It’s the rematch Seahawks fans have been waiting for: Hawks vs. Broncos, the same matchup that we all saw last February in the Super Bowl. Would the 13th Man lead them to another 43-8 blowout? Would the Broncos trample the Hawks as payback for their humiliating defeat? In any case, one thing’s for sure: that second option definitely didn’t happen.
The game opened up with Montee Ball of the Broncos fumbling the ball on their first offensive play from scrimmage. Seattle immediately capitalized, punting out a 20-yard field goal and giving the Hawk’s the 3 and 0 lead. To their credit, the Broncos did get their horsies back on track- this was immediately followed by 15 plays and 75 yards by the team, ending with a field goal to tie things up at 3-3. Their defense kept the Hawks from moving their end of the scoreboard any higher after that, with an average of just 3.1 yards per play among 10 plays total to end the quarter.
The second quarter was more or less a push, with no scoring occurring until the final minutes. Both teams’ defense was tight, with the Hawks forcing the Broncos to punt on every single possession during the quarter. The no-score streak ended at 3:05 remaining with a 39-yard touchdown catch from Russell Wilson to Ricardo Lockette, which gave Seattle a 10-3 lead with 3:05 remaining in the quarter. This scoring play was the single longest passing completion of the season for the Seahawks, who also scored on their next possession after Wilson led a 10 play 68 yard drive followed by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marshawn Lynch. The Hawks scored 14 total points for a total of 17, while the Broncos’ total of 3 points for the entire game that far is the lowest mark of their particular season.
The third quarter was marked by defense. The third quarter started much like the previous, with possessions that ended in punts and ate up the clock. This would continue until the end of the completely scoreless quarter, as the Broncos punted two more times and the Seahawks punted again and Steven Hauschka missed a 46-yard field goal attempt.
The action kicked into overdrive in the fourth quarter, as the Broncos had their last chance to pull themselves out of their hole. They opened the quarter strong, starting with a punt that ended with Seattle being stuck in their own endzone- forcing a safety, and the first scoring play they had since the first quarter. Coincidentally, this was the Broncos’ first safety since 2012 against the Carolina Panthers.
The Brocos rallied a bit after this, with Peyton Manning tossing a 3-yard pass to Julius Thomas for their first touchdown of the game- bringing the score to 17-12 with a bit over 9 minutes remaining. Seattle drove the ball back down the field and almost even made it back in the endzone- but this drive ended in a 28 yard field goal by Steven Hauschka, putting the score at 20-12. The Broncos responded once again by putting together 80 yards across 6 plays and 41 seconds, resulting in a touchdown catch by Jacob Tamme. With no other option available to not lose the game, the Broncos attempted a risky 2-point conversion- and nailed it, giving fans on both sides of the aisle 20/20 vision. The game would go into overtime.
But that overtime didn’t exactly last long. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks immediately want on an 80-yard game-winning offensive, meaning that the Broncos suffered their first loss of the season right here in our very own CenturyLink Field. Best 3 out of 5, guys?
Supposing the Hawks don’t take them up on that, their next game will be against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Get ready for Monday Night Football, because that’s where it’s going down on October 9th. Here’s hoping for the first away win of Hawks season!
