porky88
  • porky88
  • Veteran Member Topic Starter
10 years ago
The quest for a repeat is alive and well.

The Seattle Seahawks overcame a 16-points halftime deficit to stun the Green Bay Packers in front of a rowdy crowd at CenturyLink Field. The victory sends Seattle to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season, making them the first NFC team to go to back-to-back Super Bowls since the Packers did it in 1996-97.

An abnormal journey gave us the expected outcome. Turnovers allowed Green Bay to jump out to an early lead. The Packers intercepted quarterback Russell Wilson three times in the first half, but their inability to finish in the red zone kept Seattle in the hunt. Green Bay made three trips to the red zone, scoring just one touchdown and settling for two field goals. Early in the first quarter, the Packers faced a fourth and goal from the one-yard line. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy opted to kick the field goal instead of going for the touchdown. McCarthy’s decision to kick will receive its share of scrutiny this week, but the Packers didn’t blow a 16-point lead because they didn’t go for a touchdown six minutes into the game. They lost because Seattle made the key second-half plays.

In my preview  of this game, I picked Seattle because I thought they’d make the big play in crunch time. The Seahawks needed more than just a big play or two, though. Nearly everything had to go their way in the second half, and that’s exactly what happened.

They converted a key third-and-19 midway through the third quarter when Wilson found a wide-open Doug Baldwin. Four plays later, they scored a 19-yard touchdown on a fake field goal when holder Jon Ryan hit Clint Gresham for the score. After cutting Green Bay’s lead to 19-14 in the fourth quarter, they recovered an onside kick after Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick failed to secure the ball. This led to Seattle taking their first lead of the game with less than two minutes remaining. Green Bay managed to force overtime, but the Packers never saw the ball in the extended period, as Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown to send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

In many ways, the Packers blew it more than Seattle won it. Green Bay mishandled two crucial plays late in the game. Wilson threw his fourth interception of the game with about five minutes remaining. Safety Morgan Burnett, who caught the ball off a deflection, went to the ground immediately after making the play. You don't go to the ground with five minutes left, and Burnett just learned this lesson the hardest of ways. He had a lot of open field to gain yards. A decent return would've put the Packers in field goal range.

Burnett’s running mate in the secondary, rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, had a pair of interceptions on the afternoon, but his judgment on Seattle’s two-point conversion was bizarre. The Packers heavily pressured Wilson on the attempt. He scrambled to his right before throwing the ball across the field. The ball lingered in the air long enough for Clinton-Dix to make a play on it, but he never did. Instead, it landed safety in the arms of tight end Luke Wilson, and Seattle’s improbable lead extended to three.

With less than two minutes remaining, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers drove the Packers down the field, putting them in position to tie the game. Kicker Mason Crosby connected on a 48-yard field goal, sending the game to overtime. Had Clinton-Dix made a better play on the ball just minutes earlier, Crosby’s kick may have sent the Packers to the Super Bowl.

Wilson is now 10-0 against Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, owning wins over Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Eli and Peyton Manning. However, Wilson was not the hero of this game. Sure, he made two crucial overtime throws, but Green Bay clearly rattled him early. Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell recognized this, and turned to running back Marshawn Lynch.

In a performance that’ll surely come up when the Hall of Fame debates Lynch’s candidacy for enshrinement, the Seattle running back steamrolled his way through the heart of Green Bay’s defense. He finished the game with 25 carries for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle’s defensive effort also deserves commendation. Green Bay’s early start had more to do with their field position advantage than their execution against the Seahawks defense. The Packers gained just 306 total yards, with Rodgers throwing for 178 on just 19 completions. Running back Eddie Lacy, who had 100 or more yards in 10 consecutive games, gained just 73 on 21 carries.

The Packers return to Green Bay devastated. They were less than five minutes away from reaching their sixth Super Bowl. Losing in Seattle goes down as one of the most excruciating defeats in the franchise’s history, arguably more so than Super Bowl XXXII and the 2007 NFC Championship.

History awaits Seattle two weeks from now. With a victory, they’ll be just the eighth team in the history of the NFL to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and the first to do so since the 2003-04 New England Patriots.

They’ll also have a legitimate claim as the team of the decade.

