" 𝔹𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 "

A sluggish start, but a strong finish for the Seattle Seahawks (13-3), who are now on the doorstep of the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed. What was a 3-3 score at the half with the Carolina Panthers (8-8) turned into a 27-10 rout. Bryce Young was just 14/24 for 54 yards and an interception,

although he did have Carolina’s only touchdown on a scramble. It was another outstanding showing from the Seahawks’ elite defense, who limited the Panthers to 139 total yards. Incidentally, Carolina would’ve won the NFC South had they beaten the Seahawks, but they’ll have another crack

in Week 18 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Seattle’s passing offense might not have been crisp, with Sam Darnold committing two turnovers, but Darnold did throw a touchdown to A.J. Barner and Zach Charbonnet rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle’s ground game racked up 163 versus the Carolina front, which is a

welcome sight to see. Not welcome is the concussion suffered by wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed, as well as a groin injury for Cody White.

We won’t know what the Seahawks will need to do in Week 18 until Week 17 concludes, but the bare minimum is that they’re still in the driver’s seat for home field throughout the playoffs. Their 13th win ties a franchise record, likewise a seventh road win.

The Seahawks started on defense first, giving up an 11-yard run to Rico Dowdle on the game’s opening play. A Ty Okada tackle for loss put the Panthers behind the sticks and they were eventually forced to punt. Seattle’s opening drive almost ended on the opening play, as Jaycee Horn nearly

picked off a deflected Sam Darnold pass. Darnold converted a 3rd and 10 to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but he also took a 21-yard intentional grounding penalty to kill the drive.

Carolina went three-and-out on its second possession, with Devon Witherspoon and Rico Dowdle making great open field tackles on Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, respectively.

Seattle opened up the scoring with a Jason Myers 47-yard field goal. It didn’t look like the Seahawks would get any points on the drive if not for an incredible 25-yard run on 3rd and 15 by Zach Charbonnet. By the end of the opening quarter, the Seahawks had 62 yards rushing. 3-0

Seahawks.

Hot Potato!!!

The defensive struggled continued for both teams, as the Seahawks punted just before midfield following a Mike Jackson break-up on a throw to David Moore. A concerning blow to the Seahawks came when Rashid Shaheed left the game with a concussion on an out of bounds hit by Mike

Jackson.

Carolina benefited from an iffy pass interference penalty on Devon Witherspoon to keep its second quarter drive going. After converting 4th and 1 on a Mitchell Evans sneak, a 4th and 2 throw from Young to Tetairoa McMillan was incomplete on an all-out blitz. Carolina was offside so it wouldn’t

have counted, but the field position sure benefited the Seahawks…

…Right up until Sam Darnold fumbled the ball. He dropped the snap, got strip-sacked by Nic Scourton, and after the Panthers fumbled the ball they fell on it again.

The defense did well to hold Carolina to a field goal after a 3rd and 2 run stuff. 3-3.

Words cannot describe the Seahawks’ two-minute offense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba got face masked without a penalty, which cost Seattle 15 valuable yards. An interception by Derrick Brown off a Cooper Kupp ricochet was overturned after video review. Kenneth Walker had an easy first down into

field goal range but forgot to secure the football. Inside of two minutes, the fumbling player can advance the ball forward, which he did but a yard short of the sticks. Seattle hurried to call a sneak and while it looked like Sam Darnold converted, he was ruled short for a turnover on downs with

:17 left. Carolina didn’t have enough time to get points before the ugliest of first halves concluded.

This Panthers fan was layered up #SEAvsCAR

A kickoff out of bounds gifted the Seahawks the ball at the 40. Zach Charbonnet’s huge 29-yard run set the Seahawks up in the red zone, only for Sam Darnold to give it away on an interception in the end zone. Mike Jackson Sr revenge game is real. It looked like his right foot was out of

bounds, but his left shin might have come down in bounds to uphold the pick.

