Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen could have gone from hero to goat during Sunday’s NFC Championship Game versus the Los Angeles Rams when he produced a huge third-down stop in the game’s third quarter, but then extended the Los Angeles offensive drive via a taunting penalty.
On the next play, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Puka Nacua beat Woolen for a 34-yard touchdown. While the Seahawks ultimately held on for a 31-27 win that punched their ticket to Super Bowl LX, Woolen understandably was upset at himself following the victory over what could have become a brutal mistake.
Tariq Woolen vows to learn from taunting miscue
“Even though I made a great play, I wasn’t great for my team,” Woolen acknowledged, per Andrew Destin of the Associated Press. “And I’ve got to be better with that and celebrate with the team. The next play, they scored a touchdown, and that wouldn’t have happened if I had just celebrated with the team.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is among the noteworthy analysts who have pointed out that the taunting rules are “not consistently applied” during NFL games. Nevertheless, some of Woolen’s teammates clearly weren’t thrilled with him after the penalty was immediately followed by a Rams touchdown.
“We just told each other you’ve got to keep going, keep playing,” Seahawks defensive lineman Byron Murphy II said about the team’s response to Woolen’s penalty. “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.”
Meanwhile, Seattle safety Julian Love said that he told Woolen to “don’t do that again, obviously.” Love also shared that he expressed his love for Woolen and confidence that the 26-year-old is “gonna make plays for us.”
The Seahawks may need contributions from multiple members of the secondary when they face a New England Patriots side that features Most Valuable Player Award finalist Drake Maye as its starting quarterback in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Seattle as a 4.5-point favorite over New England.
Seahawks will pick Tariq Woolen up after costly penalty
“He just made an emotional decision, and we got to pick him up,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald added about 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.”
If nothing else, Woolen will now know how to react and not react if he makes a huge stop at Levi’s Stadium on the second Sunday of February.