A penalty wipes out a long punt return by Devin Hester, but that was only the beginning of the Seahawks' troubles during that sequence.
The Seahawks and Falcons were in the middle of a potential momentum shift, and then quarterback Russell Wilson got stepped on.
Seattle had just forced a punt early in the second quarter and Devin Hester, who did not run any kicks back against Detroit, ripped off a 79-yard punt return. But a holding penalty on Kevin Pierre-Louis wiped out that return and pinned the Seahawks at their 7-yard line. After Thomas Rawls was thrown for a loss, Wilson got stepped on by lineman Rees Odhiambo, causing the quarterback to stumble back into the end zone for a safety that cut Seattle’s lead to 10-9.
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Fortunately for the Seahawks, they held the Falcons to a field goal on the possession following Seattle’s free kick and Atlanta nudged ahead 12-10 with about 6 minutes to go in the first half.