The Los Angeles Rams trailed by 13 points midway through the second quarter, but rallied to stun the Seattle Seahawks 17-16 on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.
The Seahawks were leading 13-0 in the second quarter, and 16-7 early in the fourth quarter when starting quarterback Geno Smith was knocked out of the game after a brutal hit by three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award winner Aaron Donald.
After the hit, the Rams marched down the field and scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Darrell Henderson.
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Three plays later, cornerback Derion Kendrick intercepted backup QB Drew Lock to put the ball back in Matthew Stafford's hands.
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The Rams want on a long, clock-draining game-winning drive that ended on a 22-yard field goal by Lucas Havrisik that put L.A. up 17-16.
Smith re-entered the game for the final Seahawks drive, and put Seattle in a position to win, but Jason Meyers missed a 55-yard field goal, and the Rams escaped with the victory.
Stafford threw for 190 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the victory. The veteran quarterback did not play in the team's last game in Green Bay two weeks ago with a thumb injury.
Smith threw for 233 yards and a touchdown in the loss, and left the game with a right arm injury early in the fourth quarter. Prior to the injury, the Seahawks were cruising.
After a three-and-out on the Rams first possession, the Seahawks drove the length of the field for a score when Smith found D.K. Metcalf on a slant in the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.
The Rams had an opportunity to tie the game on the ensuing drive, but Stafford's pass to Tutu Atwell in the back of the end zone on fourth and goal led to a turnover on downs.
Seattle led 13-0 before the Rams finally scored with seconds remaining in the first half. Stafford capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua.
Cooper Kupp injured his ankle on the final drive of the second quarter, after a Seahawks defender appeared to step on his right foot. He did not return to the game. With Kupp out of the game, Nacua became a favorite target of Stafford's down the stretch, including an impressive 32-yard catch that thread the needle on the Rams' final drive.
Self-inflicted wounds were the them of the game as both teams took turns stalling and stopping drives that could have led to scored. The two teams combined for 21 penalties for a whopping 222 yards. Seattle had 130 of those yards alone.
The victory gave the Rams (4-6) a season sweep over the Seahawks (6-4), and are now 10-5 (including playoffs) against Seattle since Sean McVay took over as head coach in 2017. The Rams are a perfect 4-0 against Seattle with Stafford at quarterback.
