Seahawks taunting penalty led to Rams TD in controversial NFC Championship sequence

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Seahawks taunting penalty led to Rams TD in controversial NFC Championship sequence

Was this a legit taunting penalty in Seahawks-Rams?

by Ricky O'DonnellJan 26, 2026, 2:13 AM UTC

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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

The Seattle Seahawks were in control after they stopped the Los Angeles Rams on third down in the third quarter of the 2026 NFC Championship Game. The Seahawks were leading 31-20, and were about to get the ball back at the end of the period to see if they could put the game away.

Instead, the refs called a taunting penalty on Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen that gave the Rams new life. On the first play after the penalty, Matthew Stafford found Puka Nacua for a spectacular 34-yard touchdown that suddenly put Los Angeles back in the game.

Here’s the taunting penalty on Woolen. It feels like a soft call to make in that moment.

Here’s another angle:

The next play, the Rams threw at Woolen, and he got burned. Nacua made an incredible diving catch for a touchdown that was upheld by the officials after review. The touchdown made it Seahawks 31, Rams 27 going into the fourth quarter.

Watch the play here:

This has been a great game, and this is the defining sequence so far with the New England Patriots awaiting in Super Bowl LV.

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