Hard as it is to believe, Seattle had the two most unbelievable finishes to games in franchise history in the last two games of this year.
But as good as it went against the Packers in against-all-odds fashion, it went just that badly against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Behind for most of the first half, Seattle took a 10 point lead in the second half and looked ready to ride the best defense in the league to a Super Bowl repeat.
But Tom Brady is Tom Brady, and he brought New England all the way back to the lead … but gave Russell Wilson three minutes to win the game with a touchdown of his own.
I know not a single Seahawks fan doubted he would give us a shot. He always seems to in these situations. Our faith seemed utterly validated when Wilson connected on the stunning bomb to Jermaine Kearse (who else) to give Seattle a first and goal with 30 seconds left in the game. Give the ball to Marshawn and he gets to the 1, 2nd down. Everyone is ready to pop the champagne.
But instead of giving it to Marshawn again for a Beastly finish to the game, the Seahawks staff called a slant pass into the middle which New England defended brilliantly, intercepting Wilson’s pass, ending the game, and creating a moment that will be second-guessed by NFL fans for a long, long time to come. Pete and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel and Russell Wilson all tried to take the blame for themselves. It’s so regrettable, and so obviously a mistake in retrospect.
But you know … shit happens. It was still a fantastic year for the fans, with some of the most improbable final minutes we’ve seen in our lives …. two games in a row.