The Los Angeles Rams began Sunday’s game knowing that if they won, they’d maintain the No. 3 seed in the NFC and face the Washington Commanders in the wild-card round. A loss would drop them to No. 4, forcing them to face the Minnesota Vikings or Detroit Lions next week.
That didn’t change Sean McVay’s mind about resting his starters, leaning on Jimmy Garoppolo, Blake Corum and mostly backups on offense against the Seattle Seahawks. And though the Rams put up a good fight against their division rivals, they came up just short.
Garoppolo couldn’t connect with Jordan Whittington late in the fourth quarter on fourth down, turning the ball over on downs with 17 seconds to play. It was a tough spot for Garoppolo, who hadn’t played since 2023, but he gave the Rams a chance.
Now, the Rams will be tested in a big way next week against a 14-win team.
Final score: Seahawks 30, Rams 25
Game notes
- The Rams rested most of their starters on offense, but Steve Avila did get the start at left guard. It was Joe Noteboom at left tackle, Dylan McMahon at center, Jonah Jackson at right guard and Warren McClendon Jr. at right tackle.
- On defense, just about all of the Rams’ starters saw playing time early on. Jared Verse, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Ahkello Witherspoon and Quentin Lake were all on the field getting playing time.
- The offense got off to a slow start outside of a 23-yard dime from Jimmy Garoppolo to Demarcus Robinson on the first play. The Rams punted on their first two drives before getting a field goal on their third possession.
- Despite the defense playing most of its starters, the Seahawks still carved the Rams up. They scored touchdowns on their second and third drives. The first touchdown was a 4-yard catch by Jake Bobo against Cobie Durant, and the second was a 20-yarder by DK Metcalf with Witherspoon in coverage.
- Eventually, Garoppolo and the offense got into a rhythm, putting up points on six of their next seven possessions after their two early punts. Tyler Higbee caught the first touchdown pass of the game, a 6-yarder from Garoppolo for his second score of the season.
- Garoppolo threw a bad interception in the second quarter but he bounced back from it nicely on the next drive, helping get the Rams in position for a field goal just before halftime. He hit Demarcus Robinson for a 31-yard gain in the waning seconds of the first half, giving Joshua Karty a chance at a 58-yard field goal, which he drilled.
- To open the second half, the Rams went 40 yards in nine plays and Karty delivered with another long field goal, making it from 57 yards out.
- After the Seahawks scored a touchdown to go up 24-16, the Rams responded with a touchdown drive of their own. They went 70 yards in nine plays, capped off by a Tyler Johnson touchdown from 4 yards out.
- The defense got a quick stop on the ensuing drive, forcing another punt by the Seahawks. They then moved the ball well for the fourth straight drive, adding three points with a 38-yard field goal by Karty to give the Rams a 25-24 lead.
- The Rams’ lead was short-lived because the Seahawks drove down the field and scored a go-ahead touchdown on a pass from Geno Smith to Noah Fant. The two-point try failed, giving Seattle a 30-25 lead with 3:19 left.
- The Rams had a chance to take a late lead when they got to the 9-yard line with 21 seconds left, but Garoppolo’s pass to Whittington was short and incomplete, turning the ball over on downs.
It was over when…
… Garoppolo’s fourth-down pass to Whittington with 21 seconds left fell incomplete. The Rams were at the 9-yard line with a chance to take the lead, but the pass was short and hit the turf, causing a turnover on downs.
3 stars of the game
No. 3 star: Demarcus Robinson – 3 catches, 72 yards
No. 2 star: Jordan Whittington – 3 catches, 86 yards
No. 1 star: Jimmy Garoppolo – 27-for-41, 334 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Play of the game
This was an important play in the game and also an impressive one by Robinson. He caught a 31-yard bomb before halftime, giving Karty a chance to kick a 58-yard field goal, which he knocked through the uprights.
Jimmy drops it in for 31 yards to Demarcus!
📺: @NFLonFOX | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/1pldB9tUTS
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 5, 2025
What’s next?
With the Rams’ loss to the Seahawks, they drop to No. 4 in the NFC. That means they will host the loser of Vikings-Lions in the wild-card round next week, welcoming a 14-win team to SoFi Stadium. It’s going to be a tough matchup regardless, but they did beat the Vikings earlier this season and took the Lions to overtime.