |
| Terrance Ferguson | 3 | 4 | 33 | 1 | 27 |
Nacua posted the best receiving performance by any player during the 2025 season. His 225 yards set NFL season highs for receiving yards, expected points added (16.4), and yards after catch (133) according to PFF’s advanced metrics. He averaged 18.8 yards per catch and now leads the league with 114 receptions. No Ram had caught this many passes or gained this many yards in a single game since Eddie Kennison’s 226-yard outing in 1996.
Seattle
| Player | Receptions | Targets | Yards | TDs | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 8 | 13 | 96 | 1 | 27 |
| Kenneth Walker III | 3 | 3 | 64 | 0 | 46 |
| AJ Barner | 4 | 6 | 49 | 1 | 26 |
| Cooper Kupp | 3 | 4 | 39 | 0 | 21 |
Smith-Njigba’s eight catches pushed him to 104 receptions through 15 games, breaking Tyler Lockett’s franchise single-season record of 100 set in 2020. The 1,637 receiving yards lead the NFL and made him just the sixth player in league history with two 100-catch, 1,000-yard seasons in his first three years. His four-yard scoring catch in overtime set up the game-winning two-point conversion.
Cooper Kupp, now with Seattle after playing for LA, caught a 21-yard pass on the final drive in overtime and converted a two-point attempt in the fourth quarter.
The Comeback That Made History
Seattle trailed 30-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks entered the game with an 0-172 all-time record when trailing by 15-plus points in the fourth quarter. After Darnold’s second interception, Seattle’s win probability dropped to 2.7% according to Next Gen Stats.
Rashid Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return touchdown with 8:03 left cut the deficit to 30-22. Darnold connected with Kupp for the two-point conversion.
“Sheed returning that punt was incredible,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “You just felt the momentum swing.”
The Rams went three-and-out. Two plays later, Seattle scored. A 31-yard run by Shaheed set up Darnold’s 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner, making it 30-28.
On the two-point conversion attempt, Darnold’s pass deflected off pass rusher Jared Verse’s helmet and appeared to fall incomplete. Running back Zach Charbonnet casually walked over and picked up the ball in the end zone. Officials reviewed the play and ruled the throw went backward, making it a fumble. Charbonnet’s recovery tied the game 30-30 with 6:23 remaining.
“I’m glad Charbs picked it up,” Darnold said, “and that obviously was a game-changing play.”
In overtime, Stafford hit Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown on the opening possession. Seattle responded with a drive that ended with Smith-Njigba’s four-yard touchdown. Trailing 37-36, Macdonald made his decision.
“It was something we talked about throughout the season and particularly for this game because of the playoff situation,” Macdonald explained. “You know, you play for the tie and lock up a playoff seat, but I just felt great about our play and I trusted our guys.”
Darnold worked through his progressions and found tight end Eric Saubert for the winning conversion. Saubert had just two catches all season before securing his only target of the night on the game’s most critical play. He signed a one-year extension days earlier.
“I’ve been so many places,” Saubert said in his emotional postgame speech to the team. “This has been such a long journey for me. To come to a place that’s just embraced me like you guys have. I love you guys.”
Seattle became the first team in NFL history to win an overtime game on a two-point conversion.
Why Los Angeles Couldn’t Close
The Rams outgained Seattle 581-415 and controlled possession for 40:33 compared to Seattle’s 26:14. They forced three turnovers and didn’t commit any. Los Angeles became the first team since 1975 to lose a game with 400-plus yards, zero giveaways, zero sacks taken, and three-plus takeaways according to NFL Research.
Sean McVay’s offense scored 30 points through the first 51 minutes but punted four consecutive times in the fourth quarter.
Seattle’s defense forced stops when needed. Drake Thomas recorded 13 tackles, Ernest Jones IV had 12, and the unit held LA to zero points on their final five possessions of regulation. Seattle also extended their streak to 24 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Special teams breakdowns added to LA’s problems. Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal with 2:07 left that would have given the Rams a three-point lead. The miss marked his first failed kick of any kind during the 2025 season. Punt coverage surrendered Shaheed’s 58-yard touchdown return.
