It's tough to win on the road, it's even more impressive if it's done by a rookie quarterback in a pressure-packed situation with playoff implications.
Greatest on the road ...
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks' struggles away from the cozy confines of CenturyLink Field and their celebrated "12th Man" are well-documented. There was just one road win all season in five tries entering Week 13, and that came against the hapless Carolina Panthers in Week 5. Previously road losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins didn't exactly instill confidence in pigskin prognosticators that the Seahawks could get the job done against the new-age Monsters of the Midway at Soldier Field.
However, Wilson's veteran-like poise put the Seahawks in position for victory. Trailing the Bears by four in the game's final moments, Wilson directed the game-tying touchdown drive that culminated in a 14-yard touchdown play to Golden Tate. After the Bears miraculously managed to get into position for Robbie Gould's tying field goal in less than 20 seconds, the Seahawks assumed possession to start overtime. Wilson converted on three third-down plays -- two via scrambles -- to keep alive a drive that ended with the winning touchdown pass to Sidney Rice.
The dramatic 23-17 overtime win put the Seahawks into the lead in the NFC wild-card chase. Seattle is doing this with a rookie quarterback who now has three game-winning drives this season. Wilson has also not thrown an interception since that Week 8 loss in Detroit, throwing for nine touchdowns to no interceptions in the last four games.
Also considered:
Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers
Three days before his 38th birthday, Batch provided the Steelers with a potential season-saving victory. Batch's late-game heroics against the division-leading Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium rescued the Steelers from falling to the rare depths of .500 and kept the team alive not only a wild-card spot but also the AFC North title.
In the 23-20 win, Batch threw the game-tying touchdown to Heath Miller with just over two minutes remaining, and then led the Steelers into position for the winning field-goal attempt by Shaun Suisham.
This was the Steelers' first win over the Ravens without regular starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger since 2004, which was Roethlisberger's rookie season. Batch's touchdown throw to Miller was his first scoring strike in 798 days.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Luck overcame three interceptions to pull off one of the season's best comeback victories against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Luck threw two touchdown passes in the game's final three minutes -- including the winner as time expired -- to help the Colts earn a 35-33 win.
The Colts have now won seven of nine games since head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. In helping lead the Colts to this remarkable run, Luck has already set a rookie record for most wins by the first overall pick in an NFL draft (eight, topping Sam Bradford's seven wins from 2010). More importantly, the Colts are a surprise entrant in the AFC's wild-card race a season after winning just two games.
It was a banner Sunday for rookie quarterbacks, as the Cleveland Browns' Brandon Weeden drove his team 94 yards for a game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 20-17 win over the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
