pass

The spectacular one-handed catch looked like the kind of play that could only be made with sudden adjustment. A reaction with no thought or practice required.

But that’s not how it went down for Rams star receiver Puka Nacua.

Nacua’s fourth-down touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals in the regular-season season finale had its roots in a conversation with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“Just trusting the technique is something that actually me and Matthew talked about in the week before in a rep during practice,” Nacua said. “The angle departure that we were looking at.

“It’s crazy how some of those things come to life on Sundays.”

Stafford and Nacua were the NFL’s top connection this season.

Stafford, a favorite to win his first NFL most valuable player award, passed for a league-leading 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Nacua is among the candidates for offensive player of the year.

The third-year pro caught a league-best 129 passes, 10 for touchdowns. Nacua amassed 1,718 yards receiving, second to only Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 1,793 yards.

Nacua is expected to continue his outstanding play Saturday when the Rams play the Carolina Panthers in an NFC wild-card game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Star receiver Davante Adams, the NFL leader with 14 touchdown catches, is scheduled to return, but it will be no surprise if Stafford continues to rely on Nacua, who was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second time.

Nacua became the first Rams receiver to lead the league in catches since Cooper Kupp achieved the feat in 2021, when he claimed the so-called triple crown of receiving by finishing first in receptions, yards receiving and touchdown catches. Kupp was the NFL offensive player of the year.

Nacua said one of his goals this season was to improve “catching the ball more consistently.”

He had already made great strides in that regard.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua hauls in a one-handed touchdown pass during a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

As a rookie in 2023, Nacua caught 105 passes on 160 targets but had a league-worst 13 drops, according to Profootballreference.com.

Last season, he caught 79 passes on 106 targets, with one drop. This season he was targeted 166 times and dropped four passes.

“I really do feel confident that I can catch any ball that comes my way,” he said.

Coach Sean McVay noted Nacua’s improvement.

“He’s always had great natural hands, but sometimes these guys that have those great hands, you can almost start to get up field before you end up looking the ball all the way in,” McVay said. “I think he’s been really consistent and that’s not exclusive to when the ball’s in his hands.”

Nacua started the season with a 10-catch, 130-yard performance in a season-opening victory over the Houston Texans. It was the first of six games he eclipsed 100 yards receiving.

Three came in December, after he caught six passes for 72 yards in a 31-28 loss to the Panthers on Nov. 30.

The next week, Nacua caught seven passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals. He caught nine passes for 181 yards against the Detroit Lions, and 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks.

“He brings a ton of energy to our team,” Stafford said during the run. “He plays the game the way we all want to with passion, energy and toughness.”

Saturday’s matchup will be Nacua’s fourth playoff game. He has 20 receptions for 322 yards and a touchdown in the postseason.

Adams’ return from a hamstring injury could open more windows for Nacua.

“It’ll be fun to continue to run the routes that I get to run, but then also I know that the defense is going to shift another way feeling the threat and the presence of Davante Adams,” Nacua said. “The threat that he provides in our offense and understanding that Matthew can look one way and always throw the ball the other way, that’s the threat every time.”

Etc.

Offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (ankle), who sat out the last two games, will remain out for Saturday’s game against the Panthers, McVay said. Receiver Jordan Whittington (knee) also is out, and tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) and defensive back Josh Wallace (ankle) are questionable. … The Rams announced their end–of-year team awards. Stafford was MVP, Ferguson was top rookie, linebacker Nate Landman won sportsmanship, ethics and commitment to teammates, and offensive lineman Alaric Jackson won inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage.

SAN ANTONIO — For a nine-win team such as USC, once again on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff, the bowl season can feel a bit like purgatory. One foot in the past season, the other in the future, your team trapped somewhere in-between.

There were glimpses of each Tuesday night for USC in a brutal 30-27 overtime defeat to Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl. There were equal reminders all night both of what could have been this season, had USC ever played at its best for long, and also flashes of why it never managed to be.

In one moment, there was freshman Tanook Hines, sprinting to catch a deep ball in stride, announcing himself as a rising star. In another, a TCU running back was busting his way through tackles on third-and-long, rumbling improbably into the end zone, deflating any such delusions of grandeur.

But after oscillating between those opposing poles, the final minutes against TCU took the Trojans on a tour of all their most glaring concerns from the 2025 season, from the leaky defense to the missed opportunities on offense.

Highlights from Texas Christian’s 30-27 overtime win over USC in the Alamo Bowl.

The Trojans saw a two-score lead evaporate in the final minutes of regulation. They got all the way to the five-yard line in overtime, only for the offense to stall and settle for a field goal. They even sacked TCU quarterback Ken Seals on second and 10, pushing the Horned Frogs out of field-goal range and forcing a third and 20.

All signs in that moment pointed toward the Trojans securing their 10th win, a feat they achieved only once over the past eight years. But then, against a three-man USC rush and with eight defenders in coverage, Seals checked down to running back Jeremy Payne in the flat.

“We did everything right defensively to put them in that position,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said.

Nothing, though, went right for USC after that. Payne broke through a tackle from cornerback Marcelles Williams. Two defenders, linebacker Jadyn Walker and safety Kennedy Urlacher, collided as they reached Payne next, missing him entirely. Then, he slipped through safety Christian Pierce’s hands and was suddenly sprinting free 35 yards for the win.

