A turning point for the Los Angeles Rams during the 2025 NFL season came in Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks. Leading by 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks scored two touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie the game. The second of those two-point conversions became a topic of controversy as Zach Charbonnet picked up the ball in the end zone after the play was over and was awarded the conversion.
According to CBS Sports, the Rams are expected to propose a rule change this offseason regarding how that play came to be. Said CBS,
“Sources tell CBS Sports the Rams are planning to propose rule changes that would effectively make the play an unsuccessful two-point try. The Rams plan to propose at least one rule change this offseason, sources say, and there may be a second proposal aimed at certain details around that play. Teams regularly submit rules proposals toward the start of the new league year, and many of those proposals come in around the time of next week’s NFL Scouting Combine. While the language remains unclear, one source with knowledge of the proposal(s) said the Rams’ goal is to “fix what went wrong in a few places.””
At the time, the play fell within the league’s interpretation of the rules. The play was ruled a backwards pass rather than a fumble and Charbonnet was ruled to pick up the ball in the end zone in the “immediate continuing action.” The immediate continuing action can certainly be argued, but that’s how it was ruled by NFL officials.
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The play came under further discussion a few weeks ago when it was discovered that Amazon rules analyst Terry McAulay made a call to the league during the game that instigated the review. The report from Pro Football Talk inferred that McAulay called the league office to discuss the play, which may have led to the review being initiated.
It will be interesting to see what wording the Rams look to change. Following the game, McVay said that he had never seen anything or never been a part of anything like that. Even if the Rams do propose a change, it would take 24 of the 32 league owners to agree for it to take effect at league meetings in March.
