Rams most to blame for heartbreaking NFC Championship Game loss to Seahawks

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Rams most to blame for heartbreaking NFC Championship Game loss to Seahawks

Ben Strauss, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Jan 26, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The Los Angeles Rams suffered a truly painful loss in the NFC Championship on Sunday. Los Angeles lost a thrilling 31-27 matchup against Seattle , paving the way for their division rival to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 60. Now the Rams are left wondering what could have been after a truly special regular season.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford played at an MVP level in 2025 , arguably having the best season of his 17-year career.

The 37-year-old quarterback immediately faced questions about retirement after the game. Those questions echo anxiety among Rams fans about 2025 potentially being the final season of the Stafford era.

Understandably, Stafford did not feel like talking about the future during his postgame remarks.

"I can't generalize six months of my life ten minutes after a loss," Stafford said after the game. "Appreciate the guys in this locker room whole hell of a lot. Everybody that helped me, and helped our team be as successful as we were this year and that's all I'll answer for you."

Now that the season is over, the Rams need to figure out what went wrong. The answers to those questions will help guide them during the upcoming offseason and, hopefully, get them back to the conference championship next year.

But who deserves the most blame for Sunday's crushing defeat? And how will the Rams respond during the offseason?

Below we will explore who is most to blame for LA's devastating NFC Championship loss against Seattle.

Sean McVay made poor game management choices throughout the game

We have to start at the top with Sean McVay.

McVay made a few questionable choices throughout the game that made it look like he was one step behind Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald.

The first came at the end of the first half. Los Angeles got the ball while up 13-10 with under two minute left in the half.

The Rams ran the ball on first down but passed on both second and third downs. When they punted on fourth down, they had only run 30 seconds off the clock. McVay should have ran the ball on second down, ensuring that LA got the last crack at scoring in the half.

As a result, the Seahawks had enough time for a six-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to gain the lead before halftime.

McVay also should have gone for a two-point conversion after Puka Nacua 's incredible touchdown in the third quarter. That would have made it a three-point game, which would have completely changed the stakes for Stafford during the entire fourth quarter.

I will give McVay credit for restraining himself and not challenging Cooper Kupp's first down on Seattle's last offensive possession. He clearly wanted to challenge, but it was smart to save a timeout.

The Rams must be missing John Streicher, who was their game management coordinator in 2024 . He left to join Mike Vrabel's staff in New England this offseason.

Special teams mistakes came back to bite the Rams once again

The special teams unit has been LA's fatal flaw throughout the 2025 season. It was a big problem once again in the NFC Championship.

Xavier Smith fumbled two punts during Sunday's game. The first was was no big deal, as he effortlessly recovered the ball and continued his return. But the second was a backbreaker.

Smith's second fumble was recovered by Seattle, giving them the ball deep in LA territory. The Seahawks turned that gift into a Jake Bobo touchdown. That made the score 24-13 and kept the momentum with Seattle.

The Rams simply have to address their special teams unit this offseason. That could include changes to both personnel and the coaching staff.

LA's defense could not slow down Sam Darnold , Seattle offense

The expectation heading into this game was that LA's offense vs. Seattle's defense was the matchup to watch. That was certainly an exciting matchup, but it wasn't the one that decided the game.

Darnold proved his haters wrong and absolutely shredded the Rams on defense. He legitimately played just a well as Stafford, perhaps even better, in the biggest game of his life.

While Darnold deserves his flowers, LA's defense deserves its fair share of blame for not slowing him down.

One problem simply comes down to personnel. The Rams do not have great players at cornerback, and that was evident throughout the game.

LA's secondary was a problem from the first drive of the game. Darious Williams got torched by Rashid Shaheed on Seattle's first drive, allowing a huge 51-yard reception.

The issues persisted throughout the game, as Jaxson Smith-Njigba was completely uncoverable. He hauled in 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown.

In fairness, Darnold was under pressure throughout the game. He got sacked three times and was pressured on 40% of dropbacks per PFF. But the secondary could not hold up long enough to make a difference.

I want to note that the Rams did acquire Roger McCreary at the trade deadline, so they were clearly aware of the issue.

Rams fans will likely want their front office to address the secondary with multiple moves this offseason.

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