For a team that had never overcome a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit in 172 attempts, the Seattle Seahawks needed more than just skill; they needed a spark, and the Los Angeles Rams‘ trash talk in Week 16 provided the gasoline. The L.A. team was ahead 30-14 when they teased Seattle players, thinking the game was over, and that hurt their former linebacker, Ernest Jones IV, who is now a Seahawk.

“They were saying stuff. I won’t say nothing, no names. But they were saying stuff not appropriate,” he said.

Jones used the comments as motivation. He finished the game with 12 tackles (four solo).

Overall, the Seahawks replied with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both followed by two-point conversions. It tied the game, which went into overtime.

The Rams went first, but Jones wanted to win at any cost. On the 2nd & 6 play at the 7:46 mark in overtime, quarterback Matthew Stafford got the snap and fired it straight down the middle to running back Blake Corum, who failed to hold it. As the ball ricocheted off his hands, Jones dived and caught the ball, which the referees ruled as an interception.

The Rams coaches and players watched their former teammate celebrate that. But the video replay gave a twist. When Jones caught the ball, it also hit the ground through his hands, forcing the referees to reverse the decision and rule it as an incomplete pass.

Three plays later, Stafford fired the ball to his right, and Puka Nacua made no mistake in catching it. He was already in the clear space and ran to his left while scoring the touchdown. Despite the Rams retaking the lead, the Seahawks had one final answer. But the Hawks won the game, 38-37, by scoring a touchdown and the two-point conversion.

Seattle’s quarterback, Sam Darnold, had three offensive players on his right. But tight end Eric Saubert ran through the Rams’ defense and caught the pass for the game-winning touchdown, completing the epic victory. Jones replied to his former team in the post-game interview on the sidelines.

“They wanted to laugh me in the face. They thought this sh-t was over with. But right here we played to the last snap, last whistle. And we showed it off today,” Jones said after the win.

However, the game had another heated moment that grabbed attention.

Rams’ Puka Nacua fought Seahawks’ Nick Emmanwori

It started at the 2:18 mark in regulation when receiver Puka Nacua was involved in a heated exchange with the safety Julian Love. But his teammate and rookie safety, Nick Emmanwori, approached Nacua and took the heat on himself. They used plenty of words against each other as the referee separated Nacua.

Although the two players were separated before the timeout, they yelled at each other while pointing fingers at each other. The rookie was involved in a tough contest with tight end Colby Parkinson on the 2nd & 15 play after the timeout before letting go of each other’s jerseys.

However, Seattle lost Emmanwori later in the game. The player was evaluated for a concussion and didn’t return to the field. Fortunately, head coach Mike Macdonald clarified that Emmanwori cleared the concussion protocol.

In the end, it was a crazy game.

The Seahawks had never won a game, losing all 172 games when they trailed by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter. But the story was different this time around. On the other hand, the Rams had won 323 games while losing only once when leading by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter, but Ernest Jones had the last laugh.