Every few years, the NFL makes taunting a “point of emphasis” for the coming season. That’s a kind way of saying to the officials, “You haven’t been doing your jobs properly. Please start doing so.”

And even with taunting and sportsmanship a point of emphasis again in 2025, the game officials still call taunting far too inconsistently. That fact is proven almost every week, when the league imposes fines for taunting fouls that weren’t flagged in real time.

On Sunday, in a key moment of the NFC Championship, the officials flagged Seattle cornerback Riq Woolen for taunting. His conduct was aimed not at any one opponent, but at the Rams’ sideline. Which conjured a memory of the ridiculous taunting call on former Bears defensive end Cassius Marsh for mean-mugging the Steelers’ sideline during a 2021 Monday night game, the last time taunting was a “point of emphasis.”

The 15-yard foul and automatic first down saved the Rams from having to punt while down 11 points with 17:20 to play.

While Woolen crossed the line, the problem is no one truly knows where the line is — and when or if the officials will be policing it in real time. Taunting doesn’t get called on a regular basis. Which sends mixed signals to players and teams about what is and isn’t acceptable. Which sets the stage for a player to surrender to a human moment without realizing that they’re setting themselves up for a foul.

Complicating matters for Woolen was the fact that (if you watch the broadcast closely) his generalized taunt eventually put him in the vicinity of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. And Stafford was not pleased. Which worked against Woolen on the very next play, when he was covering Rams receiver Puka Nacua. Stafford targeted Woolen and the eleven-point lead shrunk to four in a flash.

It’s impressive that the Seahawks were able to keep things from snowballing, especially after Woolen and defensive back Nick Emmanwori were jawing on the sideline in the aftermath of the drive. The point for now is that inconsistency in officiating creates plenty of issues, including confusing players, coaches, viewers who don’t know what will, and won’t, spark a flag.

The situation justifies a conversation on whether the whole get-off-my-lawn approach to taunting should be revisited. The league’s thinking is that taunting creates hard feelings that will prompt the tauntee to look for a way to get back at the taunter later in the game, possibly by inflicting a big hit (legal or otherwise).

They say it’s rooted in sportsmanship. The truth is that it comes from the broader concern about player safety. And if one player isn’t looking for a way to take a free shot at another player, the chances of an extra concussion or two landing on the total annual number of head injuries are minimized — which contributes to a valuable P.R. mechanism for arguing that the game is “safer than ever.”

And which in turn justifies the ongoing obsession for an 18th regular-season game.

At some point, however, the league may need to admit that the officials simply can’t (or won’t) pull the trigger on every taunt that happens. And if the league isn’t willing to abandon the no-taunting position, maybe the better approach is to treat taunting like the hip-drop tackle, which is rarely if ever flagged and which is addressed after the fact with fines.

Super Bowl 60 is set, and the odds are already out for the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots!

The odds at FanDuel Sportsbook list the Seahawks as favorites against the AFC champions, with Seattle sitting at -240 on the money line, while the Patriots come in at +198. Those odds reflect the common thought around the league: that the winner of the NFC Championship game would be the favorite entering Super Bowl 60, regardless of whether it would have been the Los Angeles Rams or Seahawks.

On the spread, Seattle is favored by -4.5, just a tad larger than a field goal, which notes that the oddsmakers expect this to still be a largely competitive Super Bowl. The total is set at 46.5, with the over priced at -105 and the under priced at -115. This indicates that oddsmakers expect this to be a back-and-forth game, while still showing some respect to both the Patriots and Seahawks’ defenses.

The biggest matchup looks to be the Seahawks defense versus the MVP hopeful quarterback, Drake Maye. The Seahawks showed dominance all season, however they just gave up 27 points to the Rams and another MVP hopeful quarterback, Matthew Stafford. In turn, Sam Darnold and the offense had one of their most impressive games against the Rams. They will look to keep that momentum up against the surging Patriots’ defense.

At the end of the day, despite the general consensus leaning towards the Seahawks being the favorites. These odds still reflect a closely contested game. For NFL fans, that is very welcome, especially after a non-competitive Super Bowl 59 last season. However, for Seahawks fans, many of them would be happy with a larger win similar to Super Bowl 48 rather than a close one that ended up in a Seahawks loss in Super Bowl 49.

(Skyline at dusk with Seahawks colors and 12 flag on Space Needle – photo by Greg Snyder)

Wondering what’s up before and after – maybe even during – The Game? Here’s our highlight list from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you’ll find more listings!):

SUNDAY FUNDAY RUNDAY: The Westies Run Club starts its 9 am run at Dough Joy Donuts today. (4310 SW Oregon)

FREE WEST AFRICAN DANCE CLASS: Go get moving! 9:30 am at South Park Hall (1253 S. Cloverdale).

AMERICAN MAH JONGG: Also in The Junction, weekly Sunday morning games at the new location of The Missing Piece (4707 California SW), 9:30 am.

SUNDAY MORNING MEDITATION: See if there’s space in the small-group meditation session at 9:30 am at Mama Be Well Healing Studio (4034 California SW).

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-1 pm, prospective families and students are invited to visit the school. (34th/Myrtle; WSB sponsor).

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Open as usual on California SW between Oregon and Alaska, 10 am-2 pm, now in winter produce-and-products season – roots, greens, peppers, mushrooms, beans, garlic, apples, more – plus lots of baked goods, cheeses, meats, fish, prepared foods, condiments, pasta, more.

FREE NIA CLASS: Begins at 10:15 am; first class free if you pre-register. At Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary. (3618 SW Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool but don’t need to, or can’t, buy it? You’ll probably be able to borrow it from the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

WEST SEATTLE RESIST: Regular weekly West Seattle Resist Sunday sign-holding event, 11:30 am-1:30 pm. South of Farmers’ Market. (California SW and SW Alaska)

HOLY ROSARY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Noon-1:30 pm, prospective families and students are invited to visit. (42nd SW and SW Genesee)

WELCOME ROAD WINERY: Spend part of your Sunday afternoon relaxing at this West Seattle tasting room (with a patio!) open 2-5 pm, kids and dogs welcome. (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor)

WEST SEATTLE CLASSIC NOVELS (AND MOVIES) BOOK CLUB: 2:30 pm chat, 3 pm discussion, second half of “Dr. Zhivago” is this month’s topic at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

SEAHAWKS GO FOR NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: 3:30 pm game at Lumen Field vs. the L.A. Rams. If you’re going, remember you can take the West Seattle Water Taxi because Metro is adding postgame sailings.

TRIVIA AT MR. B’S MEAD CENTER: 5 pm to 8 pm, trivia with host Morgue Anne, free to play! (9444 Delridge Way SW)

FREE COMMUNITY MEAL: 5:30 pm at Bethany West Seattle (8600 9th SW), everyone’s welcome to enjoy a free hot meal.

ASTRA LUMINA: Celestially inspired light show on the grounds of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, 5:30 pm and onward tonight. Tickets and info here.

UNDERGROUND TRIVIA AT CORNER POCKET: 7:30 pm, free to play, win prizes! (4302 SW Alaska)

LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: 8-10 pm, wrap up your weekend with live music with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW).

Are you planning, organizing, and/or publicizing something that we could add to the WSB community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!