The Los Angeles Rams faced a stunning defeat against the Seattle Seahawks, losing 30-27 in overtime after leading by 16 points with less than ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. This loss was the Rams’ second franchise history loss after leading going into the fourth quarter. With an 11-4 record, they will face questions about their playoff positioning as they near the last two games of the regular season.
The Rams had a whopping 98.8% win probability. With a resounding 27-11 advantage, they were in total command of the scoreboard. Late in the first quarter, they picked off a pass thrown by Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold in the Ashland territory. This allowed their player to set up a very important scoring opportunity for their team. They were unable to build on this momentum, not finding the score sheet again in regulation.
The Seahawks would continue to fight back with a historic comeback, eventually tying the game and forcing overtime. Seattle pulled ahead in the extra period to take the win, putting the Rams’ playoff seeding at risk. Had the Rams won this game, they would’ve kept a very good chance at winning the NFC West as the division-title competitors. They’d still have had a 91% chance at winning their division for the second consecutive season.
The loss reduced the Rams’ chances of winning their division to a mere 30%. For now, the team is just looking to their next matchups. With the Atlanta Falcons on tap in Week 17 and a home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18, every game left on their schedule is must-win. The Rams insured themselves a spot in the playoffs with their Week 15 win over the Detroit Lions. Now, they must re-evaluate their approach in order to put themselves in the best possible position come playoff time.
It’s been a dramatic ride all season long for the Rams. They set a new record by being only the fourth team in NFC history to blow multiple 15-point leads. Their defeat against the Seahawks made them the first team in NFL history to lose after achieving over 500 yards of offense and maintaining a plus-3 turnover margin.
Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner admitted the loss was disappointing and added an eye towards the next games.
“The good thing is this isn’t a January game when it really, really counts, where you lose and you’re out,” – Kobie Turner
After this unfortunate slip, there is still plenty of time for the Rams to bounce back. They have to be mindful of their immediate future matchups and not waste this newfound success on falling out of the playoff conversation early again. The team will have to prove they can bounce back as we’ve seen them fail to do multiple times this season.
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