The Los Angeles Rams are proposing an NFL rule change this offseason, according to a report by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, after a controversial call cost them in a Week 16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The proposals surround a two-point play late in the Seahawks’ victory when quarterback Sam Darnold threw a pass toward running back Zach Charbonnet, who was initially aligned to the sideline, just off the line of scrimmage, before coming in motion toward Darnold.
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The pass was deflected by Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, and was nearly intercepted by Los Angeles safety Kam Curl before falling to the ground in the end zone. When the ball landed, the officials’ whistles blew and the play was signaled incomplete, but Charbonnet went over and picked up the ball in the end zone regardless, while the other 21 players on the field stopped.
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 14, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
But after a replay review, it was ruled that Darnold’s pass down the line of scrimmage toward Charbonnet was a backward pass, and therefore a live ball when it hit the ground, even though it ended up in front of the line of scrimmage after Verse’s deflection.
While the specific language set to be proposed by the Rams has not been revealed, the idea of the proposals will be to eliminate the loopholes in the process that helped the Seahawks.
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“I’ve never seen anything or never been a part of anything like that, and I’ve grown up around this game,” Rams coach Sean McVay said after the game. “I’m not making excuses. We don’t do that. I don’t believe in that. It doesn’t move us forward, but we do want clarity and an understanding of the things that we can do to minimize that when we rejected the two-point conversion.”
The Seahawks went on to win the game, and the NFC West, meaning that when the teams met again in the NFC Championship game, that contest was played in Seattle, and not in Los Angeles. The Seahawks won that game, 31-27, before beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
Teams frequently submit rules proposals, and they are voted on at the annual owner’s meetings, which will be held this year at the end of March in Phoenix, Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Rams Request NFL Rule Change after Controversial Call vs. Seahawks
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