The Seattle Seahawks rallied back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime 27-24. It certainly wasn’t a pretty way to stay atop the NFC, and it wasn’t the way fans wanted to see the game go, even if their team won in the end.
Quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to understand that as he stood behind the interview podium an hour after the game. CBS Sports notes that Wilson commented of the game:
“That was a huge win. You think about the deficit we were under and to be able to come back in that fashion… that’s big time.”
However, the Buccaneers are winless this season, so it certainly wasn’t the best way for the team to honor the best start in Seahawks history. Still, at the end of the day, Steven Hauschka delivered a game-winning 26-yard field goal with 8:11 left in overtime.
Sunday’s win also helped the Seahawks tie their franchise record with their 12th straight home victory. Wilson is also a perfect 12-0 at home as Seattle’s starting quarterback.
ESPN notes that it was the second week the Seahawks eeked out a win in the final minutes of the game. The team was pushed to the final yard on the last play against St. Louis last week, and had to fight through another sloppy game to knock off a severe underdog.
Seattle safety Earl Thomas echoed the words that many Seahawks players and fans likely thought, saying, “I’m kind of [upset]. But I’m ready to get back on the field. I’m ready to get back to work. Ready to correct those mistakes.”
Tampa Bay was able to push Seattle around at the line of scrimmage and watched as Mike James rushed for a career-best 158 yards. However, Seattle’s defense finally got some stops in the second half, allowing the Seahawks to overcome two interceptions in the red zone. Lynch also overcame a sore knee and feeling ill in the first quarter to have his best game of the 2013 season.
Lynch had 125 yards on 21 carries, and rushed for 43 yards on Seattle’s first possession of the game. Seattle fullback Michael Robinson stated of Lynch, “He wanted every single yard. He was in beast mode today. He was upset and he was running mad.”
The Seattle Seahawks will meet the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday in Georgia.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons ]