“Wasn’t a lot of time this year that we missed multiple tackles on a play,” Riley said. “It just happened in the worst time possible.”

That’s how most of the fourth quarter and overtime felt for USC, as TCU racked up 159 yards and 17 points over its final three drives.

Of course, there had been multiple chances before then for USC to put the game away, just like there were multiple chances for USC to make more of its 9-4 finish this season. The Trojans averaged nearly a full yard per play more than TCU. They racked up eight plays of 20 yards or more — a reminder of how explosive they could be.

In the red zone, though, the offense unraveled. Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who was inconsistent most of the night, threw a third-quarter interception in the end zone, just as USC looked primed to go on a roll.

Four other times, the Trojans stalled inside of TCU’s 25-yard line and settled for field goals as kicker Ryon Sayeri set the USC record for field goals in a season at 21.

“We just did not execute good enough in the red zone on either side of the ball,” Riley said. “If we did that, it’s probably a different feeling.”

Instead, the Trojans will have to carry this bitter taste into the offseason, with questions already looming about what comes next. Not the least of which being what direction USC will take its defense, after coordinator D’Anton Lynn departed for Penn State just before the game.

USC running back King Miller is stopped short by the Texas Christian defense in the first half during the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

Riley wouldn’t comment on why Lynn was replaced as playcaller the day of the bowl game. But when asked how he felt about the future of his defense, Riley projected a particularly sunny outlook.

“I feel fantastic,” he said. “But those who really study the game and watch how we’ve played and the way we’ve been able to improve, the arrow is just pointing straight up.”

Of all the questions raised Tuesday, how USC might replace its No. 1 wideout next season was not one of them. Hines had already done his part to earn that role, but declared it to the world anyway in a six-catch, 163-yard performance.

King Miller also continued to solidify his place in a tandem with Waymond Jordan in 2026, as he rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown, coming up just short of the 1,000-yard mark in a season he started as a walk-on.

USC coach Lincoln Riley, right, greets TCU coach Sonny Dykes after the Trojans’ overtime loss in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

But the silver linings largely stopped there, even if the circumstances made for an unusually uphill climb with USC’s roster. Over a dozen starters or would-be starters sat out. Three of the Trojans’ starting offensive linemen didn’t dress. Both of their top receivers and top tight end were in street clothes, having declared for the NFL draft. Twenty-five players listed in USC’s two-deep Tuesday were either freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

Without Lynn calling plays, which a source described as “a mutual agreement”, defensive line coach Eric Henderson stepped into the role.

It went quite smoothly at first. USC held TCU to two straight three-and-outs — and just 11 total yards in two drives — to open the game.

But on the ensuing possession, Maiava threw into heavy coverage and was intercepted, his first of two on the night. The momentum USC had built up early dissolved almost instantly.

The defense’s strong start faded into disarray. And while it came roaring back after halftime, forcing an interception and limiting TCU to just 35 yards in the third quarter, USC’s offense couldn’t fully capitalize. A one-handed touchdown pass to Jaden Richardson nearly did the trick, giving the Trojans a 21-14 lead that seemed primed to balloon from there.

But it never did. And in the final, stunned moments of its season, Riley was left offering the same assurances that USC will soon be out of purgatory.

“When you’ve been in those programs and been a part of those teams that have done those things, you feel what it’s like,” Riley said. “And this place is doing all the things that you need to do to put yourself in position to go bust that door down and do it.”

TCU players celebrate after beating USC in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

Darren Raddysh scored midway through overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning blew three one-goal leads before beating the Ducks 4-3 on Wednesday for their fifth consecutive victory.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper celebrated his 1,000th regular-season game in charge with his 595th victory as the longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL. The Lightning’s coach since March 2013 has also led them in 155 playoff games, won two championships and reached four Stanley Cup Finals.

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Lightning skated off with a win in the opener of their three-game California trip when Raddysh converted a pass from Brandon Hagel, who had three assists.

J.J. Moser and Brayden Point also scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves.

Mason McTavish tied it on a power play with 6:58 left in regulation for the Ducks, who have lost four straight and eight of 10. Jansen Harkins and Beckett Sennecke also scored, and Lukas Dostal stopped 24 shots as the Ducks earned a point for only the second time in six games.

Moser opened the scoring in the first period with his first goal since agreeing to an eight-year, $54-million contract extension last weekend.

The Ducks scored their first two goals off turnovers, with the 19-year-old Sennecke getting the 12th of his rookie season early in the third period.

Kucherov scored his 18th goal on a cross-ice pass from Hagel during a power play four minutes later, but the Ducks evened it again when Pavel Mintyukov made an exceptional play at the blue line to set up McTavish for his 10th goal.

The Ducks announced during the game that forward Frank Vatrano will be out for about six weeks with a broken shoulder incurred in a loss to the Kings last Saturday.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. Minnesota at Honda Center on Friday.

ATLANTA — The Rams already knew they will be on the road for the playoffs, a difficult assignment for any team.

It’s trending toward becoming one especially tough for the Rams, who only a few weeks ago appeared to be the class of the NFC, if not the NFL.

Not anymore.

On Monday night, the Rams for much of their game against the Atlanta Falcons, looked like a team on the road to nowhere. Or one more interested in limping through the end of the regular season before turning it on for the playoffs.

