Top 10 Seahawks Games of the 2010s
With the world of sports coming to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, now is as good a time as ever to look back upon the best times in sports.
Having just completed the most successful decade in franchise history, including making the playoffs eight times in the past 10 years and winning their first Super Bowl, the Seahawks had a lion’s share of epic games.
Courtesy of free NFL Game Pass that is being offered through May, let’s look back on Seattle's 10 best games of the decade, including playoff and regular season contests.
10. September 24, 2012 vs. Green Bay Packers
Usually, a game that has a nickname will make any list such as this one. Simply known as the “Fail Mary” game, the 2012 contest between the Packers and Seahawks was a slugfest.
Seattle’s defense, which was just coming into its own led by the "Legion of Boom," absolutely harassed reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers to the tune of eight sacks overall in the Week 3 contest. He was held to under 225 yards passing on the night.
The Packers chipped away at a small 7-0 deficit until they eventually took a 12-7 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Cedric Benson.
That left Seattle with eight minutes left in the game to erase a five-point deficit. Wilson guided the offense all the way down inside Green Bay’s five-yard line until an incomplete pass on fourth down gave the ball back to Rodgers and the Packers with two minutes left. The game looked to be all but over.
Green Bay timidly ran the ball three straight times, forcing Seattle to use all of its timeouts before weakly punting it away, giving the Seahawks one last gasp from Green Bay’s 46-yard line with 46 seconds left.
Seattle got the ball inside the 25-yard line with the clock ticking. Wilson took a few shots into the end zone until it became fourth down at the 24-yard line with just eight seconds left.
Wilson cocked back and let a Hail Mary fly from the 40-yard line as time expired. Golden Tate, surrounded by three defenders, somehow came down with the ball, tangled with the arms of multiple Packers.
After a controversial review, the call stood as a touchdown and the Seahawks held on for a narrow 14-12 victory. It is a game that will live in infamy to most, especially given that it was officiated by replacement referees.
9. November 13, 2016 at New England Patriots
This was the first meeting between the two NFL giants since a crushing Super Bowl XLIX loss for Seattle. New England is certainly not an easy place for a road team to leave victoriously.
The first half ended with Wilson finding Doug Baldwin in the end zone, giving Seattle a 19-14 lead heading into the locker room.
New England took a slim 24-22 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Wilson guided Seattle downfield for a go-ahead field goal, giving them a one-point advantage.
A turnover turned the tide in the game as Julian Edelman fumbled a pass from Tom Brady, which Richard Sherman recovered for Seattle with just over eight minutes left in the game.
The Seahawks made that turnover sting as they drove down and scored a crucial touchdown with Baldwin hauling in his third score of the game. The two-point try failed and the score remained 31-24, leaving the Patriots over four minutes to drive down and at least tie the game.
Led by Tom Brady, New England did drive down all the way inside the Seattle three-yard line. On 1st and goal, Brady was stuffed on a quarterback sneak attempt short of the goal line.
On the ensuing play, LeGarrette Blount was stopped short of the end zone as well as the Seahawks defense held strong. Brady again tried to sneak on third down, but the snap was botched, bringing up a critical fourth down.
With 14 seconds left and the Patriots two yards away from a game-tying score, Brady threw a fade into the back corner of the end zone for All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. Kam Chancellor had Gronk covered tightly and the tight end fell to the turf without the ball in his hands.
No flags were thrown and the Seahawks took over inside their own two-yard line, needing to just safely snap the ball to seal the victory.
After seven lead changes and a goal line stand, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA went dead silent as the Seahawks celebrated a seven-point victory on the turf of the mighty Patriots in prime time.
8. November 11, 2019 at San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers came into this Week 10 contest undefeated at 8-0 and many were starting to believe them to be Super Bowl favorites.
Early on, things looked bleak for the Seahawks, who quickly fell behind 10-0 with the 49ers with the ball and under three minutes left until halftime.
But then, Jadeveon Clowney decided to make his presence felt.
Jarran Reed strip sacked Jimmy Garoppolo and Clowney scooped it up and scored, putting Seattle on the board and closing the deficit to three just before halftime. Despite a fumble by D.K. Metcalf costing Seattle a go-ahead score before the half, Seattle went into the locker room feeling good about its chances of grabbing a signature road win.
In the second half, newly acquired safety Quandre Diggs came up with a critical interception, returning it into 49ers territory and setting up a go ahead touchdown catch by Jacob Hollister.
On the next defensive drive, Clowney strip sacked Garoppolo, setting up Chris Carson to bowl his way into a the end zone to extend the lead to 21-10.
