The Seattle Seahawks found themselves in an unfamiliar position early in Sunday's NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins, trailing by two touchdowns. They didn't blink.
Pete Carroll's crew will play the Atlanta Falcons next week after dispatching the Redskins 24-14, scoring 24 unanswered points to close out the game. Robert Griffin IIIfinished the game on the bench, but his presence in the final six minutes wouldn't have made a difference late because the Seahawks' defense was too dominant.
On NFL Network
NFL Replay will re-air the
Seattle Seahawks' 24-14 win over the
Washington Redskins from Wild Card Weekend on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
This game mirrored the Seahawks' season. They got off to a slow start, with Russell Wilson looking a little frenetic. They trailed 14-0 after one quarter. It was the first time they trailed by more than seven points since Oct. 14. They only trailed by eight-plus points for 30 minutes all season.
Just like they have all season, the Seahawks knew how to close. They outgained the Redskins 352-76 in the final three quarters. Seattle's line dominated on both sides of the ball. The Seahawks started to maul the Washington front; Marshawn Lynch finished with 131 yards on the ground, and Wilson added 67. While Wilson missed a few deep throws and took a lot of sacks, he avoided the big mistake and kept the Seahawks' offense moving.
Wilson also doubled as the lead blocker on Lynch's decisive 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Whenever the Seahawks need a play on offense, Lynch and Wilson find a way to get it done.
It's a shame that we didn't get to see what a healthy RG3 could have done in the playoffs. He hobbled throughout the game; his accuracy and speed clearly were compromised.
The Seahawks arguably have looked like the most complete team in the NFL over the last half season. They have potential to win the game on offense, defense, and special teams. They even can come from 14 points down to win convincingly.
A trip to Atlanta next week for an NFC Divisional Playoff Game will be tough, but this Seahawks team has the look of a squad that could keep its incredible roll going for a few more weeks.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