TURNOVER! What is going on? DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble on Chuba Hubbard and had the recovery. His run back for the touchdown was rightly overturned as he was contacted on the ground.

Zach Charbonnet paid off this drive with a two-yard score to make it 10-3 Seahawks early in the third quarter.

PICK! Julian Love stepped in front of Tet McMillan and made Bryce Young pay for a poor pass. He returned the ball to Carolina’s 28-yard line for a second takeaway in as many possessions.

Sam Darnold hooked up with A.J. Barner on the play-action boot. Cooper Kupp got the key block and Barner rumbled in for his sixth touchdown of the season! What a quick turn of events! 17-3 Seahawks.

Carolina was not interested in rolling over. A 13-play, 69-yard drive took the remaining of the third quarter time off the clock and bled into the early stages of the fourth quarter. Bryce Young completed five consecutive passes and converted a 4th and 1 run on a scramble. Another scramble after

everything was covered up got the Panthers into the end zone for the first time. 17-10 Seahawks.

It looked like the Seahawks would be punting after Sam Darnold took a terrible sack that set up 3rd and 16. A delay of game then made it 3rd and 21. Klint Kubiak dialed up a quick throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was face masked AGAIN and even poked in the eye for good measure. An all-

timer of a bailout thanks to Jaycee Horn’s horrible penalty.

Darnold was on target to JSN two more times into the red zone. A touchdown by Cooper Kupp was dropped, and he was definitely held by Horn without a penalty. Good going, refs. Darnold scrambled short of the market on 3rd and goal, and after a delay of game to take time off the clock,

Jason Myers knocked home his 39th made field goal on the year. 20-10 Seahawks with 5:33 left.

Bryce Young was sacked not once, but twice on a must-score drive. Boye Mafe and DeMarcus Lawrence both got him, then the 4th and 17 checkdown to McMillan wasn’t anywhere near the sticks. Turnover on downs and game over, realistically. Zach Charbonnet made sure of it with his second

touchdown on his big day. 27-10 Seahawks with 2:31 to go. Carolina kneeled the ball out and that’s a wrap.

The Seahawks wrap up the regular season at the San Francisco 49ers (11-4). We don’t know yet the importance of that game or the kickoff time and date, so this article will update accordingly if/when the Week 18 schedule is released on Sunday night.

What a whirlwind of a game that was!!!

The Seattle Seahawks (12-3) are in first place in the NFC West. They were 30-14 down in the fourth quarter and they’d never come back from more than 14 in the fourth quarter in franchise history. In season 50, that streak is over.

From 30-14 down, the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams in an impossible to believe comeback. Sam Darnold shook off two interceptions and threw two touchdowns, while Rashid Shaheed had the big punt return TD that sparked an eventual 38-37 comeback win in overtime. They overcame

over 450 yards passing from Matthew Stafford, 200+ yards and two touchdowns from Puka Nacua, and injuries to Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen, and Nick Emmanwori to pull off a stunner.

Oh yeah, Seattle clinched a playoff spot along the way and have the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU JUST SAW?!

The Seahawks won the coin toss and opted to put the Rams on offense first. In the first meeting, the Rams turned it over on downs on their opening possession. In the rematch, they went 10 plays… and turned it over on downs again, only this time not near the goal line. Kyren Williams carried

the ball seven times, including one 4th down conversion in his own territory, but he was stopped short by Uchenna Nwosu and Josh Jobe!

The Seahawks’ first possession in the first meeting was a Sam Darnold interception. In the rematch, it was a touchdown. Kenneth Walker III took a screen pass 46 yards into the red zone on Seattle’s third play from scrimmage, setting up goal-to-go. Two snaps later, Zach Charbonnet (as he

often does) punched it in from a few yards out for an early 7-0 Seahawks lead. Seattle’s first 1st half offensive touchdown since Week 12 and first opening drive touchdown since Week 10!