They overcame a 21-point deficit to tie the score, but Zane Gonzalez’s 51-yard field goal with 21 seconds left sent the Rams to a 27-24 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

It was the Rams’ second loss in a row, both coming on the road.

“Here we are again in a disappointing situation,” coach Sean McVay said.

The loss dropped the Rams to 11-5 going into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.

On Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers will play for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Rams are seeded No. 6. If the Seahawks defeat the 49ers, and the Rams beat the Cardinals, the Rams could move up to No. 5.

McVay said starters would play against the Cardinals rather than rest for the playoffs.

“They were going to play anyways,” McVay said. “We need to play better football.”

Way better.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner said McVay told the team that if they play in the wild-card round like they did on Monday night, they were going to be sitting on their couches watching the rest of the postseason.

“It’s the reality of the situation,” Turner said, adding, “I back him. … That’s not where we want to be.”

The Rams have no choice about where they will begin their postseason as they attempt to earn a Super Bowl berth for the third time in McVay’s nine seasons.

They will not be at SoFi Stadium, where they have lost only once this season. The Rams’ other losses — to Philadelphia, Carolina, Seattle and Atlanta — came on the road.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford tries to avoid diving Atlanta Falcons linebacker Khalid Kareem during the second half of the Rams’ 27-24 loss Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Monday’s defeat by the Falcons (7-9), coming on the heels of their 38-37 overtime loss in Seattle on Dec. 18, gave the Rams consecutive road games defeats for the first time since the start of the 2024 season, when they lost their opener in overtime at Detroit and then got routed at Arizona.

Players could not explain Monday night’s first-half malaise.

“It’s a little embarrassing because we preach about the things we want to get done, and we know how good we can be,” offensive lineman Steve Avila said. “And today was probably the worst we’ve ever shown.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford moved past Ben Roethlisberger into sixth place on the NFL’s all-time passing yards list, but there was not much to be happy about on a night that had set up as a possible MVP-clinching stage.

Stafford completed 22 of 38 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns but had three passes intercepted, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

“I obviously didn’t play well enough,” he said. “That’s what it is.”

Rams coach Sean McVay speaks with quarterback Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter Monday against the Falcons.

(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

The first half was a nightmare for Stafford, who went into the game with a league-leading 40 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.

The Falcons built a 21-0 halftime lead on Bijan Robinson’s touchdown catch, Jessie Bates III’s interception return for a touchdown and Robinson’s 93-yard touchdown run, which came one play after Xavier Watts got the first of his two interceptions.

Robinson finished with 195 yards rushing and also caught a touchdown pass.

If there was a bright spot for the Rams, it was special teams. Just over a week after McVay elevated Ben Kotwica to replace fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, Jared Verse blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown that cut the Falcons’ lead to 24-17 with less than a minute left in the third quarter.

The Rams’ chances for a comeback appeared to end when Watts intercepted another pass with just more than nine minutes left.

But Stafford’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua tied the score with 2:46 left.

Gonzalez’s field goal put the Falcons ahead by three.

Stafford got the ball one last time, but he missed a wide-open Xavier Smith on a route, and Tutu Atwell and Nacua could not come up with deep passes. With five seconds left, Stafford’s fourth-down pass to Nacua fell incomplete.

So instead of resting for the playoffs, starters will try to get the Rams back on track in the season finale.

“We don’t need rest right now,” Turner said. “We need momentum.”

LANDOVER, Md. — Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing past the Washington Commanders 30-23 Thursday.

Dallas (7-8-1) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to go up 21-3. Although the Commanders (4-12) cut the gap to a touchdown on three different occasions, they couldn’t complete the comeback and absorbed their 10th loss in 11 games.

Both teams were previously eliminated from playoff contention, which severely lessened the significance of this matchup between longtime NFC East rivals.

Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes and helped Dallas convert all six of its fourth-down tries. His two TD passes gave him 30, tying Tony Romo’s franchise record of four seasons with at least 30 touchdown throws.

Prescott shrugged off six sacks, including three by Jer’Zhan Newton.

Playing without injured quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota (quad, hand), Washington turned to 39-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson. Making his 10th career start and first since 2021, Johnson went 15 for 23 for 198 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt scored on runs of 10 and 72 yards for Washington. The latter touchdown got the Commanders to 24-17 in the third quarter, but Dallas restored its double-digit lead with a 52-yard field by Brandon Aubrey.

Aubrey added a 51-yarder to make it 30-20 with 3:59 remaining.

After Prescott threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ferguson on the game’s opening drive, Johnson went 3 for 3 for 68 yards to get Washington to 7-3. The key play was a 41-yard completion to Deebo Samuel, Johnson’s longest since 2018. Samuel finished by running into Donovan Wilson, knocking the safety’s helmet off.

On their second possession, the Cowboys converted three fourth downs on a 17-play march that ended with a touchdown run by Javonte Williams. Prescott then made it three TDs in three drives with an 86-yard scoring pass to KaVontae Turpin.

The fact quarterback Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo High signed with Ohio State is impressive enough. Then look at his 2025 statistics and you begin to realize he’s going to be next in line to continue Southern California’s success in developing top quarterbacks.

