Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Sean McVay

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I'm never really short on words. I am now. This is tough. But this is sports, and you've got to be able to go with it.

What can you tell the team?

To be honest, I love this team, and I wasn't ready to stop working with them. I thought we had two more weeks together. But I am really grateful for each of those individuals and the collective. It's as special of a group that, top to bottom, as I've ever been around. It's coaches and players included. Sports, it represents a lot of different things. It's a beautiful thing, though. This game has brought me some of the most special relationships that I'll cherish. That's what this team has done. And this was a special year. I think it's hard to fathom that it's over. It will take some time. But, nothing but gratitude. That's what I want them to know.

Hindsight is tough in a situation like this, but on your last offensive possession, it looked like you were running down about to call a timeout.

I was. We had our chances. I thought about it, and didn't decide to do it. It obviously didn't work out for us. But I thought our guys played well. W e got a lot of what we wanted today. I felt good about the way our guys executed, specifically on the offensive side. That was a situation where we just kind of came up short. They kind of lucked out on two guys peel on Kyren right there, I know that can't be a part of their design. Fortuitous bust by them. But they're an excellent team. You don't take away anything. They earned the win. And they're NFC champs for a reason.

Special teams has been an issue this year. Just one error tonight.

I know. It's tough, because X-man (Xavier Smith) has been so reliable, and he bobbed the first one. We were lucky to get back on it. That one, it was costly. I love him. He's done a great job. And obviously Kyren (Williams) did a nice job being able to field it from that point on. That was a tough one where we get a great stop coming out of the second half. You feel like you'll be able to get some good momentum. Then they score on the very first play after we turn it back over to open it up to an 11-point lead. I love the way that offensively we went right down the field in four plays. I just thought there was a lot of resolve, a lot of resilience from our group. And we just came up short today.

Fourth-and-4 at the six, can you talk about the play, to (Terrance) Ferguson?

You're talking about the one where we ended up coming up short? Yeah, I mean they were bringing a zero. They ended up peeling two guys. Can't imagine that's what they were really trying to do kind of trying to move off schedule. And I'll have to go back and look at it, but there was the other opportunities on the previous play that we could have converted on that one, too.

Your group, since '22, in coming back and putting this thing back together, you guys have gotten a step closer every single time. How do you figure out the next step in all of this?

Well, I mean I think you make a couple of plays tonight and we're talking about a different thing. I don't think it's as simple as that. You start all over. I mean, you know that. And that's what's so hard because to get to these positions there's so much work and so much time. Things have to go your way, you have to stay healthy. It's a special group. You know this, and I know you know this, and I'm not minimizing the question. It doesn't work like that. You've got to make these plays and you've got to capitalize on these opportunities when you get the chances. And Seattle was able to do that and we weren't. But doesn't take away my love and appreciation for this football team.

Do you expect Matthew Stafford to be back next season?

If he still wants to play. What the hell kind of a question is that? Yeah. You have to ask him. We've been totally present. I know that if he wants to, he's still playing at a pretty damn good clip. He's the MVP of the league. If he's not, I've got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that's just different. I appreciate you guys this year. Thank you.

QB Matthew Stafford

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Can you weigh your feelings?

Obviously at this point, we lost to a great football team we just played. I feel like it was a great effort. Really good football game. Obviously didn't come out on top. It's a tough pill to swallow at the moment.

Sean (McVay) kind of felt like, for lack of a better word, that the covers they had wasn't normal on the fourth-down, to bring two guys?

They double peeled on the back. It's just a mishap by them, but lucked into covering our guy. Couple chances down there; didn't make it happen.

How would you kind of evaluate how you played this season. Will you be back next year?

I can't generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss. Appreciate the guys in this locker room a whole hell of a lot, everybody that helped me and helped our team be as successful as we were this year. And that's all I'll answer for you.

As the leader of the team what do you say to Xavier Smith in that spot?

I told him that I love him. And I do. The guy wants to go out there and make every play he possibly can and sometimes it doesn't happen. I've been in those situations. And it doesn't change how I feel about the human being and the person and the player. Love the guy. Trust him and wish nothing but the best for him. Obviously a mistake that he doesn't want to have happen. But we had our opportunities after that to grab hold of the game and make enough plays to win. We just didn't do it.

