Controversial Call From Rams vs. Seahawks Game Could Lead to Rule Change

LOS ANGELES—Week 16’s Thursday Night thriller has become the epicenter of an off-season rule-book debate after the Los Angeles Rams confirmed they will formally propose an NFL by-law alteration stemming from the chaotic two-point conversion that helped propel Seattle from a 30-14 fourth-quarter deficit to a 38-37 overtime victory.

The sequence in question unfolded with 5:12 remaining in regulation. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold hurriedly lined up under center and flipped the ball backward toward running back Zach Charbonnet. Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht swatted the lateral, sending the ball skittering forward where Charbonnet recovered and advanced it across the goal-line. Officials on the field whistled the play dead and signaled the conversion no-good, but the Prime Video rules analyst immediately flagged the backward nature of the initial pass. After a booth-initiated review that lasted more than two minutes, the call was reversed, the Seahawks were awarded two points, and the score was knotted 30-30. Seattle ultimately prevailed on a 42-yard Jason Myers field goal in overtime.

The loss derailed what had been a resurgent stretch for Los Angeles. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 27-of-38 for 328 yards and three touchdowns, rookie receiver Puka Nacua added 154 yards and a score, and the defense forced three first-half turnovers. Yet the defeat dropped the Rams to the NFC’s No. 5 seed; they were eliminated two rounds later in the conference championship by the same Seahawks, 31-27.

Special-teams coordinator Chase Blackburn was dismissed less than 24 hours after the Week 16 collapse, and head coach Sean McVay later admitted the club “never regained its rhythm” down the stretch. Now the organization is channeling its frustration toward legislation.

According to team sources, the Rams’ forthcoming proposal will target four areas:

1. Clarifying that any backward pass remains a live ball regardless of an inadvertent whistle. 2. Establishing a dead-ball provision once an official rules a two-point attempt failed, even if replay shows the ball was lateralled backward. 3. Requiring on-field officials to hold their whistle when a conversion’s direction is in question. 4. Instituting a time limit for booth-initiated challenges inside the final six minutes of regulation.

The league’s competition committee has not yet assigned the proposal a formal agenda slot, but the Rams plan to lean on their market size and star power—including Stafford, Nacua and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald—to lobby for support. Critics contend the franchise is attempting to legislate away its own late-game misfortune rather than address offensive inconsistency that produced only three second-half points in the playoff rematch.

Seattle, meanwhile, parlayed the momentum of the comeback into a postseason run that culminated in a Super Bowl triumph, the franchise’s second in eight seasons. General manager John Schneider declined comment on the Rams’ initiative, but privately the club believes the existing interpretation—confirmed by replay—was correct.

Owners will debate potential rule modifications at the March league meetings in Phoenix. Any change requires approval from 24 of 32 clubs.