Visit Row12.com  for more playoff coverage.

Click here for a recap of New England's thumping of Indianapolis.  
Mucky Tundra
10 years ago
I didn't even realize Lynch ran for 157 yards. Just goes to show how fast things flipped in the 2nd half.
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Zero2Cool (9h) : Texas’ WR Isaiah Bond is scheduled to visit the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Falcons, Packers and Titans starting next week.
Zero2Cool (13h) : Spotting ball isn't changing, only measuring distance is, Which wasn't the issue.
Zero2Cool (13h) : The spotting of the ball IS the issue. Not the chain gang.
Mucky Tundra (23h) : Will there be a tracker on the ball or something?
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : uh oh
Martha Careful (1-Apr) : Too bad camera's can't spot the ball as well.
Mucky Tundra (1-Apr) : So will the chain gang be gone completely or will they still be around as a backup or whatever?
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : The method for measuring first downs in the NFL will switch from chain gangs to camera-based technology in 2025, the league announced.
Martha Careful (1-Apr) : A big step in the right direction. Just put in the college system is very very good.
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : NFL has passed a rule that allows both teams to possess the ball in OT during the regular season
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : Touchbacks on kickoffs will now bring the ball to the 35-yard line.
beast (31-Mar) : It might of gotten more popular recently, but braiding hair (even men) in certain cultures goes back for centuries.
Martha Careful (30-Mar) : Is men braiding their hair a new style thing? Watching the NCAA men's tournament many players have done
Zero2Cool (29-Mar) : Ha. Well, it'd be nice for folks to reset their own password. Via validated email 😏
beast (29-Mar) : Monopoly was supposed to be an educational game, that show how evil capitalism was and how we should avoid it
beast (29-Mar) : Lol, I was thinking username would be better, as then I wouldn't have to keep an email up to date lol 😂
beast (29-Mar) : Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : I was thinking email because I think it'll make folks keep it up todate lol
wpr (29-Mar) : sure is
Zero2Cool (29-Mar) : Monopoly is a rip off of The Landlord's Game
wpr (27-Mar) : 28 days until the draft
earthquake (27-Mar) : Which seemed strange to my 9 year old self, that you could be a fan for a team other than the one you play for
earthquake (27-Mar) : Nothing eventful happened, other than it being clear that he was a bengals fan
earthquake (27-Mar) : And we went and hung out with him one afternoon, I must have been 9 or so
earthquake (27-Mar) : That’s wild, when I was a kid my friend lived in the same apartment complex in De Pere
Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : Only career highspot was a 200 yard rushing game while playing for the Cardinals
Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : He is a former Packer. Drafted out of Northern Illinois. Didn't do much in GB.
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Despicable
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Former NFL. I think Packers too
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : NFL RB Leshon Johnson has been charged in a massive dog fighting operation, with the FBI seizing over 190 Pit Bulls
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Some real irony of a QB as short as Wilson playing for the Giants
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Giants country, let's be the tall beings of lore!
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Russell Wilson signs with the Giants.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : I was thinking email because I think it'll make folks keep it up todate lol
wpr (25-Mar) : I don't think there is a significant difference. I use a user name for many. Others email.
Martha Careful (25-Mar) : email
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : would it be better to use EMAIL or USERNAME to log into a site?
wpr (25-Mar) : Thanks Zero
Zero2Cool (24-Mar) : New forum has the ability to Thank a post now.
beast (24-Mar) : And the only time they have won the Championship in an even year, was the first time they did, in 2006.
beast (24-Mar) : Since 2007, there have been 10 odd numbered years, Wisconsin Women have won the Championship in 7 of those 10 odd numbered years.
buckeyepackfan (24-Mar) : Congratulations Lady Badger Hockey Team. NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!
Zero2Cool (23-Mar) : I don't think it's completed yet. it was just announced last month, right?
dhazer (23-Mar) : did netflix ever release the Packers documentary
Zero2Cool (21-Mar) : And it is glorious!
beast (21-Mar) : Unsigned FA QB Rodgers is supposedly in the Steelers building
Martha Careful (19-Mar) : But I don't own a car! So can I still use it in my apartment?
Zero2Cool (19-Mar) : btw, new site auto updates
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