Rams were 'laughing' at Seahawks before blowing 16-point lead

Considering the Seattle Seahawks had never overcome a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit, you can't fully fault the Los Angeles Rams for thinking they had the game in hand when leading 30-14 with under nine minutes left in the game.

But it's the NFL, and that's exactly why the Seahawks managed to pull out a 38-37 overtime victory over their NFC West rivals on Thursday night.

"[They were] laughing. It was crazy … because they thought it was over," Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV told reporters following the win. "What was it, 30-14 at one time? They thought it was over with. It’s disrespectful. As a defense, that’s disrespectful. It’s disrespectful to the game, because I mean, there’s too much time left on the clock for you to be thinking that it’s over."

Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed scored on his 58-yard punt return with 8:03 remaining in the game.

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) tackles Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson (18) in the second half at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Seattle converted the two-point conversion, forced a three-and-out and then scored on its next drive — once again getting eight total points on one of the weirdest NFL plays you'll see.

The Rams kept their foot on the gas pedal in overtime, but the Seahawks answered with yet another touchdown. They opted to go for the win, and tight end Eric Saubert sealed the game on a short pass from Sam Darnold.

"I won’t put no names on it, but they know," Jones said when asked who was laughing at them. "They know, and we won."

The Seahawks took over sole possession of the No. 1 seed in the NFC with the win. They now control their own destiny, and will clinch a first-round bye if they win their final two games. Seattle also clinched a playoff berth in general with the win.

As a former Rams player who won Super Bowl LVI with the franchise in 2021, you would expect that to make the reversed script even sweeter for Jones.

"If I’m being completely honest with y’all, as long as we won, I could care less," Jones added. "The win matters, and we’re moving on. We get a chance to go in the playoffs and keep fighting."

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