NFL Fans Are Convinced That Seahawks-Rams NFC Championship Game Was “Rigged” After Fishy Ending [VIDEOS]
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
NFL fans think the refs “rigged” the NFC Championship Game between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams after a questionable call involving wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
The Seahawks were leading 31-27, facing a critical 3rd-and-8 situation inside their own 30. Sam Darnold found Cooper Kupp to move the chains, as the officials ruled that he barely reached the first-down marker:
Cooper Kupp appeared slightly short on this gritty 3rd Down catch vs Cobie Durant in Man coverage. Refs initially ruled him to have the 1st Down with a little more than 3 minutes left, and Sean McVay didn’t challenge the spot.#Seahawks #SeattleSeahawks #Rams #NFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/nXTNEBUGj0
— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) January 26, 2026
Take a closer look, though, and it certainly looks like Kupp was short of the first down:
why didn’t they review this?
absolutely looks short when his shoulder hits the ground
McVay wanted to challenge & the refs told him not to
would have been 4th down pic.twitter.com/Rwskkb9G88
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 26, 2026
The Seahawks were able to bleed more clock, and the Rams ran out of time to complete the comeback. Thus, the first-down ruling for Kupp proved to be a significant factor in Seattle’s win.
And fans accused the NFL refs of “rigging” the game in favor of the home team.
“That is not a catch NFL is rigged,” a fan said.
That is not a catch NFL is rigged
— SteamDeckPower (@SteamDeckPower) January 26, 2026
“That is NOT a first. ROBBERY,“ a user commented.
That is NOT a first. ROBBERY
— BankHead (@Tippinbets) January 26, 2026
“Seahawks been getting glazed by refs all game,” another quipped.
Seahawks been getting glazed by refs all game
— ShaiOwnsUrFavoritePlayer (@shai4mvp2ez) January 26, 2026
“Garage Officiating: #Rams just got cheated out of a shot of getting the ball back!!” a fan commented.
Garage Officiating: #Rams just got cheated out of a shot of getting the ball back!!
Kupp doesn’t survive the ground with this catch.
The rules for a catch changes every week.#Seahawks move on. pic.twitter.com/dDXd5wU48D
— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) January 26, 2026
“Nacua gets out of bounds and the ref signals to end the game. wtf? Somehow the Cupp catch was a 1st down but Nacua wasn’t out of bounds? The NFL is blatantly rigged,” a user added.
Nacua gets out of bounds and the ref signals to end the game. wtf?
Somehow the Cupp catch was a 1st down but Nacua wasn’t out of bounds? The NFL is blatantly rigged.
Not a Rams fan, don’t hate the Hawks, don’t have money on the game. It’s just BS.
— David 🇭🇹🇬🇭🇱🇧 (@david_tk421) January 26, 2026
“The Bills got cheated. Kupp doesn’t survive the ground. Crazy rigged,” said a fan.
The Bills got cheated. Kupp doesn’t survive the ground. Crazy rigged.
— Fin (@Saint_FinX) January 26, 2026
For what it’s worth, the refs called four penalties on the Rams and six on the Seahawks, per ESPN. So, make of that as you will.