But the 49ers made a comeback of their own, starting with got a strip sack on Wilson, which led to a DeForest Buckner scoop-and-score. This trimmed the Seahawks lead to 21-18 after a completed two-point conversion.
The two teams exchanged field goals until regulation ended in a tie at 24 apiece.
Wilson led the Seahawks all the way into the red zone to start overtime before throwing a crushing interception to rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw, which set up the 49ers with a chance to win the game with a field goal.
Luckily, a potential game winning field goal by Chase McLaughlin sailed way left for the 49ers, giving the Seahawks one more chance to seal the win.
However, Seattle’s offense sputtered, forcing them to punt the ball back with under two minutes left. With some suspect play calling by San Francisco, Seattle received one last desperate chance after catching the punt on their own 36-yard line with just over a minute left.
Wilson orchestrated yet another clutch drive, getting the Seahawks in field goal range with less than a minute left. Jason Myers nailed a 42-yard field goal and Seattle flew home happy, ending the 49ers’ quest for a perfect season in a 27-24 overtime thriller.
7. October 29, 2017 vs. Houston Texans
This game proved to be an epic clash of mobile quarterbacks with Russell Wilson facing off against then-rookie Deshaun Watson.
This game hit the ground running, as it was tied 14-14 after one quarter, which included a 78-yard pick six by Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. It was knotted up at 21 at halftime with both teams connecting on explosive plays.
Wilson and Watson both eclipsed 400 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. Wilson slightly out-dueled Watson in the contest, gaining the advantage in passer rating 123.2 to 106.9 with two less turnovers.
Seattle’s defense buckled down when it needed to, forcing three interceptions from Watson along with registering five sacks.
The Seahawks took a slim 27-24 lead into the fourth quarter but the lead changed hands multiple times in the final stanza.
As Century Link Field was in full throat, Watson threw a bubble screen pass to All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who ran it 72 yards for the go-ahead score, putting the Texans up 38-34 with under five minutes to play and quieting the previously raucous crowd.
When Wilson and the Seahawks tried to respond, the Pro Bowl quarterback threw a critical interception in the red zone, giving the Texans the ball with less than three minutes left and a four-point lead.
Seattle’s defense was able to conjure up a rare stop in this game, getting the ball back to Wilson with less than two minutes left.
Wilson led the charge and drove the offense the full 80 yards, capping off the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham with 26 seconds left, giving Seattle a 41-38 lead.
The Texans had one last gasp, but Frank Clark sacked Watson, leaving the Texans needing 85 yards in one play. That hope was quickly squashed by an interception by Sherman, his second of the day, which sealed the wild win for Seattle in a shootout.
6. October 14, 2012 vs. New England Patriots
The Patriots and Seahawks just cannot avoid being in an epic battle when they get together. And the rivalry started when the Seahawks were just discovering their identity and Russell Wilson was making just his sixth career start.
Down by 10 early in the fourth quarter, Thomas, with dreads and all, picked off Brady in the end zone, ending what could have been the game-sealing drive. Then a trick play pass by Sidney Rice garnered a defensive pass interference, giving Seattle excellent field position. Disaster struck again as Zach Miller fumbled, once again giving the Patriots a chance to seal the game. Seattle held them to a field goal and now trailed 23-10.
A long completion from Wilson to Golden Tate set up a Seattle touchdown, cutting the lead to 23-17 and giving Pete Carroll's team life.
After more back and forth between the two well-coached teams, the Patriots punted once more. Leon Washington returned the punt and gave the Seahawks decent field position with two and a half minutes left and still down by six.
Wilson threw what would become one of his first signature passes, finding Sidney Rice for the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left, sending CenturyLink Field into a frenzy.
Seattle's defense stopped Brady and the New England offense cold in their last second attempt to mount a comeback. The Seahawks held on to beat the Patriots 24-23, thus making a statement to the entire NFL that this team was dangerous and left Sherman wondering if Brady was mad.
5. November 29, 2015 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Whenever the Seahawks and Steelers get together, you know it’s going to be a wild ride.
Playing against one another for just the third time since the fateful Super Bowl XL in Detroit, these two teams were much different aside from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
It was a game of epic positional matchups with Wilson going up against the two-time Super Bowl champion and All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown facing All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.
The score was 3-0 Pittsburgh heading into the second quarter and the Steelers lined up for a field goal on Seattle’s 27, but motioned out of it to attempt a fake. Landry Jones sailed a pass that fell into the hands of Seahawks corner Jeremy Lane, who returned it 54 yards.
