With 3:52 left to go in the game, the defending champion Seattle Seahawks were nearly down for the count in their NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. Nearly down for the count.

After punting the ball away, Green Bay was leading the game 19-7, set to lean on their stout defense to close things out. Their prospects looked good: to that point, the Packers had generated 258 yards of total offense to just 192 for Seattle, were winning the first down battle 16-12, and although not playing a mistake-costless game, were still +3 in the turnover department. The odds were looking exceedingly favorable for a trip to the Super Bowl, the franchise's first since 2010.

"We just weren't making the plays for whatever reason," said quarterback Russell Wilson, who was 14-29 for 209 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. "Having four turnovers by me, that's tough."

And yet, football is a 60 minutes game, and in their final two drives, Wilson and his Seahawks displayed true championship mettle. Seattle scored two late touchdowns and converted a 'Hail Mary' two-point play to ultimately forge a regulation tie, then won the game in stunning fashion as the crowd of 68,538 thundered their approval.

"I've seen a lot of sports," continued Wilson. "I think the resilience of our team is unmatchable."

Green Bay Started Conservatively

After the first of a career high four Wilson interceptions courtesy of a pass which glanced off Jermaine Kearse's hands and into the arms of safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Packers drove from the Seattle 19 down to the one yard line. On fourth down, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy opted for the sure points and kicker Mason Crosby delivered, splitting the uprights for the early 3-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Doug Baldwin fumbled, putting the Packers back in business at the Seattle 23. As with the previous drive, Green Bay marched down to the one yard line, and yet again, McCarthy did not attempt to punch it in on fourth down, settling for the field goal and 6-0 advantage.

"I just felt that you had to take points," explained McCarthy after the game. "I didn’t think a lot of points would win this game. I didn’t think it was going to take a lot of points to win this game. Today that was my thinking coming in. I felt great about our defense all week just the way they’d been building here in the last, eight, nine weeks. So that’s why we had to take the field goals."

The Packers Extended the Lead

The momentum remained firmly on the side of the Packers. After a three-and-out by Seattle, Green Bay capped a seven play, 56-yard drive with a 13-yard connection between Aaron Rodgers (19-34, 178, 1 TD, 2 interceptions) and Randall Cobb, extending the lead to 13-0.

The first quarter ended with the Packers having outgained the Seahawks, 147-3.

Green Bay Led 16-0 at the Half

The second quarter saw two more interceptions thrown by Wilson, along with an Aaron Rogers pick — a critical one, as it turned out, given that it cost the Packers at least three points.

After the wild first quarter, the only points in the second were another Crosby field goal, his third of the game. At halftime, Green Bay was in complete control of the game, leading 16-0.

"They jumped on us and tore us up in the first quarter," said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. "We just made mistake after mistake and looked terrible. But the defense played phenomenal sudden-change football to make those field goals happen."

Seattle Closed to Within Nine Points 

The Seahawks have shown second-half resilience all season long, and on the big stage of the NFC Championship game, things were no different. After having been badly outplayed in the first half, the Seahawks gained 87 yards in the third quarter to just 26 for Green Bay and scored their first touchdown, closing the gap to 16-7.

The touchdown was uncharacteristic of the meat-and-potatoes Seattle offense, which typically grinds yardage in a methodical fashion. After an eleven play, 78-yard drive stalled at the Packers 19, the Seahawks pulled off a perfect fake field goal, with holder Jon Ryan pulling the ball up, running to his left, and lofting a touchdown pass to tackle-eligible Clint Gresham. "What a fantastic play," said Carroll. "Going to his left and to find Clint Gresham for the touchdown. Who'd have thunk it?"

Lightning Struck in the Fourth Quarter

After a Mason Crosby field goal increased the Green Bay lead to 19-7, the situation was looking bleak for the Seahawks. However, Seattle got back into the game, marching 69 yards in just 1:39 and scoring on a four-yard Wilson keeper with 2:13 remaining. The drive was highlighted by a Wilson-to-Lynch pass that was initially ruled a touchdown, but reversed on replay after the officials indicated he stepped out at the nine  yard line.

Following the touchdown, Seattle lined up for the onside kick. Kicker Steven Hauschka executed the play perfectly, the ball bounding high into the air. Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick, a member of the 'hands' team, inadvertently had the ball slip through his hands and deflect off his helmet, which was subsequently corralled by Seahawks receiver Chris Matthews.

A despondent Bostick said after the game, ""I let my team down, I feel like. There was a lot on this game. I just feel like if I was able to do my job -- my assignment was to block. Jordy [Nelson] would've caught the ball and the game would've been over."

Following the recovery, the Seahawks scored the go-ahead touchdown four plays later. Taking the handoff at the Green Bay 24, Marshawn Lynch rumbled off left tackle, waltzing untouched into the end zone with 1:33 left in the game.

On the two-point conversion try, Wilson backpedaled from a furious Packers rush and at the last second, threw a high-arcing floater toward the end zone. Luke Willson managed to come down with the ball, putting Seattle up 22-19.

"A lot of teams would have given up," said linebacker Bruce Irvin. "We kept fighting—we kept fighting and believing. The motto of our program is finishing, and that’s what we did.” 

The Pack Struck Back

In the NFL, 1:33 is practically an eternity, and with an MVP-caliber quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, more than enough time to drive for a game-tying score.

Methodically slicing through a Seattle prevent defense, Rodgers engineered a seven play, 48-yard drive, stopping at the Seahawks 30. Crosby came in with just 19 seconds left and kicked his fifth field goal, tying a championship game record. As regulation expired, the game was tied 22-22.

The Seahawks Punched Their Tickets to the Super Bowl

After winning the coin toss and electing to receive the kick, Seattle displayed a quick-strike offense that caught the Packers on their heels. 

On third and seven from their own 30, Wilson tossed a perfect pass to a streaking Doug Baldwin, who gained 35 yards to the Green Bay 35. On the very next play, Wilson threw the ball over the middle on a go-route to Jermaine Kearse, who snagged it in the face of tight coverage and fell into the end zone for the game winning score. The crowd went absolutely bonkers in celebration of the improbable Seattle comeback victory.

"(Kearse) was very emotional after the game because he knew he was in the midst of a lot of things that didn’t go right for us today," said Carroll. "What a great story, you know, local kid and all of that, wins the game with that touchdown catch. He was totally emotional about it, because he felt like he had not been able to come through in some other situations. But that is exactly the Jermaine Kearse that I was talking about. He just finds a way to do stuff for us, another touchdown in a playoff game in a critical situation, and wins the game. It was just extraordinary."

Notes

Seattle's 16-point comeback was the largest halftime deficit overcome in championship game history.

Despite suffering significant injuries during the game, Seattle's Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas professed their intentions to play in the Super Bowl. Thomas is scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

Marshawn Lynch gained 157 yards on 25 carries, handily winning the tailback battle with Eddie Lacy (21 carries, 73 yards).

Doug Baldwin had six catches for 106 yards. Jordy Nelson led the Packers with 71 yards on five receptions.

Both quarterbacks had subpar games. Wilson, who entered the contest as the highest-rated postseason quarterback in NFL history, had a QBR of just 44.3. Rodgers wasn't much better, with a QBR of 55.8.

The Seahawks play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX on February 1st. They will be attempting to become the first franchise since the Patriots of 2003 and 2004 to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Walter McLaughlin
I am a 50 year old freelance writer and commercial banker living in the Seattle area. I have suffered through decades of Seattle sports futility, up until the Seahawks' dominating Super Bowl 48 victory. I am a lifelong Kings fan, as well as both a Mariners and Dodgers fan.