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| To think this almost didn't happen |
After
what happened in the game between the Seahawks and Packers, I just had to write
about it; although it's going to be difficult to express the madness that
occurred in the game and how I felt from all that exactly into words. And I'm
gonna write a bit so feel free to take your time reading this. The first
portion of the post will be a recap (entitled: /RECAP/) of the incredible game from my perspective. But if you want
to skip that and read just my overall reactions (entitled: /REFLECTION/) after watching the game
instead, scroll down to that section accordingly.
It’s
not easy to watch football games here in Korea. Granted, it’s on a Monday so it
doesn’t conflict with church…But I often had to wake up in the middle of the
night just to watch a Seahawks game and go to class an hour or so later. The
joy of winning greatly alleviates the fatigue...
But when your team loses, it devastates the entire rest of your day.
And that’s what nearly
happened this game for Seahawks fans everywhere.
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| We Ready for this Game |
/RECAP/
So the NFC Championship was
on at noon PST…or 5AM in South Korea. But I woke up pumped up for the game. I
know I wasn’t alone in being confident that Seattle was going to win this game.
The Seahawks only lost at CenturyLink Field twice with Russell Wilson at QB,
they have a defense playing at a history-making level, and they just beat a Carolina
team handily the week before…SURELY the Seahawks weren’t going to lose this
game, right? As long as this team doesn’t make mistakes, no team can beat them.
The only team that can are the Seahawks themselves.
And my Lord, did they want
to prove that in the beginning of the game. Forget a pistol, they used an AK-47
to shoot themselves in the foot.
One of the biggest
storylines heading into this game was if Aaron Rodgers, the probable MVP of the
NFL (I think JJ Watt should get it…) was going to throw to Richard Sherman
after throwing zero passes to him in the season opener. And well, we got that
answer during the Packers’ first drive which resulted in this:
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| "Oh they’re playing with fire, and #25 just burned." |
Boom. This is what happens
when you test Sherman. After this moment, I knew the game was ours…NOPE.
The drive that ensued: 3rd
& 7, Wilson takes the snap, throws it to Kearse…
and bounces off his hands to get picked off by a guy named Ha-Ha.
A sigh of disappointment at the missed opportunity to capitalize on a mistake.
Thankfully the Seahawks make an awesome goal-line stand to prevent Green Bay from getting into the end zone. The Packers don’t go for it. Ok cool, it’s a 3-0 game.
and bounces off his hands to get picked off by a guy named Ha-Ha.
A sigh of disappointment at the missed opportunity to capitalize on a mistake.
Thankfully the Seahawks make an awesome goal-line stand to prevent Green Bay from getting into the end zone. The Packers don’t go for it. Ok cool, it’s a 3-0 game.
We get the ball back, Doug
Baldwin returns the ball, I’m yelling that he should take a knee, and sure
enough, he fumbles the ball. Seriously bro?
But THANKFULLY, the defense
(AGAIN) bails them out with another stand (I don’t know why Green Bay didn’t go
for it THAT time).
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| No Doug...No... |
Yet it all went downhill from
there. By the end of the 1st quarter, Green Bay was up 13-0. It’s
all good, plenty of football to play. Actually…
Almost every single
freaking offensive drive ended in a 3-and-out, riddled with penalties, sacks,
interceptions, you name it. As time progressed, I was sinking lower, and lower
into my chair with gloom and frustration.
“What the (bleep) is going on here?” I constantly said to myself. That and a whole lot of other things I shouldn’t write here. I mean, this was the best team in the NFL. This was a team that was invincible at home. To say the Seahawks weren’t playing their best is an understatement. I don’t have to give you guys the stats to validate that the Seahawks were just playing like garbage. Thank goodness this team was only down 16-0 at halftime.
“What the (bleep) is going on here?” I constantly said to myself. That and a whole lot of other things I shouldn’t write here. I mean, this was the best team in the NFL. This was a team that was invincible at home. To say the Seahawks weren’t playing their best is an understatement. I don’t have to give you guys the stats to validate that the Seahawks were just playing like garbage. Thank goodness this team was only down 16-0 at halftime.
Fast forward to the 3rd
quarter, this team still down by the same score. Another 3-and-out but in field
goal range. Seattle sends the field goal unit to finally get some points on the
board. The play happens, the holder/punter, Jon Ryan runs with the ball. I flip
out thinking they messed up the snap.
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| Jon Ryan, the Ninja from Regina activating Stealth Mode |
Oh shoot, no wait it’s a fake!
Jon Ryan, the most beautiful (?) Canadian player in the NFL, then lobs the ball
in Gary Payton-to-Shawn Kemp fashion, to an undrafted rookie offensive tackle
named Garry Gilliam. Say what? And somehow, after all that turmoil, the
Seahawks are instantly back in the game.
