3 winners and 2 losers as Rams limp out of a stunning loss in Week 16

There it is, the Thursday Night Football game that the 11-4 Los Angeles Rams lost by a million paper cuts. If you need something positive to take away from this one, the team did many things right. And so, the 12-3 Seattle Seahawks had to do more things right. Only they didn't.

Sometimes the football bounces in the other team's favor. In this one, the football bounced off outside linebacker Jared Verse's helmet. It was a play that you will never see again in your lifetime. It was such a crazy play that head coach Sean McVay had to ask the NFL for answers.

It was that kind of game.

What kind of game? The LA Rams performed well enough to have secured a win 93 out of 93 times according to NFL history. This was a loss that the NFL had never witnessed before.

If you are feeling broken-hearted or downtrodden after this loss, don't despair. Los Angeles is a resilient team, and the players on this roster have 10 days to stew over this loss and heal up. While it's not a BYE, it's about as well-timed a mini-bye as they come. LA needs time to heal and plan better. Losing by one point to one of the NFL's best teams on the road is nothing to be ashamed of.

How the loss happened opens up plenty of things to fix. Let's dive right into it.

Rams 3 winners and 2 losers from a loss that never should have happened

Loser 2: Rams defense

At one point in the game, the Rams were up by a score of 30-14, had not punted, and had neutralized Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But the damn broke, and the Horns were outscored by 28-7 when it mattered most.

It was a horrific showing. The Seahawks successfully managed to convert three two-point attempts. It was a game where the run defense failed to stuff the run. Fans will chide the secondary, but this loss was more about failing to stop running backs Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and Rashid Shaheed. They combined for 21 carries and 163 yards. Yikes.

Loser 1: Special teams

LA's special teams continue to prove that they are the worst in the NFL. They had to defend just one punt return, and failed to do so. That lone punt return was good for 58 yards and a touchdown. Worst still, it flipped the entire game momentum to Seattle.

Placekicker Harrison Mevis kicked his first three field goal attempts, plus all four extra points. But he missed the one field goal that would have meant a victory. It was that type of game.

NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky calls Los Angeles' special teams the worst in the NFL. He's right.

Winner 3: Defensive lineman Kobie Turner

A player who fought hard and deserved the victory is defensive lineman Kobit Turner. He ended the game with a defensive trifecta. That is, he had three tackles, 1.5 quarterback sacks, and an interception. He even deflected two passes. The Conductor did everything necessary to win the game.

Winner 2: Quarterback Matthew Stafford

Veeran quarterback Matthew Stafford is another star in the Horns who deserved to win. He completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns. Despite not throwing to Davante Adams, he completed passes to nine different players. He threw touchdown passes to rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson once, and wide receiver Puka Nacua twice.

Winner 1: Wide receiver Puka Nacua

I didn't want to list Puka Nacua as a winner this week after his podcast gaffes, but his performance was sensational. He hauled in 12 of 16 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. His performance pushed him to within 45 yards of the NFL leading wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, despite playing one less game and eight quarters of regulation football.

There is still plenty to unpack from this loss. The offense is playing well enough to win a Super Bowl. But the defense is a bit suspect, and the special teams are very disappointing.

As always, thanks for reading.