Over 11 games, he only had three passes intercepted while completing 71% of his passes. He threw for 3,199 yards and 25 touchdowns. He ran for six touchdowns. He had a school-record 569 yards passing against Los Alamitos. He made a clutch touchdown pass in the second half to beat eventual Southern Section Division 1 champion Santa Margarita 7-6 in the season opener.

He clearly performed at his best when the pressure was on and Mission Viejo needed him to lift up his teammates.

“He’s the best leader I’ve had in 25 years of coaching. He’s the total package,” coach Chad Johnson said.

Fahey has been selected The Times’ back of the year.

Before this season, he was sharing time at quarterback, showing incredible unselfishness while putting his trust in the process that everything would work out when it was his time to be the full-time starter. And it did.

“He’s always been real good,” Johnson said. “He was sharing reps and didn’t allow everyone to see his greatness and what he could be. Ohio State saw it. It’s going to be crazy what he can do at the next level.”

There’s one memory Johnson won’t soon forget. It was in the visiting locker room after a game at St. Paul. Fahey stayed behind as the last person to pick up trash to leave the locker room clean. Then he headed to the bus. Only the head coach saw it. The best player on the team doing work others ignored.

“Remarkable,” Johnson said.

Everyone seemed to know in the first quarter of the Southern Section Division 1 final at the Rose Bowl what Santa Margarita High was going to do again and again — get the ball into the hands of Trent Mosley.

Every offensive play in the opening 12 minutes by Santa Margarita involved a pass or a run by Mosley.

“Why not?” quarterback Trace Johnson said.

In the end, Santa Margarita defeated Corona Centennial 42-7 with Mosley scoring four touchdowns and catching 10 passes for a stunning 292 yards. Two weeks later, he made 11 catches for 183 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 47-13 win over De La Salle in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl win.

It was the culmination of a return to greatness for Mosley, who was the Trinity League player of the year as a sophomore, then was slowed by injuries last season. He finally got healthy this season after an injury in the opening game, and every opponent knew the challenge he presented.

Mosley has been selected The Times’ football player of the year in the Southland.

Trent Mosley raises the Southern Section Division 1 championship trophy won by Santa Margarita at the Rose Bowl.

(Craig Weston)

There’s little doubt where his talent comes from — it’s in his genes. His mother, Cindy, was the Heisman Trophy winner for soccer at Notre Dame. His father, Emmett, played football at Notre Dame. His sister, Jalyn, played soccer at Iowa. His brother, Emmett, is a receiver at Texas. Younger brother Grant is another top receiver at Santa Margarita. The three brothers used to see who was most competitive.

“Usually my basketball games with my brothers would end up in fights. Video games, fights,” Trent said. “Blessed to have the experience and their guidance.”

There’s not a sport or position Mosley can’t master. He used to love playing lacrosse, and his versatility is his super power. When he shows up to USC, his college choice, the Trojans will have plenty of plans on how to use him, whether it’s receiver, wildcat quarterback, returning punts or kickoffs.

Centennial coach Matt Logan called him “phenomenal.” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said, “Good lord.”

Mosley added additional speed this season that led to even more big plays and showed what he can do when healthy.

“The gifts I’ve been given by God, working out with offseason speed training and also playing lacrosse two years ago — all that coming together produces what I can do now,” he said.

Pavel Mintyukov slid a shot from the slot past Elvis Merzlikins with 3:29 left and the Ducks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night.

Mikael Granlund threaded a pass from the right circle to set up Mintyukov, and also scored. Jacob Trouba and Mason McTavish added goals to help the Ducks move back into first place in the Pacific Division.

Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal made 23 saves. He was pulled Friday night in an 8-3 loss to Dallas after he gave up four goals on seven shots in the first 14½ minutes.

Dmitri Voronkov, Mason Marchment and Zach Werenski scored for Columbus. Merzlikins made 24 saves.

Werenski tied it 3-3 with 7:16 left, taking a pass from Denton Mateychuk and snapping a shot from the left circle over Dostal’s right blocker. He has five goals in three games and 14 overall.

Werenski was injured when he blocked a shot with 2:11 left and struggled to get to the bench, the Blue Jackets taking a penalty for too many men on the ice that stifled any comeback hopes.

Columbus tied it 2-2 when Marchment, acquired from the Seattle Kraken on Friday, redirected a waist-high, blue-line shot from Damon Severson past Dostal 3:39 into the second.

The Ducks took a 3-2 lead when fourth-line winger Ross Johnston slipped a pass from behind the Columbus net to McTavish, who snapped a shot from the slot over Merzlikins’ right shoulder with 6:24 left in the second.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. Seattle at Honda Center on Monday night.

SEATTLE — In a matter of minutes, the home of the Seattle Seahawks went from a painfully quiet Lumen “Library” to a rollicking madhouse that sent seismologists scrambling for their ground-motion sensors.

Call it the Sheesh-Quake Game.

In a historic comeback, the Seahawks dug their way out of a 16-point, fourth-quarter ditch to beat the Rams in overtime, 38-37.

Oh, the visitors will agonize over some of the bizarre calls, some deserving of further explanation from the NFL. An ineligible-man-downfield call that wiped out a Rams touchdown when they were a yard away from the end zone? That had people scratching their heads. Then there was that do-or-die two-point conversion that seemingly fell incomplete… but later was reversed. More on that in a moment.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 38-37 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Thursday night.

