Rams' Week 4 victory was saved by one of the NFL's craziest plays of 2025

Imagine the dilemma of Indianapolis Colts fans after their loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4. By all accounts, the team gave away a sure-fire touchdown in the third quarter with 11:44 remaining on the clock. It was one of the craziest plays of the 2025 NFL season, and one that wide receiver Adonai Mitchell will not forget for a very long time, if ever.

It is one of the most controversial rules of the NFL, but it remains in place and enforceable. NFL Rules dictate that if a fumble occurs before the ball-carrier has crossed the plane into the end zone, and if the momentum carries the football through the end zone before being recovered, the play is deemed a touchback, and the football is turned over to the defense. The offense takes over at their 20-yard line.

It was one of the wildest plays NFL fans will see this season. And yet, it was one of the plays that will be hard to get past. Was it just careless hot-dogging? Or did Mitchell believe that extending the football in one hand before crossing the end zone was the right decision? In whatever way he thought through the reasons, the outcome was the change of possession, and the seven points that should have appeared on the visiting team's score were erased.

Rams have Colts WR Adonai Mitchell to thank for wild Week 4 victory

Of course, this is a "What if?" scenario, and there is no way to roll out how the game may have panned out if that fumble through the end zone never happened. Indy would have scored, yes. But would a more urgent LA offense have responded more quickly? After all, the home team did win in regulation time, so all bets are off. But had the Horns merely tied the game at 27 apiece, there is a strong likelihood that they may have simply won in overtime.

The secondary may have bent a bit, but they certainly did their part. Entering the game, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones had thrown three touchdowns without throwing a single interception. But without wide receiver Alec Pierce, he completed 24-of-33 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown, and his first two interceptions of the season.

Perhaps even more impressive are the results against Indy running back Jonathan Taylor. The defense held him to 17 rushes for 76 yards. That was only the second time this season that he had been held to under 100 rushing yards all year, and the first time that Indy's offense was held to under 100 rushing yards all season.

Of course, Los Angeles has its offensive stars. Wide receiver Tutu Atwell shook off the cobwebs in time to catch a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford. And the team would have been lost without wide receiver Puka Nacua's phenomenal 170 receiving yards performance.

As all fans know, this is a game of inches. And as often as fans are convinced that they have seen all of the crazy twists and turns of the game, here comes one more whacky twist to prove them wrong. It certainly contributed to a thrilling finish. No matter how LA got there, this team has risen to 3-1 just in time to challenge their NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. As always, thanks for reading

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