The Rams settled for field goals on three red zone trips instead of touchdowns. On fourth-and-2 from the Seattle 5-yard line in the second quarter, McVay kicked a field goal despite going for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 38 on an earlier drive.
“We just went down swinging,” defensive lineman Kobie Turner said. “We beat them once, they beat us once. We’ll see them again.”
Historic Two-Point Conversions
Seattle converted three two-point attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime. The 2000 Rams hold the NFL record with four successful conversions in a game, but no team had ever converted three in the final eight minutes of regulation and overtime before Seattle accomplished it.
The first came after Shaheed’s punt return. The second was the deflection off Verse’s helmet that Charbonnet recovered. The third won the game when Saubert got open as the fourth option in Darnold’s progression. Macdonald called timeout after seeing LA’s defensive alignment, adjusted his play call, and watched his decision work.
Playoff Implications
Seattle improved to 12-3 and clinched their first playoff berth under first-year head coach Macdonald. The victory moved them into first place in the NFC West and secured the conference’s top seed with two games remaining at the time. Seattle won their sixth season of 12-plus victories in franchise history.
Los Angeles fell to 11-4 and dropped from the No. 1 overall seed to the No. 5 position in the conference. The Rams needed help to win the division after the loss.
The teams split their season series, with each team winning on the road. The Rams took the Week 11 meeting 21-19, while Seattle won this rematch 38-37. Through two games, the Rams scored 58 points and gained 830 total yards while Seattle had 57 points and 829 total yards.
Darnold’s Resilience
Head coach Mike Macdonald never wavered in his quarterback. “Our story has stayed the same since day one with Sam,” Macdonald said. “It’s everybody else that has different stories. This is the guy that we watch every day. Same guy every day no matter the circumstance.”
Ernest Jones IV pushed back on anyone questioning his quarterback after the comeback. “This is the same thing that I know about Sam,” Jones said. “Sam’s a baller. When we need Sam, Sam’s going to come through and he did just that today.”
Darnold led teams to the playoffs in consecutive seasons after five years as a starter with the Jets and Panthers without a postseason appearance. He threw four interceptions in the first meeting with LA in Week 11 but rallied from two picks in this rematch.
“I’ve had games like this in the past where I haven’t played necessarily my best football and turned the ball over, but at the end of the game you see yourself on the other side,” Darnold explained. “It’s not great when you have interceptions and turnovers. You want to limit that. But all you can do is fight back.”
Cooper Kupp praised his quarterback’s mental toughness. “He’s just putting more examples of what we’ve known because he’s resilient. His steadiness, his leadership, all these things that you want a quarterback.”
What This Game Revealed
Seattle’s special teams changed the outcome. Rashid Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return for a touchdown scored eight points and cut LA’s lead to one possession. The Seahawks converted all three two-point attempts, including the controversial deflection off Verse’s helmet that officials ruled a backward pass. These plays overcame LA’s 166-yard statistical advantage.
The Rams struggled in the red zone. Three field goals instead of touchdowns left nine points on the field. Harrison Mevis’s miss from 48 yards with 2:07 left gave Seattle one more chance instead of forcing them to score a touchdown. Punt coverage surrendered Shaheed’s touchdown return.
Walker’s chase-down tackle after Darnold’s interception saved at least four points and kept Seattle within one score.
Shaheed became the only player in the league with both kick and punt return touchdowns in the 2025 season. He joined Tyler Lockett (2015) and Nate Burleson (2007) as the only Seahawks to record that combination in one year. His 100-yard kickoff return against Atlanta earlier in December and the 58-yard punt return against LA gave Seattle a legitimate weapon in the return game.
These division rivals could meet again in the postseason. Both teams know each other well after splitting two games separated by five weeks. The complete statistical breakdown shows how momentum, execution, and clutch plays determined the outcome far more than total yardage.
This matchup between NFC West contenders demonstrated why playoff football rewards teams that make plays in critical moments. Seattle’s three successful two-point conversions and Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return proved more valuable than LA’s 166-yard advantage in total offense. For comprehensive NFL coverage and player analysis year-round, visit The Sportie.
