One play that ultimately decided the NFC title game came in the fourth quarter with the Los Angeles Rams on the doorstep of the end zone. Needing just 6 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-4, the Seattle Seahawks stopped the Rams by breaking up Matthew Stafford’s pass.
After the game, Sean McVay said the Seahawks “lucked into” having two defenders on Kyren Williams, calling it a “fortuitous bust” that took away Stafford’s first read.
“They kind of lucked into having two guys peel on Kyren right there,” McVay said. “I know that can’t be part of their design, so it’s a fortuitous bust by them. But they’re an excellent team. You don’t take away anything. They earned the win and they’re NFC champs for a reason.”
Drop 8 to win it.
How some unexpected double coverage confusion worked out perfectly to send the @Seahawks to the Super Bowl 👇#NFLTurningPoint on ESPN+ | @LRiddickESPNpic.twitter.com/pMtccM92JT
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 28, 2026
Mike Macdonald admitted in his postgame press conference that the Seahawks “actually didn’t even execute that play well,” but DeMarcus Lawrence – the defensive end who doubled Williams – says he just made a heads-up play.
For the first time on Thursday, Lawrence spoke about that pivotal play, refuting McVay’s claim that it was a lucky break for Seattle. He says Williams’ immediate release out of the backfield was an indicator that he was Stafford’s hot read, which caused him to drop and help safety Julian Love.
“The back was too fast,” Lawrence said. “You know, if it was a regular design and the back wasn’t his hot, the back would have waited to see if Julian was going to rush first and then flare it out. But he didn’t wait, so that was definitely an indicator – like, an ‘oh s—‘ moment, you know? The back is flaring out that fast, that means that’s his hot, so he’s going to the back first. Playing football as long as I’ve played, I‘ve seen so many formations and schemes. Like, you know, you start to pick up on those things.”
DeMarcus Lawrence explains why it was not a “fortuitous bust” on the 4th down play.
He read the back and deviated from his assignment intentionally.
The only luck involved was the Cowboys allowing @TankLawrence to leave the building. pic.twitter.com/yaKm3Zfg0p
— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) January 29, 2026
Lawrence spoke further about the play, directly responding to McVay’s claim that it was a lucky bust by the Seahawks. He says Stafford’s lack of mobility made him feel more confident dropping into coverage, knowing the Rams QB wasn’t going to scramble for the first down.
“Fortuitous bust? Yeah, man, I’ll take it. I’ll take it all day,” he said. “Understanding the type of scheme that he runs, I wasn’t threatened by Matt Stafford running the ball, so why not drop. Instinctual players will harp on looks to own, and if that’s one of the looks, why not go make a play instead of running for nothing?”
Love acknowledged that he was beat by Williams on the play, but Lawrence dropping into coverage and picking up the back saved him.
“I was a step too far upfield, and (Williams) got out pretty quick,” Love said. “It was a designed play, obviously, and D-Law, he just felt something funny going on, I think he thought it was a screen or some weird action because of how fast the back got out versus a pressure look. So something was off in his mind, and thankful he had the wherewithal to drop and clear screen, and then he just bailed into the zone. Obviously, he was in a great spot just off of instincts.
“And that was one of those, and thankfully he saved my a– on it. … It was just such a heads-up play by him.”
The Rams had several chances to win that game, both before and after the failed fourth-down attempt. If the defense had gotten a stop on the ensuing drive, or if the Rams had simply converted on second or third down in the plays prior, they might’ve been the ones preparing for the Patriots right now.
But they didn’t execute the way they expected to and came up just short of the Super Bowl.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Seahawks DE denies it was a ‘fortuitous bust’ on 4th down vs. Rams
