Rams make NFL history in Week 16 loss for all the wrong reasons

You can call them excuses, rationalizations, a tough schedule, or simply the way the cookie crumbles. There are many cliches to choose from right now to categorize the horrific overtime loss by the Rams on the road. But this was not a normal loss. By every stretch of the imagination, this was a once-in-a-lifetime loss that fans will bring up decades from now.

The Rams are the first team in NFL history to be up by seven points in overtime and still lose the game. But it gets worse. This was a game filled with NFL firsts. The Seattle Seahawks converted on three two-point conversions, once by throwing a backward lateral pass off Jared Verse's helmet.

But the Rams had so many NFL firsts that should have led them to victory. But, they lost. What did Los Angeles do to secure the win that should have worked?

• 581 yards of offense
• +3 turnover margin
• The first team in overtime to lose despite scoring a touchdown and an extra point

This was a game that had many bad omens. From bad weather to travel snafus, LA had about as much adversity to overcome in this one as any NFL team this season. Despite the obvious headliners, here are some other challenges that faced the Horns this week.

Rams Week 16 challenges that won't be repeated

Had to overcome absence of NFL's top TD wide receiver

After losing wide receiver Davante Adams to a re-aggravated hamstring injury, the team had four days to rework an offensive game plan without him. 37 points is nothing to sneeze at. But the team only made three out of six red zone attempts. Everyone knows that with Adams, that success rate would be better.

Sean McVay's second son is born

The Rams played on Sunday and Thursday. Between those two games, Sean McVay and his wife Veronika welcomed their second son. That's a lot to process on a short week, and the lack of sleep was simply unavoidable. Luckily, McVay was able to make the trip with his team.

Puka Nacua made unwise decisions

While his on-field performance did not indicate it, wide receiver Puka Nacua made a bad decision by appearing on a podcast during a short week. The worst part was criticizing NFL officiating before the game. Did his decisions impact the game? The Rams lost a very winnable game.

Rams regret the first punt of the game

The Rams first punt of the game occurred at 8:15 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the football landed in the arms of Seahawks running back Rashid Shaheed, who promptly ran it in for a touchdown. That was the beginning of the end for Los Angeles.

Rams kicker Harrison Mevis missed his first field goal

The Rams attempted a tie-breaking 48-yard field goal with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the attempt missed. It was placekicker Harrison Mevis' first miss since winning the starting kicking job. He ended up making three of four field goals and all four extra points. Unfortunately, it was that lone miss that stood out.

The Rams are 11-4, and should be about to win their final two games against the 5-9 Atlanta Falcons and the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals. So, while LA has fallen to the wild card bracket, anything is possible. The season is not over yet. But the series with the Seahawks is, for now.

As always, thanks for reading.