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# Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks’ Thrilling 38-37 OT Win vs. Rams
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/report-card-seattle-seahawks-los-angeles-rams-thrilling-ot-win/
- Published: 2025-12-22T02:39:14.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:56:59.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Demarcus Lawrence, Ken Walker III, Josh Jones, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Byron Murphy II, Rashid Shaheed

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="5393"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (0) celebrates a sack against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27848314-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (0) celebrates a sack against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

Finishing one of the greatest comebacks in the franchise’s 50-year history, the Seattle Seahawks overcame a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and a two-point conversion from Sam Darnold to Eric Saubert sent the Los Angeles Rams back to southern California on the losing end of a 38-37 thriller on Thursday Night Football.

Looking back at a thriller in prime time, who shined brightest as Seattle won a game while trailing by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter for the first time in 173 tries? After diving into All-22 film and advanced stats, here are my top six performers from what will undoubtedly be a timeless classic at Lumen Field:

### Ken Walker III

**Overall Grade**: 88.0 (Rushing 90, Receiving 90, Pass Blocking 75\*)

Picking up where they left off at the end of their first matchup against the Rams, the Seahawks waited little time to establish Walker in the passing game, dialing up a perfectly timed throwback screen against a blitz from defensive coordinator Chris Shula. With multiple blockers out in front forming a caravan, including Grey Zabel picking off two defenders, Walker exploded past the initial wave of traffic and weaved down the field for a 46-yard reception, setting up a short touchdown run by fellow backfield mate Zach Charbonnet to open the scoring. Midway through the second quarter, with Seattle facing 3rd and 16 following a sack on Sam Darnold, the speedy back took a handoff on a draw and pinballed his way to a remarkable 17-yard gain while bouncing off numerous tackles to extend the possession.

Trailing by six coming out of the half, the Seahawks quickly jumped back in front on their opening series of the third quarter with Walker ripping off his longest touchdown run since his rookie season. Taking advantage of excellent blocking in front of him, including center Jalen Sundell knocking a cornerback to the ground at the second level and both Abraham Lucas and Anthony Bradford winning their blocks on the right side, the back cut back against the grain on a duo run and raced past the last line of defense for a 55-yard score. Hitting the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time since Week 2, he finished with 14 combined carries/receptions for 164 yards, averaging nearly 12 yards per touch to pace Seattle’s offense.

### Demarcus Lawrence

**Overall Grade**: 86.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 92, Pass Rush 80)

Continuing an impressive run of play at Lumen Field, Lawrence gave the Rams fits from start to finish, kicking things off with a disruptive opening drive. Two plays into the action, he stuffed Kyren Williams for a one-yard gain on 2nd and 2, eventually leading to a fourth down conversion for the Rams. With the drive extended, “D-Law” got the last laugh, teaming up with cornerback Josh Jobe to stonewall Williams a few inches short of the marker on a second fourth down attempt in Seattle territory for no gain and a turnover on downs. He finished with three tackles on that drive alone, ending the first half with nearly half a dozen.

Coming out of the locker room, Lawrence kept creating problems for Los Angeles’ offensive line. During a decisive stretch in the fourth quarter where Seattle forced a trio of punts, he showed up frequently as a run stuffer and a pass rusher. Immediately after Darnold threw a red zone interception, he tackled Corum on back-to-back plays for a net gain of four yards, including blowing him up at the line of scrimmage for no gain on 2nd and 6, leading to Ethan Evans’ first punt that was returned for a touchdown by Rashid Shaheed. On the next series, he hammered Matthew Stafford as he threw to force a 2nd and 7 incompletion, again leading to a punt followed up by a Seahawks touchdown drive to tie the game. He later added a swatted pass against Stafford when he wasn’t quite able to get home, finishing with nine tackles, a pass deflection, and a quarterback hit.

### Jaxon Smith-Njigba

**Overall Grade**: 87.0 (Receiving 89, Run Blocking 70\*)

*\*Weighted for run blocking snaps*

For the second time this season, an opponent held Smith-Njigba without a catch for an entire half, as the Rams threw a donut at him with Darnold targeting the star receiver just once before halftime. But unlike the previous game where the Vikings limited him to under 30 receiving yards for four quarters, the Seahawks found a way to establish their top weapon during their comeback in the second half. He finally made his first reception at the 8:32 mark in third quarter, as Darnold hit him stride over the middle on a slant for a 20-yard gain. Pushing the ‘Hawks into Rams territory again two drives later, he hauled in a comeback along the sideline and turned upfield for a few extra yards, completing a 27-yard pitch-and-catch. Unfortunately, both of those receptions were followed up by ugly interceptions.

