Call it muscle memory from a champion’s pedigree. Call it frustration overload after a half (or more) of looking futile and, at times, foolish. Call it a team simply willing itself back into competitiveness.
Whatever the impetus, the Seahawks on Sunday night turned crisis into catharsis. They turned a forlorn, irritable, impatient crowd at CenturyLink Field into a frenzied mob of delirium. They tried, with all the intensity they could muster, to turn a season-killer into a season-saver.
But in the end, they found themselves right where it looked like they would be all along — their division-title hopes on life support, their playoff chances in grave danger, after a 39-32 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Making it all the more devastating for Seattle was the fact the Seahawks battled all the way back from pending humiliation to actually take a 29-25 lead with 13 minutes to play.
To come back and control the game, that was exquisite,’’ Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It was our game.”
But instead of redemption, they were left with yet another failure to hold a fourth-quarter lead.
Arizona scored 14 unanswered points after that Seahawks run. The dagger by Arizona was stunning — a 48-yard burst down the left sideline by Andre Ellington that put the Cardinals up by 10 with 1:58 to play.
So in the end, the takeaway was not the Seahawks’ rousing comeback after all, though that will no doubt be what they cling to as they ponder their 4-5 record and the long, difficult slog ahead of them to save their season.
“It’s a difficult game to call, because we did a lot of great things after we had done a lot of messy things,’’ Carroll said
Tight end Luke Willson said, “We’re kind of in foreign territory. I thought we were out of it, but we went back in it today. We’ll figure it out, The game had been billed, rightfully so, as the Seahawks’ biggest test of their season against an Arizona team that was waging its own quest for legitimacy. Seattle’s players knew what was at stake.
“They were jacked,’’ Carroll said of his team. “They were so fired up to play this game. If anything, they were over the top — ready to have fun and play the way we play. Then all of a sudden, it was one thing after another.or much of the night, the test looked like a big, fat failure for the Seahawks. The offense was lackluster, out of rhythm and seemingly out of answers. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was under constant siege, forced into a fumble that resulted in a safety, and unforced into a terrible underthrown pass toward a wide-open Doug Baldwin that resulted in an interception.
What little progress they made was offset by a seemingly endless stream of penalties. At one point in the first half, the Seahawks had gained 29 yards on offense and lost 62 yards in penalties. The biggest question was what, exactly they had used their bye week to sharpen and hone? The entire offense seemed out of sorts.
“I was really disappointed to put out such a miserable first half of football,’’ Carroll said. “We didn’t play that game the way we wanted to play it because of all the penalties. It’s a very difficult loss to take because we did it to ourselves to a large extent.”
On defense, meanwhile, Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer was carving them up, aided by more penalties. The Seahawks finished with 14 penalties for 131 yards, to go with nine for 71 yards by the Cardinals. The whole game had a maddeningly disruptive feel, moving in spurts and starts, slowed interminably not just by the flags but also a series of reviews and challenges.
And then, with the same sudden fury that marked their comeback win over Green Bay in the NFC title game — from nearly as unlikely a hole — the Seahawks struck back. Down 19-0 at one point, and looking totally outclassed, they sneaked in a touchdown before halftime, and then another after intermission.
son-saver.
But in the end, they found themselves right where it looked like they would be all along — their division-title hopes on life support, their playoff chances in grave danger, after a 39-32 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Making it all the more devastating for Seattle was the fact the Seahawks battled all the way back from pending humiliation to actually take a 29-25 lead with 13 minutes to play.
“To come back and control the game, that was exquisite,’’ Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It was our game.”“To come back and control the game, that was exquisite,’’ Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It was our game.”Arizona scored 14 unanswered points after that Seahawks run. The dagger by Arizona was stunning — a 48-yard burst down the left sideline by Andre Ellington that put the Cardinals up by 10 with 1:58 to play.So in the end, the takeaway was not the Seahawks’ rousing comeback after all, though that will no doubt be what they cling to as they ponder their 4-5 record and the long, difficult slog ahead of them to save their season.“It’s a difficult game to call, because we did a lot of great things after we had done a lot of messy things,’’ Carroll said.
Tight end Luke Willson said, “We’re kind of in foreign territory. I thought we were out of it, but we went back in it today. We’ll figure it out, though.”The game had been billed, rightfully so, as the Seahawks’ biggest test of their season against an Arizona team that was waging its own quest for legitimacy. Seattle’s players knew what was at stake.The game had been billed, rightfully so, as the Seahawks’ biggest test of their season against an Arizona team that was waging its own quest for legitimacy. Seattle’s players knew what was at stake.For much of the night, the test looked like a big, fat failure for the Seahawks. The offense was lackluster, out of rhythm and seemingly out of answers. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was under constant siege, forced into a fumble that resulted in a safety, and unforced into a terrible underthrown pass toward a wide-open Doug Baldwin that resulted in an interception.What little progress they made was offset by a seemingly endless stream of penalties. At one point in the first half, the Seahawks had gained 29 yards on offense and lost 62 yards in penalties. The biggest question was what, exactly they had used their bye week to sharpen and hone? The entire offense seemed out of sorts.
“I was really disappointed to put out such a miserable first half of football,’’ Carroll said. “We didn’t play that game the way we wanted to play it because of all the penalties. It’s a very difficult loss to take because we did it to ourselves to a large extent.”
On defense, meanwhile, Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer was carving them up, aided by more penalties. The Seahawks finished with 14 penalties for 131 yards, to go with nine for 71 yards by the Cardinals. The whole game had a maddeningly disruptive feel, moving in spurts and starts, slowed interminably not just by the flags but also a series of reviews and challenge
And then, with the same sudden fury that marked their comeback win over Green Bay in the NFC title game — from nearly as unlikely a hole — the Seahawks struck back. Down 19-0 at one point, and looking totally outclassed, they sneaked in a touchdown before halftime, and then another after intermission.
It was the defense that sparked their burst into the lead. With Seattle trailing 25-17, Cliff Avril — who played like a man possessed — burst untouched to blow up Palmer, leading to a fumble that K.J. Wright scooped up and returned to the Arizona 3. Marshawn Lynch, who early in the game had gathered the Seahawks’ struggling offense and exhorted them on the sideline, took it in for the TD, and the Seahawks trailed by two, 25-23.
That deficit didn’t last long. On Arizona’s next possession, Wright broke through the line and knocked the ball from Palmer. Wagner picked it up and scored a touchdown that rocked the ballpark.
Seattle had the lead, 29-25, they had momentum, they had a season’s turning-point moment in their grasp. And then, just as suddenly, they didn’t. Seattle scored a too-late field goal, but Arizona had to merely kneel down to pull out the game.
“They’re in good shape right now,’’ Carroll said of the Cardinals. “They’re feeling good about it, and they should.”
As for Seattle’s feelings, well, like the Facebook relationship status, it’s complicated. The Seahawks managed to achieve the seemingly impossible outcome of losing a vital game and providing the kernel of hope for the future.“There’s tons of good things we’ve done today,” Avril said. “Just grow from that, more than anything.”
But that’s not enough for a team that still has championship aspirations, dim as they are getting.
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