It’s a battle for the NFC West crown and the No. 1 seed in the NFC on Thursday Night Football. That’s how we start Week 16 as the Los Angeles Rams visit the Seattle Seahawks in prime time. The teams with the best record in the NFC (11-3) just happen to be in the same division, which means the runner-up for the NFC West will likely find themselves on the road in the postseason as a wild card.
L.A. is the first NFC team to clinch a playoff berth, and it would come one step closer to clinching the division with a win over Seattle this week. A win for the Rams in Week 16 means they’d have swept the Seahawks and control their path to a division title and No. 1 seed in the conference. Matthew Stafford is having an MVP-worthy season, leading the league in touchdown passes (37), first downs (88) and passer rating (112.2).
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Seattle is currently the fifth seed in the NFC, but with a win Thursday, the Seahawks would jump into the No. 1 spot atop the NFC and the West division. At 11-3, the Seahawks’ path to the No. 1 seed is simple in theory. If they win the final three games of the season, including Week 16 against the Rams, they’d claim the NFC West crown, the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Rams-Seahawks start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Lumen Field | Seattle
TV channel, live stream: Amazon Prime Video, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Rams take on the Seahawks on Thursday night:
Live50 updates
Jack Baer
Ernest Jones IV dives for the deflected pass and comes up with a huge interception, but replay shows the ball hitting the ground. Still Rams ball, near midfield.
Jack Baer
A deep pass to Puka Nacua falls incomplete, but an illegal contact penalty extends the drive.
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
Special teams have not been the Rams’ friend today. A return to the 48 gets called back to the 20 on a holding penalty.
Jack Baer
With both teams guaranteed a possession, Seattle will kick off to begin overtime.
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
The Seahawks go nowhere with their limited time and this game will come down to overtime.
Jack Baer
Matthew Stafford overthrows Puka Nacua on 3rd-and-10 and the Seahawks are getting the ball back. Barring something incredible, overtime nears.
Jack Baer
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori nearly flipped this game with an interception. Instead, he suffers an apparent injury and goes to the medical tent.
Rams at their own 49….
Jack Baer
It has been quite a few days for Puka Nacua. His latest highlight catch gives him 168 yards on the night and brings the Rams to midfield.
Jack Baer
A first-down sack kills the Seahawks’ drive early and it’s Rams ball again with less than two minutes left. One timeout left for both teams.
Jack Baer
After an 8-for-8 start to his Rams career, Harrison Mevis goes wide-right on a go-ahead field goal. It’s still tied 30-30, and Seahawks ball at their own 38 at the two-minute warning.
Jack Baer
Stafford hits Terrance Ferguson for a 28-yard gain, then an unnecessary roughness penalty adds another 15 yards. The Rams are suddenly one the verge of taking the lead right back.
Jack Baer
The Rams defense keeps the game tied and the offense will get started on its own 20. Matthew Stafford made a trip to the blue medical tent between drives but is back out there.
Jack Baer
Momentum, thy name is Seahawks. Seattle keeps the comeback going by forcing a three-and-out for the Rams. They’ll get the ball back at their own 23 with a chance to take the lead .
Andy Backstrom
All of a sudden, this game is tied. Somehow.
Continuing his marvelous fourth quarter, Seahawks receiver Rashid Shaheed took an endaround 31 yards to the L.A. 26-yard line.
Then Sam Darnold lofted a 26-yard pass to AJ Barner. The 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end extended for a leaping catch in the end zone.
After that, the Seahawks came away with the most unlikely of two-point conversions, thanks to running back Zach Charbonnet recovering a deflected backward pass that was eventually ruled a fumble.
Andy Backstrom
The Seahawks have forced back-to-back Rams three-and-outs.
Those L.A. drives have lasted 1:36 and 1:01 and amounted to a total of seven yards.
Andy Backstrom
Following Sam Darnold’s second interception, the Rams punted for the first time all night.
Seahawks receiver Rashid Shaheed made L.A. pay with a 58-yard punt return touchdown.
Then Darnold hit fellow wideout Cooper Kupp for a two-point conversion that made it a one-score game.
And just like that, the crowd is back into it at Lumen Field.
Andy Backstrom
On a gotta-have-it drive, Sam Darnold threw another pick. At the goal line. To a Rams defensive lineman.
Things went from bad to worse for the Seahawks quarterback when he didn’t see Kobie Turner dropping back into coverage.
Turner intercepted Darnold, who was trying to connect with JSN in the end zone, and the big man returned the takeaway 10 yards to the L.A. 11-yard line.
Andy Backstrom
Matthew Stafford gave Puka Nacua the side-eye — the good kind.
Pulling off a variation of his patented no-look passes, Stafford’s peripheral vision caught Nacua breaking inside on slant as most of the quarterback’s head was positioned to the outside.
Nacua caught the tight-spiraling pass for a 1-yard score.
Here’s a closer look: