Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker, Seahawks rally past Rams for OT win. Seattle gets in playoffs

It was so quiet inside Lumen Field, you could hear a season end.

That was, until the boos began.

Then, with 4:34 left in overtime, the silence was from nerves.

That’s when Jason Myers cut through the quiet and sent a 32-yard field goal through the uprights he couldn’t split moments earlier. Geno Smith raised his hands toward the Seattle evening sky. And the Seahawks rallied to overcome the Los Angeles Rams, and themselves, in rallying for a 19-16 victory in overtime in the regular-season finale Sunday.

Then, four hours later, the Detroit Lions upset the Green Bay Packers, the result Seattle (9-8) had to have to get into the playoffs. The Seahawks will play an NFC wild-card playoff game Saturday at the San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is 1:30 p.m.

“Just thankful,” Myers said at getting his second chance, over the boomin’ bass of a second consecutive victorious home locker room in Seattle.

That was after five losses in six games made the team reliant on others to make the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons.

The Seahawks began the day as the biggest Lions fans outside Detroit.

“Fight on, Detroit,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, formerly the leader at USC, said to end his postgame press conference.

“Now,” rookie running back Kenneth Walker said after his 114 yards rushing on 29 carries, “we wait.”

And they won. In both Seattle and Green Bay.

“2 Dubs in 1 night is crazy,” Walker posted on Twitter after the Lions beat the Packers.

The Seahawks blew chances to win in the final 2 1/2 minutes of regulation time, from the 1-yard line — two times — and on a 45-yard field-goal try by Myers that hit the right upright and bounced away no good.

The Seahawks’ season was on the brink of ending with no postseason chance multiple times Sunday.

The last was when wide receiver Van Jefferson was open for a game-winning touchdown for the Rams on their second offensive play of overtime. But Baker Mayfield’s pass was way short. That allowed Seahawks Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs to race over and intercept the underthrown pass at the Seattle 36.

“I mean, if I used language, I would probably use some bad language. He was WIDE open. In my mind, I’m just thinking the worst,” Diggs said.

“Oh, man, I felt like I was 25 again, just running and jumping in the air.”

To punctuate his game-saving play, Diggs strutted in front of the Rams’ nearby sideline then pointed to the ball he was holding aloft to one Los Angeles player in particular: his former Seahawks teammate Bobby Wagner.

After the game, Wagner gave Diggs his white, Rams, number-45 game jersey and signed it.

Geno Smith (19 completions in 31 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown, two bad interceptions, a lot of helmet-slamming frustration) began Seattle’s game-winning drive completing a pass over the middle to Tyler Lockett for 17 yards. That got the Seahawks to the Rams 47. Walker bounced a run outside right for 20 yards, to the LA 27, on his third consecutive 100-yard rushing day since returning from an ankle injury.

And all of the Pacific Northwest exhaled.

At least until Lions-Packers started about 45 minutes later.

Smith was asked where he was going to watch Detroit play Green Bay to determine Seattle’s fate.

“I’m going to take my girl on a date, actually, and try not to watch the game,” Smith said.

”I’m preparing as if we are going to play a game next week.”

Coach Pete Carroll is not satisfied.

He’s still ticked about giving away four wins against NFC South teams, plus a home overtime loss to Las Vegas the Seahawks feel they also should have won.

“Nine and eight. That ain’t the way I’m looking at it,” Carroll said. “I’m glad that we have a winning record and that we gave ourselves a chance here, but that’s not where my expectations are. They never are. I’m nowhere near that.

“I’m frustrated by this season. Where you all thought that we did a lot of cool things and all that, I don’t feel like that. I feel like we missed our chance. We had five, six games there could have won easily one way or the other, and we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about what’s going on in Detroit right now.

“So, you know, that’s my torment. I have to live with that.”

Wild finish

Seattle trailed 16-13 and Lumen Field was still quiet, nervously so, when the Seahawks lined up to punt with 6 1/2 minutes left. Michael Dickson punted, then sold to officials getting run into instead of merely touched by Los Angeles’ Jonah Williams. Dickson falling to the turf got the flag for running into the punter illegally, and the Seahawks had a gift first down.

A 32-yard pass to Colby Parkinson got the Seahawks across midfield. The Seahawks moved to a first and goal at the 2-yard line, with 3 minutes left down by three. Walker ran for 1 yard. With two extra offensive linemen in to block, Walker ran outside left and tried to beat Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the goal line. He could not. Ramsey expertly tackled him in the open field at the 1. On third and goal, Walker cut left when the play appeared to be designed more to the right. He lost 3 yards.

Seattle had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Jason Myers and a tie at 16 with 2:19 left, instead of the lead.

Opportunity lost.

A three-and-out stop by Seattle’s defense got the offense another chance with no time outs from its own 20 and 56 seconds left. Then Smith flew outside the pocket from pressure, made a head fake in the open field and dashed for 25 yards across midfield. At the end of the play, Ramsey lowered his shoulder into Smith, knocking him down. That drew a 15-yard penalty on Los Angeles, putting the ball at the Rams 32-yard line.

DK Metcalf got away with a retaliation hit on Ramsey after the Ram’s blow on Smith. Thirty-two seconds remained.

After a run by Walker and a spike of the ball by the still wobbly Smith, Myers came out with 3 seconds left.

He missed. The game went to an extra period no one wanted.

Tyler Lockett’s day

Smith rebounded from a dreadful first half for himself and his team with a perfect drive to start the second half. He completed all three of his passes, for 15, 23 then 37 yards and a pretty touchdown on a post route deep behind two Rams to Lockett, who was playing his second game since surgery for a broken hand, then sustaining a bruised shin.

Lockett, whom Hall of Famer Steve Largent presented with the team’s Steve Largent Award before the game, gave the “I’m eating” motions with his hands after his ninth touchdown receiving this season. That’s one more than the captain had in each of the previous two seasons.

The five-play, 88-yard strike drive seemed to come from nowhere. It tied the game at 13, and changed the entire, doomsday tenor of the game for Seattle.

The play gave the Seahawks two 1,000-yard receivers in a season, Metcalf and Lockett, for only the third time in team history. In 2020, Metcalf and Lockett did it. In 1995, Joey Galloway and Brian Blades did.

But the Rams answered that drive with a long Baker Mayfield scramble and a tie-breaking field goal. The Seahawks were behind again, 16-13, late in the third quarter.

Smith then threw his second interception to Ramsey while trying to connect with Metcalf. Smith stood in with LA’s Leonard Floyd running at him, then got obliterated by Floyd as he threw late behind Metcalf.

At that point, Smith was 12 for 18 for just 132 yards passing with the two turnovers plus two sacks. Los Angeles carried the 16-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

Bobby Wagner’s reunion day

Cheers for Wagner in the All-Pro linebacker’s return to Seattle as an opponent for the first time after 10 starring seasons with the Seahawks were the best moments for Seattle into the third quarter on a must-win day.

“I did hear that,” Carroll said. “I loved that.”

Wagner did not have the all-around impact he had last month when he was all over the field with an interception and havoc in Seattle’s comeback win at Los Angeles. Sunday, Wagner had seven tackles and one hit on Smith.

The best stop was early in the third quarter when he moved unblocked into the hole and rudely threw down Walker for a 1-yard loss while staying on his feet.

Geno Smith’s poor start

This day — and, they hoped, night — of unusual intrigue for the Seahawks began with general manager John Schneider saying of Smith making the Pro Bowl in his first season as an NFL starter in eight years: “Everybody is so happy for him. The offensive coaching staff has done a really good job with him, especially Coach (Pete) Carroll working with him day in and day out.”

All that work looked lost in the first half Sunday.

Smith threw an interception on the game’s first play. He faked a handoff and looked all the way at Metcalf running an in route. Ramsey was right with Metcalf, as he usually is in Seattle-LA games. Ramsey stepped in front of Metcalf and easily intercepted the pass. His return into the red zone gave Los Angeles the game’s first points, on a short field goal 92 seconds in.

Just as in the home loss to Carolina last month, Smith turned the ball over on Seattle’s first offensive snap.

“Man, that’s a tough way to start the game. We’ve done that twice now,” Smith said. “Honestly, it’s unacceptable, in my eyes.

“Gotta have a short memory...if you play quarterback, you are going to throw an interception.”

Smith should have had a second interception of the first half, and that one could have been returned for a Rams touchdown in the second quarter. But LA’s Quentin Lake dropped Smith’s bad throw on third down. It’s a bad time when an offense is fortunate to punt, as Seattle was there in a 6-6 game.