When the Rams wincingly rewind the video of the collapse, they’ll be peering through the cracks in their fingers.

You’ve heard of a no-look pass? This was a no-look finish.

As soothing wins go, this was a warm bubble bath for the Seahawks, who secured a playoff berth and assumed the driver’s seat in the race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

“You hear people late in the year have losses, and you hear people come up here and say, like, ‘Man, this is going to be a good thing for us,’” said Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp, a onetime Rams hero. “It’s much better to be up here right now saying this is going to be a good thing for us.”

Kupp atoned for his first-half fumble with a successful two-point conversion in the fourth quarter — the first of three in a row for the Seahawks — and a 21-yard reception on the winning drive in overtime.

“If you find a way to get a win when you do turn the ball over three times, you do end up down 16 points, or whatever it was, in the fourth quarter, just finding ways to win games when the odds are against you and things aren’t going right — finding a way to fight back — it’s going to be a good thing for us,” Kupp said. “A good thing for us to draw on.”

The Rams are sifting through the debris of a different lesson. It was a reminder that this charmed season, with Matthew Stafford in line to win his first Most Valuable Player honor, can come crashing down at any moment. There’s no more smooth glide path to Santa Clara for the Super Bowl.

As good as it was for most of the game, picking off Sam Darnold twice and sacking him four times, the Rams defense failed to hold up when it counted most. Shades of the three-point loss at Carolina.

Darnold will have a story to tell. He exorcised a lot of demons. The Rams sacked him nine times in the playoffs last season when Darnold was playing for Minnesota, and intercepted six of his passes in two games this season.

“It’s not great when you have interceptions and turnovers, you want to limit that,” said Darnold, the former USC star. “But all you can do is fight back. For us, I was just going to continue to plug away.”

Darnold came through when it counted, completing five passes on the winning drive, then finding the obscure tight end Eric Saubert — his fourth option — wide open in the end zone on the triumphant conversion.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold looks to pass against the Rams in the first half Thursday.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

The second of the three conversions was the game’s most controversial moment. The Seahawks needed it to forge a 30-30 tie with a little more than six minutes remaining in regulation.

Darnold fired a quick screen pass to his left, trying to get the ball to Zach Charbonnet. Rams defender Jared Verse jumped the route and knocked down the pass. Everyone thought the play was dead, including Charbonnet, who casually jogged across the goal line and picked up the ball as it lay in the end zone.

That proved critical because officials — after what seemed like an eternity — ruled that Darnold had thrown a backward pass and the ball was live when Charbonnet picked it up. Therefore, a fumble recovery and successful conversion, tying the game.

Asked later if it felt like a backward pass, Darnold had a half-smile and said, “Um, yeah. It felt like I threw it kind of right on the side. I’m glad Charbs picked it up, and that turned out to be a game-changing play.”

Was that designed to be a backward pass?

“It just happened to be backwards,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily talked about. We were just trying to get it in down there on the goal line.”

The Seahawks were lined up to kick off when officials announced that, upon review, the previous play was successful. Suddenly, the most improbable of come-from-victories was within reach.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, when the home team was trailing, 30-14, the Amazon Prime crew had to do some vamping to keep viewers engaged. Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit told some Kurt Warner stories from the “Greatest Show on Turf” days. Hey, it had to be more interesting than this game.

Michaels delivered an obscure stat: When leading by 15 points or more in the fourth quarter, the Rams were 323-1.

Informed of that, Seahawks running back Cam Akers — once shown the door by the Rams — had a wry response.

“Now, they’ve lost two,” he said.

Celebration in one locker room. Silence in another.

Do you believe in meltdowns?

SEATTLE — Short week, strange and bad trip.

The Rams were on the verge of enduring a quick turnaround, a distracting Puka Nacua controversy, and a flight delay but they could not hold onto the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s two-point conversion pass to tight end Eric Saubert sent the Rams to a 38-37 overtime defeat on Thursday night before 68,853 at Lumen Field.

After Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Nacua for a 41-yard touchdown pass, Darnold’s four-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba pulled the Seahawks to within two points.

Darnold finished the Rams with the pass to Saubert.

The loss dropped the Rams record to 11-4, knocked them out of first place in the NFC West and put a major roadblock in their pursuit of home-field advantage for the playoffs.

The division race remains tight, with the Seahawks (12-3) now in first place and the San Francisco 49ers (10-4) still in the mix.

The Rams conclude the season with a Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta and a home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Seahawks finish with road games at Carolina and San Francisco.

The 49ers play the Colts at Indianapolis and then home games against the Chicago Bears and the Seahawks.

Stafford completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns. Nacua caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Kam Curl, Josh Wallace and Kobie Turner forced turnovers for the Rams, but it wasn’t enough

The Rams, who clinched a playoff spot last Sunday with a victory over the Detroit Lions, played Thursday without injured star receiver Davante Adams.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes during the second half against the Seahawks on Thursday night.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

Nacua, rookie Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith tried to make up the difference.

Nacua entered the game mired in controversy after making critical comments about referees and performing an antisemetic gesture during a livestream. The third-year receiver apologized in an Instagram post Thursday, and the Rams and NFL released statements denouncing the gesture.