First of all, that play
took serious, Marshawn Lynch-groin-grabbing-stones to do. How devastating would
that have been if that play didn’t work? And yet it did. Life was restored into
CenturyLink Field.
Fast forward to the 4th.
5 minutes left, Seattle has the ball down 19-7. Russell looks, fires to Kearse,
off his hands AGAIN and picked off by Green Bay FOR THE FOURTH TIME (I don’t
know why Burnett didn’t run with it. He could’ve gone house). Excuse me? 4
Interceptions?! This was what blasted my mind. The man who people lauded as the
“game manager.” The guy who doesn’t make mistakes, who models his game after a
point guard like Tony Parker. In his career he NEVER had such a bad game as
this. I know some of the picks were Kearse’s fault, but man, why not throw to
someone else? At this point I’m like, welp, it was fun while it lasted. At
least our guys that were injured this year will be back next year and we’ll be
better. I mean, how in the world was this team gonna score twice with 5 minutes
left? Then you got Marshawn on the sidelines chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and all shootin some b-ball outside of the school.
Then the unthinkable
happens. Shame on me for giving up on this team so early.
Seattle gets the ball back
with 3:52 left. Lynch carries the team on his back like a man possessed.
Eventually Wilson runs in for the TD. 19-14.
Then comes THE DECISION. Do
you onside kick or nah? Onside kick = high risk, high reward. But kicking off
to GB also has a risk in that your defense MUST stop them from scoring. This is
why I’ll never be able to coach in the NFL as you have to make tough decisions
like this one. Pete Carroll elects to go for the onside.
Another gutsy call. If
the Seahawks didn’t get this one, I think they lose this game. The Packers
would have had good field position, they probably would have taken a huge chunk
out of the clock, and Seattle would have had to drive down the field with
minimal time. But man, is getting onside kicks so rare. I mean check this out:
“The last time they recovered an onside kick
successfully was Oct. 4, 2009 at Indianapolis” (The News Tribune).
The fate of Seattle’s season depended
on the success of a difficult play. Hauschka kicks off. It’s in the hands of
Brandon Bostick…NO! THE SEAHAWKS GOT IT! THE SEAHAWKS GOT IT! Say what?
Unbelievable. If you look, Bostick apparently was supposed to block so Jordy
Nelson would get it, and Nelson would have gotten it if Bostick didn’t try to go into hero
mode. But man, you have to feel so bad for the guy. Especially seeing his
post-game interviews.
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| ~There can be miracles when you believe~ |
At that point, the momentum
was tsunami-ing towards Seattle’s way. They were going to win this game.
After the Seahawks drive down
the field guided by Wilson, with 1:33 left, Lynch goes “eff-this” and runs 24
yards for the score. Handshakes with the Beast all around. Then came the
2-point conversion, which was so crucial in that almost everyone knew Rodgers
was going to drive down the field for at least a field goal because he’s too
good. Russell “Houdini” Wilson takes the snap, runs away from Packer defenders,
and throws a ball of desperation that floats in the air for what seemed like an
eternity.
And somehow, Luke Willson, another beautiful Canadian man, bobbles the ball, but secures it.
Is this real life?
All the previous garbage and
dreck for the Seahawks forgotten in an instant. Seattle overcame the impossible
and was in the lead.
Then Rodgers does what we all
thought he would. Drive down the field for the field goal to tie this just to
make things more interesting. But come on D, why couldn’t you stop him?
Overtime! Tarvaris Jackson,
the Seahawks backup QB (aka the Zen master) goes out for the coin toss. T-Jack
going to destroy this coin toss. Green Bay calls the toss, but Seattle wins. Seahawks
get the ball. At that point, the game was already Seattle’s.
3rd and 7, ball at
the Seattle 30-yard-line. If they don’t convert, it’s likely they lose the game
as GB would only need a field goal to win. Then he throws to “Angry” Doug Baldwin
deep right for 35 yards. Clutch.
1st and 10 at the
GB 35. Russell takes the snap, fires downfield 35 yards…surely not to Kearse
after all his throws to him resulted in picks?
GAME. OVER. Bedlam in Seattle. Seahawks going to the Super Bowl.
Say what???
And the rest, is history.
/REFLECTION/
This is why football is the
best sport in the world. Out of the 10 years that I’ve followed football, I
thought prior to this game, the best game I’ve seen was Super Bowl XLII between
the New York Giants and the undefeated New England Patriots. That game was one
of the biggest upsets in football history and had the craziest play in the
David Tyree helmet catch (go YouTube that if you haven’t seen it). Number 2
would probably be last year’s NFC Championship game with Sherman’s Tip.
To think that a game would top those two…This was truly the best game I have ever seen.
Consider all of the things the Seahawks had to overcome to win. I mean, at halftime, here’s what ESPN wrote:
“ESPN's win probability data gave the Packers a 94.4 percent chance of winning at halftime (when leading 16-0) and a 96.1 percent chance of winning with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter (leading 19-7).”