Smith was 8 for 13 passing for 46 yards in the half. His lone bright spot early was breaking Russell Wilson’s Seahawks record for completions with Smith’s 385th this season. Fittingly for the way the start of this game went, Smith’s record-setting completion was on a 6-yard loss, a late pass outside to Lockett on which running back Kenneth Walker missed a block.

The Rams out-gained the Seahawks 165 to 29 in the second quarter, when a 6-3 Seahawks lead became a 13-6 deficit at halftime. The go-ahead touchdown was a characteristically horizontal speed play from Sean McVay, who reportedly is considering whether to stop coaching the Rams after this game. His call of a wide-receiver end around became a touchdown when Tutu Atwell took a pitch in the backfield from Mayfield and ran around linebackers Bruce Irvin and Cody Barton plus every other Seahawk on a 15-yard score.

The half ended with the result of Detroit-Green Bay Sunday night suddenly immaterial to the issues the Seahawks were having.

Yet as he has multiple times this season, including last month in rallying past the Rams 27-23 in California, Smith performed when the Seahawks absolutely needed him to.

For the regular season, Smith broke Matt Hasselbeck’s single-season franchise record for pass attempts (572), plus Wilson’s team marks for completions (399), yards passing (4,282) and completion percentage (69.76). He just missed becoming the 13th NFL quarterback to complete 70% of his passes in a season. This, at the end, is the only time this season he’s been under 70%.

Smith, Wilson and Dave Krieg are the only Seahawks quarterbacks to throw for at least 30 touchdowns in a season. Smith finished with 30 TDs, against 11 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his 10-year career.

His contract ends with this season.

“Obviously, I’ve done some things that were really good. And then knowing myself — whenever the offseason does come... I am going to be super-hard on myself with some of the decisions that I made and things that I did that weren’t great,” Smith said. “It’s good to lead the team and play 17 games. That was my goal...

“I knew what I could do on the field. But I know I can do better, as well.”

Tariq Woolen briefly injured

Seahawks rookie star Tariq Woolen limped off with 2:30 remaining in the first half. He appeared to get his right foot caught in the turf while allowing a 35-yard gain on a pass to his outside from Mayfield to Van Jefferson on third and 6.

The Pro Bowl cornerback went down for a moment, and trainers rushed to him. He then limped into the blue tent behind the Seahawks’ bench for more tests and observation.

Tre Brown, a rookie starter in 2021 before Seattle drafted Woolen, entered at right cornerback.

After three plays missed, Woolen emerged from the tent, jumped up and down testing the ankle, then ran back onto the field to rejoin the game.

Carroll said Woolen turned his ankle.

Early in the fourth quarter with Seattle down 16-13, Mayfield beat Woolen with Jefferson again, on an out route for a first down converting a third and 7.

Mayfield, on his third team since the summer, finished 13 of 26 passing for 147 yards and the interception. His running and throws on the run, even while behind many receivers, challenged the Seahawks’ defense more than John Wolford did quarterbacking the Rams against Seattle last month outside Los Angeles.

Bruce Irvin rises up

Sunday was Bruce Irvin’s first game with more than one sack since Dec. 22, 2019, late in his 8 1/2-sack season with Carolina. He had 1 1/2.

Sacking Mayfield in the first half and late in the third quarter left Irvin with 3 1/2 sacks in 10 games this season.

Seattle signed the 35-year-old veteran off his couch in October, after Darrell Taylor was failing as an every-down outside linebacker. Sunday could have been the last home game of Irvin’s third go-round with Seattle since Carroll and the Seahawks drafted him in the first round in 2012.

“I don’t know. The last two years I said I was retiring, and I’m here with y’all. I don’t know what my future hold,” Irvin said.

“Happy to be back for a third time. Happy to go out with a win. Happy to get a couple sacks on CenturyLink Field. I’m blessed, man. Came out healthy. We won. I can’t ask for nothing else.”

Tyler Lockett’s marks

Lockett and Largent are the only Seahawks to have four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Lockett, Metcalf and Walker each having 1,000 yards from scrimmage was the first time three Seahawks did that in a season since 1995. Chris Warren had 1,346 yards rushing with Galloway’s and Blades’ big receiving years that season.