There was a sign held by one of the 66,336 in attendance at raucous Qwest Field that read as follows: 7-9 is the new 10-6. The Seattle Seahawks, in defeating the St. Louis Rams last weekend, won their division with a 7-9 record. In taking the NFC West crown they hosted the first game of the NFL postseason, but were given little chance of defeating the 10-6 defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. In Vegas, the odds of them prevailing was pitted at 11-1.
Shocking even the die-hards, they had the look of a team with their opponent’s record early and often. Matt Hasselbeck, who was playing so poorly earlier this season that first-year head coach Pete Carroll had to tell the media he was sticking with the 12-year veteran, threw darts all over the field. After falling behind 17-7, he propelled the Seahawks back into contention by orchestrating three second-quarter scoring drives. The final was capped off by a beautiful 45-yard pass to Brandon Stokley, giving Seattle a 24-17 lead and notching his third touchdown throw of the game.
Even though they had the home-field advantage, that they had gathered such momentum was difficult to comprehend. This was a team that had relatively no offense to speak of during the regular season, ranking second-to-last in rush yards per game while getting mediocre production from their quarterback and wide-receivers.
They held a 24-20 lead at halftime and remarkably shut the Saints out in the third quarter while extending their advantage behind Hasselbeck’s fourth touchdown pass and, finishing off another efficient drive, an all-important field goal. One had to look twice at the score–which stood at 34-20 entering the final frame–to believe it. It was that stunning.
Hasselbeck, who wrenched his back scoring a touchdown in their 38-15 loss to Tampa Bay in Week 16, was, in Carroll’s words, “ridiculously good” in his return. New Orleans defense struggled, giving receivers too much space. Cornerback Roman Harper had an especially forgettable performance, as his assignment scored three touchdowns. But Hasselbeck’s poise and accuracy was the biggest reason why Seattle held their advantage.
Now, if only they could hold this lead. At times in the third, Seattle looked like a 7-9 team. And they came up empty early in the fourth. Saints quarterback Drew Brees capitalized on the Seahawks struggles, as ten points were scored by New Orleans to pull within four, but they could have scored much more. To end the first half they had to settle for a chip-shot field goal. After driving deep into Seattle’s territory early in the final period they had to settle for another, as the Seahawks got another much-needed stop.
Then came the biggest play in franchise history. Seattle was trying to shave some ticks off the clock, but Marshawn Lynch made sure they would do much more than that. Acquired in a mid-season trade from Buffalo, the fifth year running back out of the University of California broke loose. Just under the four-minute mark, he received the handoff from Hasselbeck 67 yards from the end-zone and somehow, someway reached the promise land.
It appeared he would be stopped for a short gain, as his running lane was clogged. He managed to find the smallest seam and proceeded to break eight tackles before diving jubilantly into the end-zone. It was unbelievable, breathtaking, and oh-so memorable. He would not be denied, shrugging off arm tackles and stiff-arming more determined defenders. The run was his longest since his junior year at California. And the burst turned a win deemed impossible to obtain into reality. Inthe words of Seattle Times’ Danny O’Neil, “The run was as hard to believe as the game it won.”
After the clock was drained by Hasselbeck, bedlam ensued. Cheering in the stands, celebrating on the field, fans and players alike basked in victory. Carroll embraced his QB, then spoke to reporters:
“We kind of expected to win. I know that sounds crazy, but we did expect to win. The fact that it happened, it’s just kind of like, we want to take it in stride and go to the next one. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s the way the mindset of this team was.”
The words “kind of” and “crazy” stand out. Their usage exemplifies how unexpected and wild this win was. The Seattle Seahawks defied extraordinary odds. Their defense, which ranked 27th in pass defense, allowed Brees to throw for 404 yards, but got stops and forced New Orleans to settle when in mattered. Hasselbeck had a few rough possessions, but those four touchdown drives erased years of playoff disappointment for the quarterback. Then there was Lynch, who etched his name alongside Hasselbeck’s in Seattle lore, overpowering the Saints in helping pull of an upset of epic proportions.
Popularity: 1%
Author and owner of the Swamigp’s Sports Blog, Nick loves to write about his hometown Portland Trail Blazers as well as the Boston Red Sox. 