Back came the Rams with a 12-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 27-yard catch by tight end Davis Allen, who took advantage of a rare coverage bust by Mike Macdonald’s defense. Puka Nacua converted 4th and 5 on Josh Jobe in tight coverage to keep the drive alive—the Seahawks were

offside anyway. Nacua nearly got into the end zone on 3rd and goal, but a wonderful tackle by Nick Emmanwori stopped him at the 1-yard line. A touchdown to Terrance Ferguson was nullified by an ineligible man downfield penalty on Justin Dedich, a reserve right guard who had to come in for

the injured Kevin Dotson. Rules analyst Terry McAulay said on Prime Video that the foul shouldn’t have been called since he was actively engaged with a blocker and continued beyond the 1-yard limit, but the flag was thrown and the Rams had a touchdown turned to a Harrison Mevis field

goal. 7-3 Seahawks.

Zach Charbonnet gained nine yards on Seattle’s second possession, but the Seahawks passed on 2nd and 3rd and 1 and both passes fell incomplete. Seattle opted to punt at its own 44 instead of go for it, and it took only one play for the Rams to go well past where the Seahawks punted from.

Puka Nacua got loose in zone coverage for 45 yards. Once again the Rams marched into the red zone, only for Davis Allen to drop a 3rd and 2 pass (which would’ve been short of the sticks anyway. Sean McVay opted to kick a field goal after the 4th and 2 attempt to draw Seattle offside

failed. 7-6 Seahawks.

Anthony Bradford’s false start put the Seahawks behind the sticks early and they couldn’t get out of it, leading to another three-and-out and punt. Xavier Smith had a strong punt return to his own 38. Pure smashmouth football had the Seahawks defense on its heels, while Matthew Stafford

took underneath throws all the way into the red zone again. Terrance Ferguson beat Nick Emmanwori for the go-ahead touchdown. 13-7 Rams.

It looked like another doomed drive for the Seahawks after Sam Darnold was sacked by Kobie Turner on 2nd and 10. Kenneth Walker received the give-up handoff on 3rd and 16 and the crowd booed… then cheered after Walker picked up 17 yards as the clock wound down to the two-minute

warning. Just how it was drawn up! What wasn’t drawn up? Cooper Kupp fumbling the ball back to his old team.

The Seahawks got the ball out of halftime, having squandered an opportunity for points before the break. After an A.J. Barner tush push conversion on 3rd and 1, Kenneth Walker took the handoff right side and got great blocks from Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, and Abe Lucas on his way to

the house. A 55-yard touchdown for his longest score in two years and his first TD since the first Rams game! Out of nowhere, 14-13 Seahawks!

 55 yards to the house Kenneth Walker III

Faced with 3rd and 9 and a potential crowd-energizing three-and-out, Matthew Stafford punished the Seahawks’ latest coverage bust by finding Xavier Smith wide open for 49 yards. No Davante Adams? No problem. Luckily it was slightly underthrown due to the wind and not a touchdown.

Initial penetration from Byron Murphy II and a tackle by Ernest Jones IV stopped Kyren Williams on 3rd and 3, resulting in a field goal attempt by Harrison Mevis for a third time. Bad conditions but a good kick. 16-14 Rams.

DISASTER! Sam Darnold throws a terrible, telegraphed throw to Rashid Shaheed and Josh Wallace came off of his man (Cooper Kupp) and got the interception. Kenneth Walker saved a touchdown by tackling him at the 1, only for Blake Corum to punch it in on the next play. 23-14 Rams.

Seattle punted once again and the Rams just shredded the Seahawks some more. A 9-play, 85-yard drive capped off by a Puka Nacua touchdown, which thankfully had an incident-free celebration. Stafford no-looked the throw, too. 30-14 Rams.

Sam Darnold quickly led the Seahawks down the field and then got picked again! This time it’s Kobie Turner the big fella who dropped into coverage and Darnold didn’t see him. What a mess.