“Coach has just echoed that he’s always in continuous support of me, disappointed in some of the actions that just distracted my teammates and that’s something that I know I’ll learn from,” said Nacua, who eclipsed 180 yards receiving for the third game in a row. “And I don’t want to be a distraction in any week, especially in a short week, so we had talked about that and he’s right there behind me.”

Turner, linebacker Nate Landman and defensive tackle Poona Ford had sacks for the Rams.

The Rams led 13-7 at halftime on Stafford’s short touchdown pass to rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson and the first two of Harrison Mevis’ three field goals.

Near the end of the second quarter, Curl forced former Rams receiver Cooper Kupp to fumble the ball out of the end zone for a touchback, preserving the lead.

Early in the third quarter, Kenneth Walker III scored on a long touchdown run for the Seahawks, but Mevis’ third field goal put the Rams back in front, 16-14.

On the ensuing possession, Wallace picked off a pass for his first career interception and returned it 56 yards to set up Blake Corum’s one-yard touchdown run for a 23-14 lead.

The Rams scored early in the fourth quarter when Nacua broke free for a 58-yard reception, and Nacua then scored on a short pass for a 30-14 lead. Turner’s first career interception on Seattle’s ensuing possession seemingly sealed the victory.

But Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown and Kupp caught a two-point conversion pass to pull the Seahawks to within eight points with about eight minutes left.

Darnold’s 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end A.J. Barner pulled the Seahawks even, and after it appeared that a two-point conversion pass failed, officials ruled that Darnold’s pass was behind the line of scrimmage when it tipped off Jared Verse and was recovered in the end zone by Zach Charbonnet for two points, tying the score.

The Rams had a chance to take the lead with just over two minutes left, but Mevis missed a 48-yard, field-goal attempt, his first miss of the season.

IF you want to make 2026 the year of family-friendly days out from theme parks to aquariums, castles and waxwork museums – take advantage of the Merlin Black Friday Sale.

You can save up to £60 on an annual pass that will allow you entry to around 20 attractions across the country – but the offer ends very soon.

Until December 21, you can get £60 off a Merlin Essential yearly pass, costing just £79 rather than £139.

With this, you can enter over 20 top attractions for 339 days out of the year.

Some of the attractions include Alton Towers which is perfect for families who love rollercoasters, or those wanting to try out the Bluey ride in its CBeebies Land.

The pass also allows entry to Chessington World of Adventures, which has a new PAW-Patrol themed land, and Legoland Windsor Resort.

CHRIMBO WIN

Enter these travel comps before Xmas to win £2k holidays, ski trips & spa stays

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Over at Thorpe Park, thrill-seekers can try out the UK’s tallest rollercoaster Hyperia which is 236ft high and 81mph.

It’s not all rollercoasters and rides though, as those who want a more relaxed day can delve into history at Warwick Castle.

In London, step onto the red carpet at Madame Tussauds or go back in time to explore the capital’s scary past in London Dungeon.

For foodies, in Birmingham there’s Cadbury World families can uncover the story of Cadbury chocolate – and get to taste some too.

Jordan Middleton, Head of Merlin Annual Pass, commented on the sale: “Just in time for the festive season, our Black Friday Magic Sale has great savings of up to £60.

“With offers starting at just £79 – which is equal to just £1.52 per week – Merlin Annual Pass is the gift for those who you have no idea what to buy.”

There are two other pass options.

One is the Gold Pass which is also in the Black Friday sale for £199 rather than £239 – a saving of £40.

This has extra benefits including free parking, up to 20 per cent discount on food, drinks and retail, up to 20 per cent off short breaks at themed Resort hotels.

And there’s discounted entry for family and friends and less restricted access to the attractions.

The Platinum annual pass remains at £299 per person per year with all the perks of the Gold Pass, along with guaranteed entry all year round with no restrictions.

Platinum Passholders will also receive free Fastrack Resort Theme Parks and free tickets for family and friends, with no restrictions throughout the year.

All attractions included in the Merlin yearly passes…

Alton Towers Resort

Chessington World of Adventures Resort

Legoland Windsor Resort

London Eye

Thorpe Park

Sea LIFE – London, Birmingham, Manchester, Blackpool, Brighton, Weymouth, Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton, Scarborough, Loch Lomond

Warwick Castle

Madame Tussauds, London

Shrek’s Adventure! London

Legoland Discovery Centre, Birmingham & Manchester

London Dungeon

York Dungeon

Edinburgh Dungeon

Cadbury World

Plus, check out inside the Alton Towers’ new Bluey-themed hotel room – where the theme tune plays as you enter.

And here’s more on the UK’s ‘best’ castle with live jousting tournaments, Zog playground and brand-new medieval-themed hotel.

Who’s going to beat them?

Who’s going to stop the unstoppable offense? Who’s going to score on the persistent defense? Who’s going to outwit the coaching genius?

Who can possibly halt the Rams on their thunderous march toward a Super Bowl championship?

After yet another jaw-dropping Sunday afternoon at a raucous SoFi Stadium, the answer was clear.

Nobody.

Nobody can spar with the Rams. Nobody can run with the Rams. Nobody can compete with the Rams.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

Nobody is talented enough or deep enough or smart enough to keep the Rams from winning their second Super Bowl championship in five years.

Nobody. It’s over. It’s done. The Rams are going to win it all, and before you cry jinx, understand that this is just putting into words what many already are thinking.