That set up Seattle’s first score of the game, a touchdown pass from Wilson to Doug Baldwin, making the score 7-3. The madness was just beginning.
The next three possessions in the game ended in a touchdown, with Pittsburgh leading 18-14 at the half thanks to a two-point conversion.
The pinnacle of the craziness came when defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin picked off Big Ben late in the third quarter. Pittsburgh continued to lead, now 21-20, heading into the fourth quarter.
Early in the final stanza, Sherman intercepted a pass after Brown fell down, turning the tide of the game. Seattle reclaimed the lead with a score by Jermaine Kearse, but the two-point conversion failed, giving the Seahawks a 26-21 lead.
Receiver Markus Wheaton carved up Seattle’s secondary with 201 receiving yards in the game and did so again in the fourth quarter with a go-ahead 69-yard touchdown score. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 27-26 in favor of Pittsburgh.
In response, Doug Baldwin wiggled loose for a 30-yard score, giving the lead right back to the Seahawks. Pittsburgh could only muster a field goal and still trailed 32-30 with three minutes left to play.
With the Seahawks hoping to seal the deal, Wilson completed a short pass to Baldwin, who slipped past tacklers along the sideline for a back-breaking, 80-yard score. With the CenturyLink crowd going bananas, an acrobatic interception by Kam Chancellor clinched the 39-30 victory.
With seven lead changes, over 900 yards of total offense combined, four turnovers by Pittsburgh, four two-point conversion attempts, and two touchdowns of at least 69 yards in the fourth quarter, this was an instant classic.
4. January 8, 2011 vs. New Orleans Saints
It was Seattle’s first playoff game in three years. Many pointed and scoffed at this squad, being a division winner with a 7-9 record hosting the Wild Card round against the 11-5 New Orleans Saints, who were the defending Super Bowl champions.
Newly acquired running back Marshawn Lynch led the charge with aging quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on his last leg in a Seahawks uniform.
The game started as most expected, with the Saints taking control early with a 10-0 lead, which eventually became 17-7 in the second quarter.
A fumble by Saints running back Julius Jones before the half helped turned the tide, as it turned into a Seahawks game-tying field goal.
Seattle’s defense became stout once again and got the ball back to Hasselbeck one last time before halftime. He found Brandon Stokely deep for a 45-yard touchdown, giving Seattle a 24-17 lead and they went into the break up four points.
Things got interesting early in the second half when Hasselbeck connected with Mike Williams for a 38-yard touchdown, extending Seattle’s lead to 31-20 against the defending champs.
Olindo Mare further extended the lead with another field goal, making it 34-20. People started to believe. Could this upset actually happen?
The Saints made it close again to start the fourth quarter with another touchdown and a field goal, cutting the Seahawks lead to back to 34-30. The Seahawks took the ball nursing a slim lead and just over four minutes left in the game, needing a knockout punch.
Enter Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch.
Lynch took a handoff from Hasselbeck on 2nd and 10 from Seattle’s own 33-yard line and though the run initially looked like it would go nowhere, he would not be denied.
Breaking approximately 24 tackles, Lynch stumbled and rumbled his way down the field 67 yards to score the clinching touchdown, creating seismic activity with the epicenter at CenturyLink Field. The "Beast Quake" was officially born.
The Saints did not give up and ended up scoring a touchdown with just over a minute left, cutting the lead to 41-36, but the ensuing onside kick failed and the Seahawks hung on for the playoff victory in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
3. February 2, 2014 vs. Denver Broncos
2013 was as dominant a season as the Seahawks ever had in their franchise history and the pinnacle moment came in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Facing off against one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history led by future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, Seattle and its "Legion of Boom: made Denver look hapless and helpless throughout the course of the big game.
The tone was set from the first offensive play for Denver when the snap sailed by Manning and into the end zone for a safety. Before anyone could blink, it was 15-0 Seahawks after an interception by Kam Chancellor set up Seattle’s first trip to the end zone.
The Broncos tried to respond and get on track. The Seahawks defense was not letting up as Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith picked off Manning and ran it back 69 yards for a touchdown, giving Seattle a 22-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Seahawks were not done as Percy Harvin took the second half opening kickoff all the way back for an 87 yard touchdown, blowing the game open at 29-0 and sucking any last life out of the Broncos.
Smith sealed his fate as Super Bowl MVP when he recovered a fumble by Demaryius Thomas, setting up yet another touchdown as Wilson found Jermaine Kearse, who spun several times out of tackles to reach the end zone and essentially end any remaining doubt, making the score 36-0.