You guys did it in the first two playoff games. Did it have the similar kind of feel that you were going to be able to get it done?

Yeah. I actually feel like we moved the ball better today than we probably did in some of those instances in the other games. So we had some opportunities, like I said. Could have been a little bit better in some areas as always, every game, but still give ourselves some opportunities to win it in the fourth quarter. Didn't happen. And it's a tough one.

Is this exactly the game that you expected, back and forth the whole way?

I think it came down to whole lot more than just that. It was a battle the whole game. It wasn't like we were all just waiting for one play here or there. There's a million plays in a football game that can turn the tide. And we had our opportunities; didn't make it.

(On his postgame interaction with Cooper Kupp..)

I was just trying to find him, just trying to find him and tell him good luck.

RB Kyren Williams

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On if he can put into words the emotions on display in the locker room...)

It's unfortunate. We know we're a lot better. We know we'll be better. It just sucks the way it came out.

On what he'll reflect on when he thinks about this season...

How resilient this team was, through anything and everything, all the adversity we overcame and still got to the point we deserved to be here and we're going to keep finishing.

On how close this game was...

We've just got to stay consistent. What happened in the game is over now, but we've got to be consistent and sustain drives and put the ball in the end zone.

On if it's hard to accept the season is over...

Yeah, it's definitely tough, just knowing the caliber of guys who are in this locker room, the caliber of guys who show up each and every day to go to work with. It sucks that it has to end this way, but I'm proud of every single man in this locker room for the resiliency that we showed throughout the season. The season was a long season. It wasn't easy. We continued to keep fighting, and I'm excited for next year.

On if Seattle did something different that caused the next-to-last drive to stall...

Honestly, I've got to do better. When we called that free release choice route, I've got to break out. That's a touchdown. It didn't go our way. Learn from it, go on and do better for it.

On if he was surprised that two defenders peeled on him...

Yeah, they peeled on me. Like I said, I gotta stop thinking that I can just go out there and make a play. Just continue to go back to the basics. When I've got two droppers on me, just break out instead of just doing what I did. So I've got to be better for that.

CB Cobie Durant

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On if this was the kind of game he was expecting...

We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game.

On if it's surprising Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes while under pressure...

Sam's a great quarterback. He makes good passes. He did what he had to do

On his emotions after a close loss...

Man, this team has a lot of heart. Each and every day we're happy to go to work. It's a brotherhood. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win. It is what it is.

On what he felt watching Matthew Stafford on his final drive...

The feeling that I always have: Get the ball back to Matt. That's the main thing. Just get the ball back to Matthew Stafford and that will work.

DE Kobie Turner

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On Seattle's performance...

Obviously they have a lot of really good players, and they made plays when the opportunity presented itself. We were getting some good pressure, but they were ultimately able to make the plays that they needed. That's a really good football team. But I'm super proud of these guys with the way we continued to fight regardless of what it looked like, regardless of what it felt like. Honestly, I'm just honored to be part of this team and to have been on this journey with these guys. That's the most special art of all of this. Obviously this one stings. But the most special part is this journey.

On plays that could have changed the outcome of this game...

I honestly can't think of too many. I'm just proud of the way that these guys fought. For me, I'm more so just thinking of the fact that I wasn't able to go out there for the last quarter and a half. That's what really stuck with me. I was just trying to lead as best I can. I just wish I was able to go out and try to make more of an impact. I felt I was getting back there, get them out tonight. I felt like I was due, and right at that moment I got injured.

On the injury...

We thought it was a cramp at first. Came in, got an IV. Cramp wasn't breaking, came back out, got the whole IV bag, got fluids in me, food in me, which I had already been pumping throughout the whole time. I tried to push off, and I couldn't push off, so we think it's more of a strain. We'll figure out more tomorrow. But if there was any way for me to be out there on that field with those guys, I would have tried to put on a leg sleeve. I tried to go out there, didn't get the OK. At that point, you just sit back and try to lead the best that you can. If I couldn't use my legs and my hands to help this team win I figured I would use my voice and try the best that I could. And those guys fought, honestly. I'm super proud of them. Super proud of my guys from the D-line room. They fought. Having only four guys in that rotation and having to grind through a four-minute drill, I'm super proud of them. Super proud of this whole defense. I just wish I was able to be out there with the guys.