The Rams’ second-half domination of the Detroit Lions in a 41-34 win should again make the rest of the league realize that nobody else has a chance.

The Seahawks? Please. The 49ers? No way. The Eagles? They’ve been grounded. The Bears? Is that some kind of a joke?

The Patriots? Not yet. The Broncos? Not yet. The Bills? Not ever.

The Rams trailed by 10 points at one juncture Sunday and then blew the Lions’ doors off in the second half to clinch a playoff berth for the seventh time in nine seasons under Sean McVay, setting them up for the easiest ride in sports.

With a win in Seattle on Thursday night — and, yes, they should beat a team that just barely survived Old Man Rivers — the Rams essentially will clinch the NFC’s top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

That means they have to win only two games at SoFi to advance to a Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. That means they can win a championship without leaving California, three games played in the sort of perfect climate that gets the best out of their precision attack.

And as Sunday proved once again, they’re good enough to win three essentially home playoff games against anybody.

“I love this team,” McVay said.

There’s a lot to love.

They have an MVP quarterback, the league’s most versatile two-headed running attack, an interior defense that gets stronger under pressure, and the one weapon that no team can match.

They have Puka Nacua, and nobody else does.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is tackled by Detroit cornerback Amik Robertson during the second half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Is he unbelievable or what? He is Cooper Kupp in his prime, only faster and stronger. He caught a career-high 181 yards’ worth of passes on yet another day when he could not be covered and barely could be tackled.

“He’s unbelievable,” McVay said. “He’s so tough, a couple of times he just drags guys with him … he epitomizes everything we want to be about … he’s like Pac-Man, he just eats up yards and catches.”

Pac-Man? The Rams even score on their old-school references.

In all, it was another Sunday of totally fun football.

They outscored the league’s highest-scoring team 20-0 at one point, they outrushed the league’s toughest backfield 159-70, they racked up 519 total yards against a team once thought destined for a championship.

And they did it with barely a smile. With the exception of Nacua repeatedly banging his fist to his chest — can you blame him? — the Rams are steady and steadfast and just so scary.

”All we want to do is go to work and find a way to be better,” said Matthew Stafford, who likely answered the crowd’s chants by clinching the MVP award with 368 yards and two touchdown passes. “It’s a fun group right now but we understand there’s more out there for us.”

Lots, lots, lots more.

This year a similar column appeared in this space regarding the Dodgers. By the first round of the playoffs, one just knew that they were going to run the table.

The same feeling exists here. The Rams look unrelenting, unfazed, unbeatable.

“Guys just kept competing, staying in the moment,” McVay said.

This moment belongs to them. One knew it Sunday by the end of the first half, which featured a Stafford interception and a struggling secondary and Jared Goff’s vengeful greatness and a 10-point Lions lead.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes in the first half of a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Then the Rams drove the ball nearly half of the field in 30 seconds in a push featuring Stafford and Nacua at their best. Stafford connected with Nacua on a brilliant 37-yard pass in the final moments that led to a Harrison Mevis 37-yard field goal to close the gap to seven.

“Right before that I told the guys, ‘Let’s go steal three,’” Stafford said.

Turns out, they stole a game.

“One of the key and critical sequences,” McVay said of that late first-half hammer, which led to a dazzling third quarter that finished the flustered Lions.

“We never panic,” Blake Corum said. “Because we know … what we have to bring to the table.”

What they’ve increasingly been bringing is a running attack that perfectly complements the awesome passing attack, as evidenced Sunday by Corum and Kyren Williams combining for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

The Lions’ more vaunted backfield of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery? Seventy yards and one score.

“We push each other to the limit,” Corum said of Williams.

Rams running back Kyren Williams stiff-arms Detroit Lions safety Erick Hallett II during the first half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Potentially disturbing was how one noted Ram may have pushed past his limits, as receiver Davante Adams limped off the field early in the fourth quarter after apparently reinjuring his troublesome hamstring.

To lose him for the playoffs would be devastating, as he frees up space for Nacua and is almost an automatic touchdown from the five-yard line and closer.

Then again he’ll have a month to heal. And the Rams still have a bruising array of tight ends led Sunday by the touchdown-hot Colby Parkinson, who caught 75 yards’ worth of passes and two scores, including one inexplicable touchdown in which he clearly was down at the one-yard line.

The Rams got lucky there. But even if the right call was made, they would have scored on the next couple of plays. The way the Rams attacked, they could have been scoring all night.

“You knew that it was going to be that kind of game where there was some good back-and-forth,” McVay said. “You needed to be able to know that points were going to be really important for us, and our guys delivered in a big way.”

Just wait. By the time this season is done, McVay’s guys will have delivered a trophy representing something much bigger.

It rhymes with Strombardi.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finished second in Heisman Trophy voting to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

That, of course, is quite an accomplishment.

But Pavia apparently felt otherwise. After the results were announced Saturday in New York, the 23-year-old senior posted a photo of himself with his offensive linemen on his Instagram Stories and gave it a profane caption.

“F-ALL THE VOTERS,” Pavia wrote, followed by a thumbs-down emoji, “BUT ….. FAMILY FOR LIFE”

On Sunday night, Pavia posted a lengthy apology on X.

