The Los Angeles Rams entered Week 16 with a chance to cement their status atop the NFC and the NFL as the team to beat. After going up big on the Seattle Seahawks, it looked like that was going to be the outcome of their matchup.
But, after blowing a 15-point lead to the Seahawks in the fourth quarter, the Rams and Seahawks went to overtime, where Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua led a touchdown drive. The Seahawks scored a TD of their own, followed by a 2-point conversion to win the game.
Amid this heartbreaking Thursday Night Football loss for the Rams, two pieces of NFL history were set. Both are brutal records for the Rams, as a historic 500-yard offensive explosion was met with a confusing loss.
Rams make brutal NFL history twice in loss to Seahawks
As Dante Kolowitz-Fleming, a senior researcher for the NFL, shared on Twitter/x postgame, the Rams are the first team since 1975 to record 400+ yards, commit 0 giveaways, force 3 takeaways, and take zero sacks and lose.
Teams were previously 79-0 in such situations. That's a brutal statistic for the Rams, and yet, it gets even worse. Mike Sando of The Athletic shared that this loss from the Rams set a different piece of NFL history.
Sando noted that the Rams are now the first team in NFL history to record 500+ yards, commit 0 turnovers, force 3+ turnovers, and still lose. It's in a similar vein and highlights just how improbable this loss was for the Rams.
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The Rams held the ball for 40:33 minutes of game-time, recording 26 first downs, 581 yards of offense, scoring 37 points, and making no turnovers or sacks of their own while sacking Sam Darnold four times and forcing three turnovers.
Despite so many phases of the game going in the Rams' favor, they still lost in overtime. A huge reason why was a controversial 2-point conversion and a punt return from the Seahawks.
Add on a missed field goal, and the Rams' loss begins to make some sense despite having these incredible offensive and defensive statistics.
The Rams' special teams have been a major issue this season, and it's reared its ugly head once again. Now at 11-4, and one game behind the Seahawks for the NFC West, the Rams will look to close out the season and put this historic loss behind them.
More Rams News:
- Rams' Davante Adams joins elite NFL company with 1,000th catch vs. Seahawks
- Matthew Stafford breaks TD record held by Tom Brady
- Puka Nacua now leads all WRs in NFL history in this statistic
- Sean McVay's postgame speech will leave Rams fans with chills