See that?! 5.6% and 3.9% respectively.
Almost impossible the Seahawks were going to come back and win.
Just some of the mountains that Seattle had to overcome: Russell Wilson throwing 4 picks; penalties, sacks, and miscues leading to constant 3 & outs; Sherman and Thomas (two of your best players on defense) hobbled with injuries; down 16-0 at the half AND down 19-7 with 3:52 left on the clock. Russell Wilson also at the end of Q1 had a 0.0 QB rating (out of 100) and at the end of Q2 had 0.2.
I'm not joking. But again, when it mattered the most, in Overtime, he has a rating of 99.9 (don't know what he had to do to get 100).
A movie needs to be made out of this game.
After this game, I’m convinced
these Seahawks can command mountains to move.
But how did they do this? Call
it luck all you want, but these guys just believe and trust in one another. One
of their core values is “Leave No Doubt 24/7” and they proved just that. Heck,
they proved me wrong for giving up on them after the 4th
interception. No matter how much their backs are against the wall, they don’t
give up. They actually play their best when doubted. The Seahawks showed exactly what persevering
means.
This game shows perfectly that
you can “never say never.” That you can be the worst team in the first 55
minutes of the game and still win when it matters most in the last 5 minutes of
the game.
Having to go through just the
worst fan experience for the first 3 & 1/2 quarters somehow built up so
perfectly to the last moments of this crooked concerto. Despite all the bitterness and
hopelessness stored up during those points, they just somehow made the miraculous
comeback so much sweeter. This was why so many fans cried after the game in joy
after the rollercoaster of emotions that had to be endured. Heck, I even cried.
I felt HIGH after the game, man. High on I don’t even know…emotions I guess?
Well then…
God is good all the time...Curse these onions...
And Russell Wilson, the robot who never shows emotions, who always talks in clichés, broke down in tears when he prayed after the game. Thankful towards God and thinking about his father that passed away.
God truly makes all things
work together for people's good. Russell threw 4 picks
and Jermaine Kearse who was the scapegoat of those interceptions makes the
game-winning play.
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| Good Guy Russell: Throws to Kearse FTW so fans won't get mad @ him |
It’s funny, when the Seahawks
got the ball back after the 4th INT, I was praying to God like mad. Praying
for God to give strength to the Seahawks, praying that they’ll pull the
impossible off to teach people that nothing is impossible. Stuff like
that. And I couldn’t help but feel a bit silly thinking about what I was
praying for. I mean I was praying for something that was happening thousands of
miles away and for football. A sport where people get paid millions to throw
and catch a big brown egg. I mean during the game, I had my hands clutching my shirt and glued them to my face. I stood up frozen for most of the 4th quarter. Tensions were that high...
I've also read tweets/ posts by people saying stuff along the lines of: "I prayed during this game even though I don't believe" and "This game makes me think that there is a God." How crazy is that? Just shows how inspirational the game was.
There aren't many times where a sequel is better than the first. The only two that I can think of from the top of my head are Godfather II and The Dark Knight.
And this year's return to the Super Bowl, I think, provides a more compelling story than last year's.
There aren't many times where a sequel is better than the first. The only two that I can think of from the top of my head are Godfather II and The Dark Knight.
And this year's return to the Super Bowl, I think, provides a more compelling story than last year's.
Consider not just this game, but what the Seahawks had to
endure the first weeks of the season. Starting 3-3, and the Percy Harvin trade.
Everything seemed to be a disaster. So much so, I tweeted this out:
know it's early, but looking at the schedule, i say we go 9-7. 10-6 if we catch a break on the road. what say you @DavisHsuSeattle @antmay
— David H.K. (@HarmaniExchange) 2014년 10월 19일
Yeah, it was that bad. Then
the team went 6-4. It seemed that even winning the division was wishful thinking. But suddenly, the Seahawks win six games straight and somehow get
the #1 seed. Then they somehow beat Carolina…and well, you know where it goes
from there.
I’m truly blessed to have
shared this moment of just absolute greatness
with millions of other people in the world. A legendary tale I’m going to be
able to tell my kids and grandkids. Maybe the game will be changed so much,
when I show them the game they’ll be like: “They were allowed to do that back
then?” Maybe football will have degenerated to the point where it'll just be flag football because of safety concerns.
Truly a magical (albeit
nauseating, heart-attack-inducing) carpet ride. That was awesome.
Actually don’t put us through
that again in the Super Bowl, Seattle. Once a season is enough. Onward to
Arizona for the Super Bowl! New England…we’re coming for you!
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| Michael Bennett (the Black Santa) Rides to the Super Bowl on a Magical Police Bike
photo/gif/vine/video creds: Seahawks.com//ESPN//Jason Romano//SB Nation//Fansided//@Jose8BS
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