“Being a part of the Heisman ceremony last night as a finalist was such an honor,” he wrote. “As a competitor, just like in everything I do I wanted to win. To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful. I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to.

“I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.”

Heisman Trophy finalists, from left to right, Notre Dame‘s Jeremiah Love, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin pose with the trophy before the award ceremony Dec. 13 in New York.

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Associated Press)

Mendoza received 643 first-place votes and 2,362 overall points to Pavia’s 189 first-place votes and 1,435 points. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love finished third in voting (46 first place, 719 points), and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was fourth (eight first place, 432 points).

Indiana (13-0) is the top team in the College Football Playoff rankings and will play the Oklahoma-Alabama winner in the Rose Bowl. Mendoza has played a large role in the Hoosiers’ success. He completed 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards with a national-best 33 touchdown passes and six interceptions. In addition, Mendoza rushed for 240 yards and six touchdowns.

“Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award,” Pavia wrote. “I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah and Julian had this season.”

Pavia also put up huge numbers for Vanderbilt (10-2), which was No. 14 in the final CFP ranking and will play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1. He completed 71.2% of his passes for 3,192 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns.

A former walk-on at New Mexico Military Institute, Pavia played two years at New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt in 2024. Leading up to the Heisman ceremony, Pavia declared himself the best college football player of all time. He recently told Sports Illustrated, however, that his self-confidence should not be mistaken for arrogance.

“As an underdog paying to walk on to JUCO, you kind of have to be your own cheerleader,” Pavia said. “And it just never left my head, to be like ‘Oh I arrived, I don’t need to do that anymore.’”

Pavia reflected on his past in his apology post.

“I’ve been doubted my whole life. Every step of my journey I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because Ive learned that nothing would be handed to me,” he wrote. “My family has always been in my corner, and my teammates, coaches and staff have my six. I love them — I am grateful for them. — and I wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. I look forward to competing in front of my family and with my team one more time in the ReliaQuest Bowl.”

The Rams are going to the playoffs.

The only questions now: Can they hold onto the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have home-field advantage for the entire postseason. And will receiver Davante Adams be fit for the stretch run?

The Rams clinched a playoff spot on Sunday with a 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions before 74,701 at SoFi Stadium in a game that featured Adams’ fourth-quarter departure because of a left hamstring injury.

Matthew Stafford outdueled Jared Goff, Puka Nacua continued his torrid receiving pace and the Rams defense shut down the Lions in the second half as the Rams improved their record to 11-3 and ensured their seventh playoff appearance under ninth-year coach Sean McVay.

It was a huge victory for a Rams team that will be tested again Thursday night when they play the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle.

The Seahawks (11-3) defeated Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Seattle, setting up the Thursday night showdown. The Rams currently hold the tie-breaker over the Seahawks because of their Nov. 16 victory over the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.

Can they capture home field throughout the playoffs for the first time?

They advanced to the Super Bowl in the 2018 and the 2021 seasons without the benefit of playing every playoff game at home.

The Rams finish the regular season with games against the Seahawks, a road trip to Atlanta and a home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

As expected, the victory over the Lions (8-6) did not come easy.

The Rams overcame an early interception and 10-point deficit late in the second quarter.

Adams, who has been nursing a hamstring issue, left the field for the locker room and did not return to the game after appearing to suffer an injury early in the fourth quarter.

McVay said Adams’ injury “didn’t look good” and wasn’t sure if Adams would be able to play against the Seahawks.

Stafford came alive in the second half, leading three consecutive scoring drives in the third quarter to give the Rams a 34-24 lead.

Stafford kept alive his drive for the NFL most valuable player award by completing 24 of 38 for 368 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception.

Nacua, coming off a performance against the Arizona Cardinals that earned him NFC offensive player of the week honors, caught nine passes for 181 yards. Adams caught four passes for 71 yards.

Tight end Colby Parkinson caught two touchdown passes, Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns and Blake Corum also scored on the ground.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner had a key sack for a defense that gave up three touchdown passes and several big plays in the first half, but neutralized Goff for most of the second.

Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown started fast and helped the Lions take a 24-17 lead.

Stafford had a hand in that, throwing a ball into the waiting arms of Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who returned the interception 58 yards. On the next play, Goff found St. Brown for a touchdown.

Williams’ two short touchdown runs gave the Rams the lead midway through the second quarter. But Goff connected with St. Brown for a short touchdown and then hit Jameson Williams with a 31-yard scoring pass to put the Lions ahead, 24-14.

The Rams cut the deficit to seven points when Harrison Mevis closed the first half with a field goal.

The Rams opened the second half with another field goal to cut the Lions’ lead to four points.

The defense then forced the Lions to go three and out, forcing them to punt for the first time.

Stafford put the Rams ahead with a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson to give the Rams a 27-24 lead.

Turner’s sack of Goff helped set up another punt, and it took Stafford only 52 seconds to engineer another touchdown. He connected with Nacua for a 39-yard gain, and Blake Corum extended the lead with an 11-yard touchdown run.

The Lions kicked a field goal midway through the fourth quarter to trim the Rams’ lead to seven points, but Stafford’s second touchdown pass to Parkinson gave the Rams a 14-point lead with just under five minutes left.

David Montgomery’s short touchdown run late in the fourth quarter cut the lead back to seven.

Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. St. Brown caught 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.