The Broncos finally got in the end zone but comeback efforts were futile. The Seahawks had put together one of the most dominating performances in Super Bowl history with a 43-8 win, clinching their first ever Lombardi trophy and the first major sports championship for a Seattle team since the Super Sonics’ NBA title in 1979.
A parade down Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle punctuated the championship.
2. January 19, 2014 vs. San Francisco 49ers
To even get to that memorable Super Bowl victory, Seattle had to get through the defending NFC champions, the arch rival San Francisco 49ers.
With the help of a strip sack of Russell Wilson during the first drive and the legs of Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Seahawks went into the locker room down 10-3.
As he did many times, Lynch brought the Seahawks back with his legs, scoring the game-tying touchdown on a 40-yard run early in the third quarter. The 49ers responded quickly with a touchdown pass from Kaepernick to Anquan Boldin, giving San Francisco a 17-10 lead in a hostile road environment.
The ensuing Seahawks drive sputtered after a penalty, but Steven Hauschka salvaged it with a field goal, cutting the deficit to 17-13.
With another drive threatening to end without a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Pete Carroll rolled the dice on fourth down, causing the 49ers to jump offsides. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Wilson threw a dart to Jermaine Kearse in the end zone, giving Seattle a 20-17 lead.
The teams traded turnovers after Seattle fumbled inside the two-yard line and an interception by Kam Chancellor momentarily swung momentum back to Seattle’s side. With the ball and the lead in the fourth quarter, Hauschka hit a field goal to extend the lead to six for the Seahawks.
The 49ers got the ball back with a chance to win it with less than four minutes left. Kaepernick orchestrated a drive that got down to the Seattle 18-yard line.
From there, Kaepernick launched a pass into the end zone with 30 seconds left, hoping to find Michael Crabtree for a game-winning score and another Super Bowl berth.
But Sherman had other plans. Sherman stuck his hand out and tipped the pass away, as the ball fell into the hands of linebacker Malcolm Smith, sealing the 23-17 victory and the NFC championship for the Seahawks.
Sherman famously went on a rant at the end of the game, loudly proclaiming the elite status of himself as a cornerback and the defense as one of the best ever.
1. January 18, 2015 vs. Green Bay Packers
Getting to back-to-back Super Bowls has only been done a handful of times in NFL history and the Seahawks sought to do that against the Packers in Seattle.
For over three quarters of the game, just about everything went wrong for the Seahawks.
The Packers sacked Russell Wilson five times and he threw a very uncharacteristic four interceptions. Green Bay jumped out to a 16-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Seahawks did not show any signs of life until a trick play woke them up in the third quarter. Lining up for a field goal, punter Jon Ryan took the snap, rolled left and tossed a pass into the end zone to none other than Garry Gilliam, a backup offensive tackle.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman hauled in the pass for Seattle’s first points of the game, cutting the lead to 16-7. The Packers quickly squashed the momentum, kicking a field goal to make it 19-7 in the fourth quarter.
Wilson threw the last of his four interceptions down by 12 in the fourth quarter with five minutes left to play, making a comeback seem out of reach.
However, the Seahawks dominant defense got a critical stop. With less than four minutes left, down by 12, the dream of consecutive Super Bowls was slipping away fast, but they still had a chance.
A touchdown drive was set up by a long reception by Lynch and punctuated by Wilson squeaking into the end zone from the one-yard line, cutting the deficit to 19-14. Then, fate smiled down on the Seahawks.
Hauschka booted an onside kick that bounced off of the Packers and into the hands of receiver Chris Matthews. Lynch dropped the jaws of Packers fans everywhere as he rumbled into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion was a miracle as well, with Wilson throwing across his body into the fingertips of Luke Willson, putting Seattle up by three.
The work was not done.
The Packers drove down and got in field goal range and converted, tying the game at 22 and sending it to overtime.
Seattle won the toss and the offense took over, with a score sending them to their second straight Super Bowl.
To kick off the drive, Wilson completed a deep pass to Baldwin down the sidelines to move Seattle into Green Bay territory.
Instead of playing it safe, Wilson and the Seahawks went for the throat. He launched a pass into the end zone, which found the clutches of Jermaine Kearse, sending CenturyLink into euphoria as the Seahawks had won their second straight NFC Championship game and would have a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Forced to overcome a 16-point deficit in the second half and benefiting from several miracles to cap off a stunning comeback, this was easily the best game of the decade for the Seahawks.
