Seattle Team Grades: Seattle Avoids Meltdown, Wins in OT
Pack your bags 12th Man, the Seattle Seahawks are heading back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year. It certainly may not have been the way Seattle wanted to win, but they will gladly take an overtime comeback win. For the first half, it looked as though Green Bay was going to steamroll the 'Hawks as the Packers shut out Seattle 16-0.
Yet through some gutsy play calling, and a little luck, Seattle has the chance to be the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots won in 2004 and 2005. And as luck would have it, the Patriots are going to be Seattle's next opponent. If the Legion of Boom can perform like they did in last year's Super Bowl, they will have defeated both Manning and Brady in back-to-back seasons. Not a bad list of elite quarterbacks.
The Good
Marshawn Lynch gets an A
Beast Mode certainly lived up to his nickname today. He finished the game with 25 carries for 157 yards and a 24-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give the 'Hawks the lead. he also caught one pass for 26 yards giving him 181 yards of total offense on 26 touches for an impressive 6.9 yards per touch. Seattle would do well to give this man a few extra bags of Skittles for all the work he did today.
Doug Baldwin gets an A-
Baldwin may not have scored a touchdown today, but he was really the only consistent wide receiver for Seattle. He finished with eight receptions for 106 yards. Baldwin was the only 'Hawk to record more than two receptions and nobody else on the team had more than 35 receiving yards. If it wasn't for Baldwin's play, Seattle definitely would not have won this game.
The Bad
Seattle's First-Half Play gets an F
The Seahawks had seven first half possessions. In the first quarter, Seattle gained just three yards on six offensive plays. The first drive ended with an interception, the second was a fumble and the third drive ended with a punt. The second quarter wasn't much kinder to Seattle as they ran just 18 offensive plays, gained only 46 yards and recorded two additional interceptions. If this kind of playing happens in the Super Bowl, Seattle will be dead in the water.
The Ugly
Russell Wilson Gets a D-
Wilson did not have a good game by any stretch of the imagination. He finished the game just 14-29 for 209 passing yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Wilson didn't even lead the team in touchdown passes as punter Jon Ryan pulled off a masterful fake field goal. Just when Steve Hauschka went for the kick, Ryan snatched it away and tossed a 19-yard pass to tackle Garry Gilliam for Seattle's first points of the game.
Wilson did okay on the ground as he ran seven times for 25 yards and a touchdown. His passing touchdown came on the final play of the game. Wilson threw a 36-yard pass to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who was perfectly covered, to send Green Bay home. This is the only reason Wilson doesn't get an F.
Matthew Asher is a freelance journalist. From an early age, sports have played a major role in his life. He graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Journalism. After college he spent 2 years working with CNN Sports and still occasionally writes sports articles for several publications both in the United States and Canada. His work can be found on Examiner.com.