Seattle Claws It's Way Back
By Anthony Bertacchi/KHTK Sports 1140
The Seattle Seahawks are headed to their second consecutive Big Game in two weeks after one of the strangest victories you may ever see. There are certain times you watch a game from beginning to end and still have no words to describe what happened. The Patriots vs. Giants Super Bowl in 2007 comes to mind as well as the Music City Miracle in 1999. You watch the plays, you see the comeback and yet, when someone asks how Team X beat Team Y, you stare back at them as if they spoke to you the entire time in Mayan.
The game started off as an Oprah Winfrey special for both the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. You get an interception! You get an interception! You get a fumble on the kickoff! Back and forth it went until halftime where the Packers had a 16-0 lead, thanks to three interceptions by Russell Wilson. The Packers didn't capitalize on every opportunity but remained in control of the game.
So, if you're the Seattle Seahawks in this metaphorical scenario what do you do? The entire game is spiraling for you and you need to do something different. Every pass that Wilson throws is seemingly caught by the other team and Seattle's infamous crowd is relatively silent.
The answer, oddly enough, came in the form of the punter, Jon Ryan, and a fake field goal. Down 16-0, and in need of some type of spark, Seattle decides to run a fake field goal. Ryan gets the ball, scrambles to his left and throws an off-balanced prayer to an undrafted rookie offensive lineman for a 19-yard touchdown.
Congratulations, bully for you, however that score didn't win the game for the Seahawks. It's a nice start but Green Bay showed no plans of stopping at that point. Even after the touchdown Wilson still had his issues. After the punter prayer Wilson threw a fourth interception. At that point people in Seattle channeled their inner Heat fans and started to head toward their cars.
We had finally seen the "Bad Russell Wilson" playoff game. Before this game Wilson had a total of 9 touchdowns to one interception in the playoffs. In a way, he was due. You can't be perfect every time out. Even Eddie Murphy had a movie called Best Defense in the middle of 48 Hrs., Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop.
Then, as if some magical pause button had been pushed, Russell Wilson became Joe Montana level clutch mixed with Eli Manning's luck.
First, you have to get lucky. That luck came in the untimely misfortune of poor Brandon Bostick, a third string tight end on an onside kick. His job was to block on an onside kick, nothing else. Instead, the ball came towards him, instincts kick in and it bounces off of him and into Seattle's hands. If you believe in momentum at all or have seen any sports movie you know what happens next. Marshawn Lynch scored (and celebrated in a not so PG style) and Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass two yards away from the end zone. The result was a win for the Seahawks after a dozen breaks went the Seahawks way.
Now Bostick plays the Scott Norwood, Bill Buckner and Kyle Williams role for a little while. It's not his fault that they lost, by any means, but that small opening left that metaphorical door open for the Seahawks.
After that final interception Wilson completed 5-6 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown (101 yards if you include the 2 yard 2 point conversion pass).
The game was emotional, the game was exciting and the game will be remembered for years to come. Then the Patriots habitually line stepped again and now the next two weeks will be spent dissecting how illegal it is to deflate footballs.