Seattle wins a stunner
SEATTLE — After the chaos subsided, Earl Thomas sat in his locker quietly searching for a description.
For a change, the normally chatty Seattle Seahawks’ All-Pro safety had little to say.
“It’s hard to describe what just happened. We were down with 3 minutes left and look what happened. I’m clueless right now,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if I’m drained. I’m grateful.”
By the time Jermaine Kearse caught a 35-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson 3:19 into overtime to give the Seahawks a 28-22 win over Green Bay and a second straight NFC championship Sunday, Seattle was spent.
The Seahawks were down 16-0 at halftime. They trailed 19-7 with 3:52 remaining. They watched Wilson throw four interceptions for the first time in his career. They needed two touchdowns and an onside kick recovery in the final 130 seconds just to reach overtime.
The noisiest venue in the NFL was left on mute for most of the afternoon.
All that made the eruption after Kearse’s TD catch even more meaningful for a team that felt they were counted out a number of times this season.
“As a true competitor, you can’t have any doubt. You can’t lack any confidence, because if you go out there, you’re already beat if you lack that confidence and that belief in yourself and your teammates,” Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said.
Seattle (14-4) already bucked history becoming the first defending champion since January 2006 to win a playoff game when the Seahawks beat Carolina in the divisional round. Thanks to the improbable comeback, Seattle is the first defending champion in a decade with a chance at repeating.
Waiting for them in Arizona: the last team to pull off back-to-back titles, the New England Patriots.
For 56 minutes, it appeared Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers were destined for the Super Bowl. The Packers bullied the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and took advantage of unusual mistakes by Wilson. The 16-0 lead at halftime could have been closer to 30-0 if not for a series of goal-line stands by the Seahawks’ defense.
Even still, Green Bay took possession up by 12 with 5:04 left.
“We have lots to evaluate but the way we lost when we were sitting there with two scores late in the game with the ball you expect to put that thing away,” Rodgers said.
Seattle had been ineffective all day until Wilson finally put a drive together with passes to Baldwin and Marshawn Lynch — initially ruled a touchdown but called back because he stepped out of bounds. Wilson finished with a 1-yard scoring run to cut the lead to 19-14 with 2:09 left.
The onside kick went high to Packers tight end Brandon Bostick, but he couldn’t gather it, and Seattle’s Chris Matthews recovered at the 50. Lynch sped and powered his way to a 24-yard TD run. On the 2-point conversion, Wilson — about to be sacked — threw a desperate pass hauled in by Luke Willson to make it 22-19 with 1:25 remaining.
Rodgers, limping on an injured calf, led the Packers (13-5) downfield to set up Mason Crosby’s fifth field goal, a 48-yarder with 14 seconds to go to force overtime.
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