On being able to rattle Sam Darnold in the first two meetings but not tonight...

That's a good player. Obviously, he's continued to elevate his game. He's continued to learn from his mistakes. We were able to start to get some pressure on him , and when we really got him in situations that we could really get after the passer, we were really successful. But yeah, in some of those moments, sudden change, opportunities. Some of those times they were just able to create a big play. He was locked in; he was able to make that play. That's kind of the story of defense, right? You eliminate explosives, then we felt really good about it, when we eliminated those explosives, when it was third and long and we were getting off the field. I wish I could say that's what we're going to continue to focus on two weeks from now, but next year, I guess.

S Quentin Lake

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On how the game went

It probably wasn't up to our standard, honestly. It's tough. We battled, we fought hard. I'm not going to say the effort wasn't there, the effort was definitely there. Sometimes you just come up short. The offense was doing its thing, and we had chances to get stops in critical situations, and the ball just didn't bounce our way. It's unfortunate, but there area lot of things to be proud of for this season. I'm with Coach McVay on everything. I really thought we were going to be up there on the podium, but it just didn't happen.

On forcing mistakes on Darnold in the first two games of the season, and none this game. 52 seconds

He played a good game. I think one thing that we wish we could have done was turn the ball over, get a turnover, and we just weren't able to do that. Credit to them, they played a good game, had a good scheme, and obviously did what they needed to do to win the game.

On what he saw on Cooper Kupp's 1st down catch at the end of the game

Usually when you get into positions like that, it's 'does the receiver have possession all the way down to the ground'. The refs, they make a call, and you have to honor it, and you have to keep playing. That wasn't the finality of the game in that moment. That play wasn't the final play so you just got to keep playing and understand that we had opportunities even after that to continue on and potentially win the game, and the ball just didn't bounce our way.

WR Davante Adams

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On his emotions right now

Heartbreak. It's tough. It's tough to talk.

On how excited he is on the future of this team and being a part of it

I mean, it's tough to focus on that right now. It's a tough, tough moment we are in right now, so process the emotions of this and then worry about that. Obviously I love this team, I love what this team is about and the fight that we had all year, and it just sucks to come up short.

On what he saw on the 4th and 6 for the Rams at the end of the game

They basically emptied it out, they brought a little pressure and thought we'd have some action with the play that we called just based off what they presented. They made it tough. It's just football, sometimes that's what happens, they get back there and things start getting speeded up, and it was a good play for them.

On what it's been like playing with Matthew Stafford

It's been a dream. It's one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game, and one of the coolest teammates I have ever had. I know I use that term with him a lot, but truly, I don't know if I've ever played with someone who's a baller and such an easy guy to function with. I sit behind him on the plane, so you know we get to chat there, sit next to him in the offensive meetings, pretty close too. So just being able to spend time with him this year and get to know him a little bit more than across the NFC North, I value it a lot.

WR Puka Nacua

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On how he would describe his emotions on the way that game ended on that final drive

I thought about the first third down. We threw an in-breaker to me, and I didn't come down with it. I think of the shot opportunity that we had in the red zone on a safety and just not being on the same page as Matthew (Stafford). Just the opportunities that I missed. The third down opportunities knowing that the ball is coming and that we are passing the ball and the opportunity for us to make plays is right there, and not being able to come down with them, all those moments kind of flash by in your head, and I apologize to our defense for putting them in those situations, because we felt that we could have executed to make that game easier for them.

On what he saw on the 4th and 6 play near the end of the game

I was in as the number three, dropped the fronter from the line of scrimmage, and I had somebody over there. We were on the backside of the concept, I didn't get a chance to see what happened on the front side, and then quick scramble moves. Just in the red zone, everything happens faster, less space for the defense to cover, and I still haven't got a chance to really see it. A great call by them, and I just think about the opportunities on that third down, just not being able to make plays so we can avoid fourth down situations, and put ourselves in a better position to go out there and score touchdowns.

On what he said to Cooper Kupp after the game

My mentor, a friend to me, and I know I wanted to see him, and be able to congratulate him on the game he had, and then also congratulate him on the opportunity to go out there and play for another super bowl. I understand how much hard work and sacrifice goes into a season, and I can only imagine how it's big for him. I love that dude, I'm super proud of him, and I can't wait to watch him.