THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The night the Seahawks were happy to go backwards

Imagine a stunning cliff in Yellowstone. 

A herd of rams frolic in the early evening. 

All together, they howl: “NO!” 

These beasts, a specific breed known as the Los Angeles Rams, are uniformly angry — believing that a flock of predatory birds have stolen their dinner. 

Can that be true? 

The answer is yes, but only in the National Football League, where any damn thing can happen and be ruled legal unless someone (like the U.S. Forest and Game Commission) changes what’s fair and what’s not. 

Before the next season, too. 

We know all these facts to be true, because a strange chunk of weirdness last Thursday night could possibly have cost the Rams a shot at the NFC West championship. 

Was it bizarre? 

Yes. 

Legal? 

Yes. 

Considered fair by fans of the Seattle Seahawks? 

Oh, more than fair. 

Hilarious. 

You surely know the basics of this crazy play by now, even though you likely don’t understand exactly what happened. 

In other words, you know that the Seahawks won 38-37 in overtime, which is good enough, right? 

The Hawk Nation will devour it. 

Happily. 

SO, WHAT actually happened, and why was it deemed legal by the legal beagles at the NFL? 

The background: Seattle was mounting a furious fourth-quarter comeback after getting blown out of downtown. 

The Rams led 30-14 and it was no fluke. 

But. 

Seeming to zoom out of nowhere, Seattle punt returner Rashid Shaheed took one 58 yards to the house. 

Tack on a two-point conversion and, suddenly, it was “Game On!” at 30-22. 

I’ll spare you the next few minutes of slugging back and forth, but eventually, the fired-up Seahawks scored again on a postcard-perfect toss from Sam Darnold to AJ Barner. 

A tie would benefit the Rams and do nothing for Seattle, so Mike Macdonald tried for two again. 

The play failed. 

Apparently. 

Darnold’s quick toss was blocked by defensive lineman Jared Verse, who was locked up with reserve tackle Josh Jones. 

Millions of people throughout the Northwest screamed: “OH, PSHAW!” 

(That’s an old-fashioned exclamation which can be found in dusty library books, and it basically means: “Throw the damn ball higher, Sam!”) 

The glass-half-empty crowd among us gave up at that spot. 

Doggone Rams come north and wiggle away with another win. 

Ugh! 

IT TURNS out, though, that this crew of referees had attended the same “University of Loose Balls Bouncing at the Goal Line” as the rest of us. 

After giving the Rams an appropriate time to celebrate, and imagine what they’ll do with their playoff checks, the refs yanked on the reins. 

The announcement almost blew up Lumen Field. 

Turns out that a ball dribbling forward — just like a fumbled pitch-out — is live, live, live. 

You can grab it and I’ll buy a villa on Martinique, if you’re cool with speaking French. 

I’m not going to list all the enjoyable options here, or I’d wind up babbling along like Jacques Cousteau. 

Anyhow. 

The Rams are unhappy, which seems like a good thing. 

The Hawks are two games away from winning the West, assuming they survive Carolina and the 49ers. 

Happy days, perhaps.

Email: [email protected] 

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens. 

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”