It wasn’t Woolen’s initial yapping that caused the penalty, but his continued jawing at the Rams’ bench after repeated efforts by the officials to go to his own bench were ignored that brought out the laundry.
In the immediate aftermath, there was some frustration on the Seahawks’ sideline. What could have been a play that tilted the contest in Seattle’s favor — getting the ball, up double-digits — turned the game into a barnburner.
Luckily for Woolen, the Seahawks defense tightened up on the Rams’ next possession, denying Matthew Stafford the end zone on fourth-and-4 to keep a four-point lead. Seattle’s offense then milked most of the clock to secure a trip to the Super Bowl.
“We just told each other you’ve got to keep going, keep playing,” defensive lineman Byron Murphy II said. “We have Riq’s back no matter what. No matter if it’s a positive or negative thing, you’ve just got to keep going.”
“I said, ‘Don’t do that again, obviously. But I love you, and you’re gonna make plays for us,’ ” safety Julian Love added. “That’s how we approach what’s next.”
The Seahawks will need Woolen, who was one of three Seattle defenders with multiple passes defended in the NFC Championship Game, joining rookie Nick Emmanwori (three) and Devon Witherspoon (two), who made the TD-saving play on fourth down, as they head to Santa Clara to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
“He just made an emotional decision and we got to pick him up,” coach Mike Macdonald said of Woolen. “That’s not the time to point (the finger), get all upset. You’ve got to go play the next play and score and go rebound back and go back. Riq came back and played well the rest of the game. So I mean, it literally is like ’12 As One’. Just keep picking each other up.”