However, Rashid Shaheed got the Seahawks back in the game with a punt return touchdown. LA’s first punt all night was taken back 58 yards for the score! And they got the two-point conversion to Cooper Kupp! 30-22 Rams.

A three-and-out by the Rams yet again! Seattle got the ball back at the 41 after a poor punt by Ethan Evans. Rashid Shaheed took off for 31 yards on a run play. Play-action deep shot to Barner is CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!!!

Still gotta get the two-point conversion, which is a screen to Charbonnet that’s deflected and incomplete. Or so we thought. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! The pass to Charbonnet was actually backward, and deflected into the end zone. Charbonnet picked the ball up in the end zone, and at the time

the pass was ruled incomplete. Upon review, it was considered a fumble (rightly) with a clear recovery. TIE GAME! The wildest two-point conversion I think we’ve ever seen! 30-30!

Another series, another three-and-out forced by the Seahawks defense! Talk about flipping a switch! But the offense’s switched turned right back off with a three-and-out. Darnold missed an open JSN, then screens to Ken Walker and JSN went nowhere.

The Rams got into field goal range after a long throw to Terrance Ferguson, who got free beyond Drake Thomas. A personal foul on Ty Okada gave them another 15 yards, but Nick Emmanwori drew a hold that took them 10 yards back on the next play. On 3rd and 8 with over two minutes left,

Stafford threw incomplete to Konata Mumpfield, which stopped the clock! Harrison Mewis from 47 yards out… WIDE RIGHT! HIS FIRST MISS AS A RAM! Seahawks ball with 2:07 to go and a timeout.

Sam Darnold was sacked on 2nd and 9 after a run with Charbonnet. It’s 3rd and 17 with 1:54 to go and the checkdown to Barner was knocked down. A quick three-and-out but a great punt by Michael Dickson backed the Rams at their 11 with 1:42 left.

Stafford pressured on first down and throws incomplete for Kyren Williams. Deep ball to Nacua who beat Witherspoon and leapt for the catch and first down for 28 yards. Blitz comes and Stafford throws it incomplete for Parkinson. Lobbing pass to Mumpfield is somehow caught despite

Emmanwori draped all over him. Three straight incomplete passes! Punt time!

Seattle opted to go for the win in regulation. A Poona Ford sack changed their mind after two plays.

The Seahawks won the coin toss and opted to go second, keeping in mind an offensive touchdown on the opening possession does not automatically win games anymore. A big kick return by Ronnie Rivers was nullified due to a hold, but the Rams still needed just two plays to get 22 yards.

Ernest Jones was dinged for illegal contact, then nearly made a diving interception on a deflected pass off of Blake Corum’s hands. It was ruled a pick and overturned (rightly) on replay review. On 3rd and 6, Nacua with the catch, and Boye Mafe was offside anyway. Nacua with a 41-yard

touchdown over the middle. 37-30 Rams.

Touchdown or bust for the Seahawks. A touchback gave the ball to Seattle at the 35. K9 gained four yards on 1st and 10. Darnold rolled away from pressure and hit JSN into Rams territory. A throwaway by Darnold on 1st and 10. JSN is grabbed by Emmanuel Forbes for defensive PI and a first

down. After a 2-yard run by Walker, deep ball for Kupp is CAUGHT!!!! OUT AT THE 17! Darnold to Charbonnet and Barner and it set up 3rd and 3. Charbonnet converts to the 4! First and goal… TOUCHDOWN, SMITH-NJIGBA!!! NOW THEY GO FOR TWO!!!! AND IT’S CAUGHT BY ERIC SAUBERT!!!!

THE SEAHAWKS WIN! THE SEAHAWKS WIN!!

The Seahawks go on the road for their final two regular season road games, starting with the Carolina Panthers (7-7) on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 10 am PT on CBS. Should the Panthers win this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina would have an NFC South clinching scenario

against Seattle.