Geno Smith throws career-high 4 TD passes in Seahawks' 30-25 win over playoff-bound Rams
Geno Smith passed for 223 yards and threw his career-best fourth touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 3:19 to play, and the Seattle Seahawks finished their 12th winning season in 13 years with a 30-25 victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 334 yards and two TDs in his debut for the Rams (10-7), who had already clinched the NFC West title through strength of schedule before they hosted the Seahawks (10-7). The Rams rested Matthew Stafford and nearly all of his offensive starters to stay healthy for a home playoff game next weekend.
Coach Sean McVay didn't care, but the Rams' first loss since Nov. 24 dropped them to the fourth seed in the NFC playoff bracket behind Tampa Bay (10-7), which beat New Orleans. Los Angeles' visitor in the wild-card round will be the fifth-seeded loser of Minnesota's showdown with Detroit on Sunday night.
DK Metcalf, Jake Bobo and AJ Barner also caught TD passes for Seattle. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had four catches to tie Tyler Lockett's single-season franchise record of 100 receptions.
The Seahawks won six of eight to close a solid — yet ultimately frustrating — first season under coach Mike Macdonald.
Tyler Higbee and Tyler Johnson caught TD passes for the Rams, who had won five straight and nine of 11 since their bye week.
In keeping with McVay's career-long policy of prioritizing rest and health over meaningless results, Los Angeles sat receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, running back Kyren Williams and starting offensive linemen Alaric Jackson, Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein. McVay also allowed offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to call the Rams' plays.
Seattle led 24-16 on Barner's 4-yard TD catch late in the third quarter, but Johnson caught a 4-yard TD pass from Garoppolo early in the fourth. Los Angeles' 2-point conversion attempt failed, but it got the ball back 90 seconds later and drove for Joshua Karty's 38-yard field goal with 7:29 to play for its first lead at 25-24.
After a fumble recovery by the Rams was erased because Keir Thomas lined up offside, Fant put the Seahawks ahead by holding on to Smith's 16-yard TD pass despite landing nearly headfirst in the end zone after getting undercut.
Seattle's 2-point conversion attempt failed. Garoppolo found Higbee for a 16-yard gain on fourth-and-6 moments later at midfield, and Los Angeles drove to the Seattle 9 in the final minute before Garoppolo threw incomplete to Jordan Whittington on fourth down with 18 seconds left.
Seattle has missed the playoffs in two straight years for the first time since 2009, but Macdonald led the Seahawks to 10 wins for the first time in four years.
Lockett had two catches for 28 yards in perhaps his last game with Seattle after a productive decade with the club.
Garoppolo signed with the Rams last spring as Stafford's backup, but the 33-year-old quarterback who led San Francisco to Super Bowl 54 hadn't played all season while Stafford took every snap in the first 16 games.
Injuries
Seahawks: Rookie DT Byron Murphy left in the first half after apparently aggravating his back injury. ... Backup CB Tre Brown was ruled out in the second half with a knee injury.
Rams: TE Hunter Long injured his knee in the first half.
Up next
Seahawks: An offseason of roster decisions, including the possibility of extensions for Smith and Metcalf as they head into the final year of their current contracts.
Rams: Their first home playoff game in three years.
