Why refs ran clock to end Rams' chances of going to Super Bowl on Puka Nacua catch

Billy Heyen

Why refs ran clock to end Rams' chances of going to Super Bowl on Puka Nacua catch image

The Los Angeles Rams nearly had the moment they needed.

Matthew Stafford hit Puka Nacua way down the sideline to try and set up a Hail Mary with the Rams down four and almost no time left.

Instead, the official ran the clock, and the game ended.

The Seahawks won as the clock ran out. They're going to the Super Bowl, and the Rams came up just short, 31-27.

Visually, it looked like Nacua had gotten out of bounds, but that's not what the call was.

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Why did clock run out on Puka Nacua, Rams?

The key didn't actually have to do with what it appeared at first, that Nacua may have gone backward out of bounds.

Instead, the clock ran because Nacua actually never made it to the sideline.

He was brought down while still inbounds.

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It made it a simple call for the official, who got it right.

Nacua was down in the field of play, so the clock ran, and with only a couple seconds left, the Rams had no chance to run another play with no timeouts.

That was the ballgame.

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