Some of the memorable moments from the Seahawks’ second consecutive Super Bowl season.
10 Marshawn Lynch’s game-winning touchdown against the Broncos
OK, so there were plenty of other options for this spot, including Jon Ryan’s touchdown pass on a fake field-goal attempt in the playoffs. But Lynch’s 6-yard game-winning touchdown run against the Broncos saved the Seahawks from blowing a big lead and from losing twoconsecutive games early in the season.
9 Kam Chancellor jumps over the line — twice
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Both of Chancellor’s attempts at timing the snap, jumping over the Panthers’ line and blocking field-goal attempts were negated. But no play last season left you shaking your head more than watching Chancellor’s leaps over the line.
8 Chris Matthews’ onside-kick recovery
Matthews was a little-known, undrafted-free-agent receiver who looked like a basketball player at the start of the NFC title game. But he kept the Seahawks’ slim comeback hopes alive when he recovered the onside kick with just 2:09 left and the Seahawks trailing by five.
7 Kam Chancellor’s pick six against Carolina
Chancellor darted in front of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton’s pass and returned it untouched 90 yards for a touchdown that gave the Seahawks a 31-10 lead in the fourth quarter and sealed their return to the NFC Championship Game.
6 Jermaine Kearse’s circus catch in the Super Bowl
Had the Seahawks won the game, Kearse’s catch would have been played right there alongside David Tyree’s “helmet catch” every time a list of best Super Bowl plays popped up. Even after watching the replay dozens of times, it still seems so improbable that Kearse hauled in the pass after it was batted into the air, hit off his legs, his right hand and popped into the air — all while falling on his back. The catch left Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shaking his head in frustration.
5 Russell Wilson to Luke Willson two-point conversion against Green Bay
It was an absolutely ridiculous play, and it looked more like something you would see in a backyard than in an NFC Championship Game. And that’s exactly why it is so memorable. With the Seahawks up by one with 1:25 left in the game, quarterback Russell Wilson rolled right, spun left, spun back to the right and floated a moon ball off his back foot. The pass hung in the air so long that tight end Luke Willson looked more like a punt returner than a tight end, but he caught the ball in front of a defender to give the Seahawks what turned out to be an important three-point lead.
4 Earl Thomas’ karate chop against St. Louis
There is something about this play that is hard to shake, even though it wasn’t a decisive play. Cornerback Richard Sherman gushed about the play even though he said it wouldn’t have decided the game. But Thomas’ all-out, diving karate chop at the goal line against the Rams forced a fumble and preserved the Seahawks’ streak of not allowing a point in the fourth quarter for six consecutive games. More than that, the play came to be seen as a symbol of not only Thomas’ intensity, but of what went right for the Seahawks in the second half of the season.
3 Russell Wilson to Luke Willson game-winner against Carolina
It might be overstating it, but the Seahawks’ victory against Carolina last year felt like it saved their season. A defeat would have put the Seahawks at 3-4, and it would have come on the heels of the Percy Harvin trade, a loss to the Rams and reports of locker-room tension. In other words, it could have all ripped apart. Instead, Russell Wilson hit Luke Willson for a 23-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left that pointed the Seahawks in the right direction.
2 Russell Wilson-Jermaine Kearse finally connect in the NFC title game
Until the end, Russell Wilson and Jermaine Kearse had a rough, if not brutal, day. Wilson had thrown four interceptions, all on passes intended for Kearse. And Kearse had dropped at least a couple of catches that became interceptions. But in overtime, Wilson hit Kearse with a perfect throw for a 35-yard touchdown, and Kearse hung on with a defender draped all over him.
1 Beast Quake II in Arizona
One teammate thought Marshawn Lynch broke 11 tackles on the run. Another said it was 20. What Lynch’s 79-yard touchdown run did without a doubt was leave his teammates in awe. Said defensive end Michael Bennett, “It was the best run I’ve ever seen. … They haven’t had a run like that since the Underground Railroad.”