By Jawann BennettThe Seattle Medium/GameTime Sportstalk On a weekend full of Northwest October storms, the football gods gave CenturyLink Field a brief break as the NFC South leading Atlanta Falcons visited the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks in a matchup full of playoff implications. The first quarter was a tug of war for field position by both defenses until Seattle defensive end Cliff Avril strip-sacked Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan allowing Seattle defensive tackle Tony McDaniel to recover the ball at the Atlanta 9-yard line with 2:13 left. The ensuing play saw Seahawks running back Christine Michael go off tackle 9 yards into the end zone to put Seattle up 7-0 with 2:07 left in the quarter. After a 33-yard field goal by Falcons kicker Matt Bryant cut the lead to 7-3 with 8:38 to play in the second quarter, the first true drive of the game came from the Seahawks. Led by a patient Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks took 8 plays to go 75 yards in 4:06 to find pay dirt again. This time it was rookie running back Alex Collins’ turn as he cashed in a short 2-yard run with 4:36 left in the half to earn the first touchdown of his career to make it 14-3 Seattle. Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka added a 42-yard field goal with :46 left to make it 17-3 and that’s where it remained at halftime. The question was how would the Falcons answer? Halftime is about adjustments and Atlanta responded with two quick scoring drives to begin the second half that left the Seattle defense dazed and confused. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan showed why his nickname is “Matty Ice” as he engineered a 9 play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard touchdown pass to receiver Julio Jones that took 3:59. A Seattle three and out was followed by an Atlanta 8 play, 79-yard drive that took 3:23 and ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to receiver Mohamed Sanu with 6:16 left in the third. As in boxing, when you counter with a two-piece you finish with a biscuit…Ryan showed why he heads the number one offense in the NFL as he finished his third quarter barrage with a 6 play, 97-yard drive hitting tight end Levine Toilolo wide open on 46-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-17 Falcons. Atlanta had 13 first downs and 252 total yards in the third quarter and three unanswered touchdowns. It’s been said that character is defined when faced with adversity, and the fourth quarter was all about that and then some…including redemption. Wilson led the Seahawks down the field to open the fourth quarter only to see his 10 play, 64-yard drive squandered by a missed 29-yard field goal Hauschka. After the Seahawks defense came back to life and stopped the Falcons offense on the next drive, Wilson had another chance to even the score leading Seattle on a 9 play, 70-yard touchdown drive as Michael rushed for another TD on a 1-yard run, but Hauschka had the extra point attempt blocked making it 24-23 Falcons. The Seattle defense then redeemed it’s earlier third quarter mistakes, as safety Earl Thomas intercepted a Ryan pass at the Seahawks 45 yard line with 3:57 to go in the game. 7 plays and 24 yards later, Haushcka got his redemption from both earlier misses knocking through a 44-yard field goal to Seattle a 26-24 with 1:57 left on the clock. Again, the Seahawks defense showed it’s character holding Atlanta to a 4th down desperation pass from Ryan to Jones was defended and deflected by Thomas and cornerback Richard Sherman to end a classic mid-October showdown won by Seattle 26-24. After a rocky start to the season, Thomas looks to be in All-Pro form. “I felt good, I was in rhythm,” said Thomas of his play Sunday. Seattle Head Coach Pete Carroll and cornerback Richard Sherman also praised the play of Thomas as well. “I thought Earl had a great game and had some great break ups,” said Carroll post game. “He made some phenomenal hits,” said Sherman of Thomas. The Seahawks improve their first place record to 4-1 on the season with a showdown against last season’s division champions Arizona next Sunday night.
Must Read
Bellevue, Eastside Catholic Girls Advance To 3A District 2 Championship Game
The Bellevue Wolverines secured a 68-57 victory over the Roosevelt Roughriders, earning their place in the 3A District 2 championship game. Similarly, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders triumphed over the Lakeside Lions with a narrow 49-47 win, advancing to the same championship matchup.
