Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was left dumbfounded by a controversial call that came to define Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks went for a two-point conversion while trailing 30-28 with about six minutes left in the “Thursday Night Football” matchup at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. The Rams appeared to get the successful stop as a pass from Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold deflected off Rams linebacker Jared Verse’s helmet (video here).
However, referees reviewed the play and determined that Darnold had made a backwards pass to running back Zach Charbonnet. Therefore, the deflected ball was actually a live fumble rather than an incomplete pass.
Charbonnet nonchalantly picked up the ball in the end zone in what everyone initially assumed was a dead play. The decision turned out to be crucial as it rewarded Seattle with a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 30. The Rams went on to win 38-37 in overtime.
After the game, McVay told reporters that he did not understand how the referees awarded the Seahawks a successful two-point conversion. The Rams coach believed the referees had already ruled the play as an incomplete pass, with both teams already preparing for kickoff.
“I’ve never seen anything or never been a part of anything like that, and I’ve grown up around this game,” McVay said during his postgame press conference.
The Rams led Thursday’s game 30-14 with under 10 minutes left in the contest. While the questionable call helped the Seahawks scratch out a surprising win, a myriad of things had to go wrong for Los Angeles to lose arguably the team’s most important regular game of the season.
Matthew Stafford threw for an astonishing 457 yards — the most he’s recorded in over a decade — to go along with three touchdowns. Puka Nacua caught 12 passes for 225 yards and a pair of TDs. But their efforts weren’t enough to help the Rams take a solo lead atop the NFC standings
