In the Week 16 Thursday Night Football showdown at Lumen Field, the Seattle Seahawks staged one of the most improbable comebacks of the NFL season, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 38-37 in overtime. The game was a battle for first place in the NFC West, as well as the NFC’s 1-seed.
Things got off to a great start for the Rams, as their QB/MVP candidate Matthew Stafford threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns, while WR Puka Nacua racked up 225 yards and two touchdowns after a tumultuous week off the field.
But amid the chaos, one play stood out as the epicenter of controversy: a bizarre two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter that initially appeared to be an incomplete pass. However, the call was overturned to a successful conversion via a fumble recovery in the end zone.
What Was the Controversy in the Rams-Seahawks Game?
Trailing 30-22 late in the game, the Seahawks ignited their rally with a 58-yard punt return touchdown by Rashid Shaheed, followed by a two-point conversion to make it 30-22. After forcing a Rams’ three-and-out series, QB Sam Darnold led a quick drive, capping it with a 26-yard touchdown pass to TE AJ Barner, narrowing the score to 30-28 with 6:23 remaining.
The ensuing two-point try is where things got surreal. Darnold attempted a short screen pass to RB Zach Charbonnet in the flat. Rams EDGE Jared Verse leaped and tipped the ball at the line, causing it to flutter and fall harmlessly to the turf near the goal line. On the field, officials immediately ruled it an incomplete forward pass, signaling the play dead.
Players from both teams relaxed, assuming the conversion had failed, leaving the Rams with a two-point lead. Charbonnet, thinking the same, casually jogged over and picked up the loose ball in the end zone to hand it to the referee – nothing more than a routine act.
However, as the teams were beginning to line up for the kickoff, the replay booth initiated a review since it was a potential scoring play. After examination, officials determined that Darnold’s throw was actually a lateral backward pass, just inches behind the line of scrimmage.
Under NFL rules, a backward pass that touches the ground or is deflected becomes a live fumble, recoverable by either team. Since Charbonnet possessed the ball in the end zone (intentionally or not), it counted as a fumble recovery for two points. The call was reversed, tying the game at 30-30.
Reaction to the Rams-Seahawks Controversy
Naturally, the ruling sparked immediate outrage from the Rams sideline. Head coach Sean McVay, who was understandably upset in the postgame presser, called it unprecedented, and “I’ve never quite seen anything like what happened on the two-point conversion, where you’re lined up to kick off, then they say it’s a fumble… now you tack it on, you make it a 30-30 game.”
Stafford echoed the confusion, noting he believed fumbles couldn’t be advanced in such situations (like inside two minutes or on tries), saying, “I just want to know the rule… I didn’t think you were allowed to advance a fumble.”
Yet the optics fueled debate: No one on the field played to the whistle because the initial ruling was incomplete. Charbonnet’s nonchalant pickup looked accidental, not a deliberate recovery.
Fans and pundits dubbed it “the craziest two-point conversion ever,” with social media exploding over whether the spirit of the rule was upheld in such an unusual scenario.
What Was the Significance of the Rams-Seahawks Controversy?
Tied at 30, the game would eventually to overtime. The Rams struck first with a 41-yard touchdown to Nacua, but the Seahawks responded with a drive ending in a Jaxon Smith-Njigba score and a successful two-point pass to Eric Saubert for the walk-off win.
Seattle improved to 12-3, seizing the NFC’s top seed and NFC West division lead. LA fell to 11-4, moving them back to the 5-seed and complicating their path to home-field advantage.
In a season full of dramatic finishes, this play encapsulated the fine line between fortune and fairness in the NFL. While technically correct, it left the Rams questioning replay’s role in high-stakes moments and highlighted how a single inch can alter playoff destinies.
As McVay seeks clarification from the league, one thing is clear: this bizarre conversion will be replayed and debated for weeks (and even years) to come.
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