However, after Seattle staged an unexpected rally to force overtime and Los Angeles opened the extra period with a long touchdown catch from Puka Nacua, Smith-Njigba came through in the clutch on the eventual game-winning drive. He hauled in a 17-yard reception along the sideline to advance the Seahawks into opposing territory and then drew a key defensive pass interference penalty on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes two plays later, giving the team a new set of downs. Moments later, he created separation along the back of the end zone on first and goal and Darnold hit him in stride off of play action, pushing his receiving yardage total to 96 yards, all of which came after halftime to help fuel an improbable victory and give him 14 games with 90-plus receiving yards this year.

### Byron Murphy II

**Overall Grade**: 85.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 88, Pass Rush 84)

Stat-line wise, Murphy didn’t have as impactful of a game as Lawrence did, but as is often the case with the second-year defensive tackle, his efforts always require more than numbers to truly illustrate his contributions. Even without making a tackle on the opening series that resulted in a turnover on downs, he ate up several double teams to spring teammates to make plays, a theme that only became magnified in the second half when the Seahawks started to shut down Williams and Corum. He finished the evening with five tackles, including bringing down Williams at the line of scrimmage for no gain during the Rams’ overtime drive, with several other big plays, including a tackle for loss by Ernest Jones, resulting from his disruption blowing up blocks and locking down the line of scrimmage.

Interestingly, on a night where the Seahawks struggled to muster much pressure at all on Stafford, Murphy did his part, particularly to effect in the second half when the Rams had more second and third and long situations. On 3rd and 7 at the 7:18 mark, with momentum clearly shifting to Seattle’s sideline, Murphy ripped his way past right guard Steve Avila to force the quarterback to bail the pocket to his left, resulting in an incompletion and a second straight punt. He tallied five of his six pressures on Stafford in the final two quarters and overtime, regularly speeding up the passer in and out of the pocket. His biggest play arguably came on the next drive on third down, when he worked off a block and chased down Nacua on a screen to help bring him down a few yards short of the marker, forcing yet another punt.

### Rashid Shaheed

**Overall Grade**: 83.5 (Receiving 68, Rushing 88, Punt Return 94)

For the first time since joining the Seahawks as a trade deadline acquisition, Shaheed failed to register a single reception and though it wasn’t his fault, the only target that went his direction from Darnold came on a slant in the third quarter resulted in a 56-yard interception return for cornerback Josh Wallace. Otherwise, he was a non-factor in the passing game. But he more than made up for getting shut out in that department with a pair of game-changing plays that brought life back into the stadium and made Sean McVay probably wish he had aspirin available. After the Seahawks forced a three-and-out early in the fourth quarter, the speedy returner rocketed past former teammate Derion Kendrick and tip-toed along the sideline to electrify the crowd on a 58-yard touchdown return that spearheaded comeback efforts.

Following yet another three-and-out by Seattle’s defense, Shaheed burned Los Angeles with his track speed, this time on an end around pitch from Darnold. With Sundell leading the pack on the outside making key blocks, he was able to turn the corner at the numbers and accelerated down the sideline past McVay and company for a 31-yard run, setting up a 26-yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner on the next play. Even with just one touch on offense, that run proved to be a catalyst for tying up the game mere minutes after his punt return transformed a game on the brink of becoming a blowout into what would become an instant classic. Finding multiple ways to impact games, he’s been more than worth the price of admission dealing fourth and fifth round picks to the Saints.

### Josh Jones

**Overall Grade**: 83.0 (Run Blocking 78, Pass Blocking 88)

Starting his first NFL game in nearly two full years, Jones wasn’t noticeable on Thursday night in real time, which might be the best compliment an offensive lineman can receive short of making a few massive pancake blocks. While the former third round pick out of Houston didn’t steamroll anyone in the run game and both Walker and Shaheed’s explosive runs went to the right, he did a rock solid job throughout the evening while regularly sparring with standout defensive end Jared Verse, and most importantly, he didn’t have any whiffed blocks in that department, which helped the team rush for over 170 yards on the evening on 25 carries.

Where Jones truly excelled, however, was in pass protection against a feisty Rams front. Even with Verse beating him around the edge twice, he didn’t give up a single quarterback hit on Darnold and wasn’t responsible for any of the three sacks given up by Seattle’s offensive line. Rarely provided help, he held his own against Verse and Byron Young and also did a fine job of executing against stunts and blitzes, managing to post a fantastic 97.6% Pass Block Efficiency Rate on 41 pass blocking snaps. His highlight play came in the third quarter on Darnold’s 20-yard completion to Smith-Njigba, as he picked up Kobie Turner on a twist exchange and ended up driving him into the ground, providing time for the quarterback to fire a dart over the middle for the explosive play.