Seattle Seahawks – 31

New England Patriots – 24

Revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. While it may not completely numb the pain of Super Bowl XLIX, there was still significant satisfaction in watching the Seattle Seahawks down the New England Patriots nonetheless. Especially when the roles are reversed and it is the New England faithful screaming “JUST RUN THE BALL!” Being there in person, at Gillette, watching Brady’s pass to Gronkowski fall incomplete at the one yard line was immeasurably glorious. The sound of silence from the Pats fans was deafening and magnificent. In what was easily the best game of the year, the Seahawks proved their mettle by knocking off arguably the best team in the NFL at home. The significance of this win should not be lost on anyone. Seattle didn’t just beat New England, it’s the circumstances in which they beat them. The Seahawks had to travel to the east coast off after a short week following a dramatic Monday Night Football win where the defense was on the field for 40 minutes. They had to face a well rested 7-1 Patriots squad coming off of a bye week, in Gillette, where New England had only lost 19 games since 2002. Every single pundit on NFL Network and ESPN all picked the Patriots. Michael Irvin even predicted it would be the worst loss in the Russell Wilson-Era. Seattle wasn’t getting any love from the fans, either. Almost 90% of fans who voted in the weekly “Pick ‘Em” on NFL.com thought the Patriots would win.

Yet these are the games that Seattle has shown the world they flourish in. While the Seahawks might occasionally play down to their opponent’s level, they always seem to rise to the challenge against the elite of the League. Seattle faced deficits of 7-0, 14-12, 21-19, and 24-22 to New England. If history tells us anything, when the Patriots get a lead in the fourth they are hard to beat. How hard? Since 2001 the Pats are 102-1 at home when leading in the fourth. Sunday night, they “fell” to 102-2. The Seahawks earned their first victory in Foxboro since 1993, and the first time since 2002 Seattle has gone 4-0 versus the AFC. No Bennett, no Rawls, limited Christine Michael, a Wilson who is still not quite 100%, the short week, and the opponent, this is easily the most impressive win (short of the victory in Super Bowl XLVIII) in the Pete Carroll-Era.

This wasn’t just the best regular season win in the Carroll-Era, this was hands down the best game of the NFL season thus far. In a year where ratings have declined partially due to uninteresting primetime games, we were treated to this instant classic. This was a game that featured 7 lead changes, big plays, and mega-star power on both sides. The Seahawks and the Patriots are about as evenly matched as you get. Near identical total yardage, first downs, and time of possession. For the first time in four weeks, Seattle won the TOP battle, 30-29. The real difference came down to quarterback play. When Tom Brady steps on the field, the instant reaction was that he was the difference. However, on Sunday night, Russell Wilson was the best signal caller and overall player on the field. Wilson, who looks healthier and healthier each week, proved unstoppable. He was able to completely outduel Tom Brady to the tune of 25/37, 348 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. This was Wilson’s fourth game with at least 300 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, the Seahawks are 4-0 in these games. This is also the first time the Patriots have given up a 300 yard passer with 3 scores since Peyton Manning in 2005. Let that sink in a bit.

Wilson’s ball placement was about as flawless as it could ever get. Anyone who does not consider Russell Wilson in the top tier of quarterbacks simply does not watch football, is a hater, or both. Let’s also talk about the quarterback that Wilson outgunned, Tom Brady. His completion numbers are similar, 23/32, and he did throw for 316 yards, but the main difference was no touchdowns to one interception. Not only was this Brady’s first pick of 2016, it was the first interception from any Patriots quarterback. They had just set the NFL record with most attempts without one at 252, but that streak came to an instant halt as Brady’s duck fell into the waiting clutches of DeShawn Shead. This is the first time since 2007 where Brady played a home game with no touchdowns and an interception. It was the first of two New England turnovers, the second coming at the worst moment as Kam Chancellor ripped the ball out of Julian Edelman, only to be recovered by Richard Sherman (you mad, bro?). Seattle was leading 25-24 at the time, and was able to capitalize as Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for a third time to go up 31-24. The Patriots are now 7-11 at home with 2+ turnovers.

Sunday night ended in the only way it could possibly end, with a goal line stand. This time, the roles were reversed. Down 7 points in the waning minutes of the game, New England had the ball. This is where Tom Terrific has made his money, coming up in the clutch when most needed. Brady masterfully led his squad to the goal line of Seattle, behind gorgeous throws to Edelman and Gronkowski. The Patriots had four chances at the one yard line, everyone thinking that this would go into overtime. Everyone, except the Legion of Boom that is. The LOB subscribes to the “defend every blade of grass” defensive philosophy, and for the second straight week the defense saved the day. A stark contrast to the oddities of last season where they couldn’t seem to hold the lead late.

On first down, Brady tried to sneak in, and was promptly stuffed. On second down, LeGarrette Blount got his only carry in the situation (despite having scored all three of New England’s touchdowns), but the result was the same: stuffed. Third down was another sneak attempt by Brady, who was stuffed and actually lost control of the ball. Brady recovered, and had one final shot at the game-tying score. Fourth down, 11 seconds to go, Brady dropped back and threw a fade to Rob Gronkowski, only to see it fall incomplete due to excellent defense from Kam Chancellor. There was plenty of contact from both Gronk and Kam, but the refs made the right no-call. That is how every fan wants to see it go down, the best two players in their respective positions battling it out, mano-a-mano, with the game on the line. It is a shame that these two teams won't meet in the regular season until 2020, unless of course they rematch in Houston for Super Bowl LI. Given how these are easily the best two teams in the League, that must be considered the favorite for a matchup.

The Good – Welcome back, Bam Bam Kam! In his first game back since his groin injury, Chancellor reminded everyone why is the undisputed best safety in the NFL. Maybe even the most valuable player on the Seattle defense. Kam’s bone crushing hits sets the tone for the Legion, letting the opposition know that they won’t leave the game without a few good licks. Chancellor made an immediate impact, recording eight critical tackles, a hit on Brady that shook him up in the fourth, a forced fumble and the final play to ice the game. The return of Chancellor also signified the reunification of the best safety tandem in the NFL. Chancellor paired with Earl Thomas is a deadly combo for anyone, including the cyborg that is Gronkowski. Their takedown of Gronk in the first half took him out of the game for one play, but the damage is being felt long after Sunday night. In fact, his status for next Sunday’s game against San Francisco is now in doubt because the hit he took from them punctured his lung. Punctured. His. Lung. Another bright point was the breakout performance from rookie running back CJ. Prosise. The former Notre Dame standout had 17 carries for 66 yards, and also led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 87 yards. His versatility will be critical going forward, as teams can no longer predict if it is a run or pass play when he is in the game.

The Bad – The decision to go for two. Look, I completely understand why they would go for two. Russell was the best player on the field, they were already up by 7 and the likelihood of the Patriots going for two themselves to win if they had scored was highly improbable. The Hawks wanted to ice the game then and there. I get it. However, just because I get it doesn’t mean I like it. Even if they had got it, I still wouldn’t have been the biggest fan. I would have hated it less, but still. In that situation, you gotta kick the PAT to go up by eight and trust your defense. This may seem like a moot point since it all worked out in the end, but I still didn’t like the attempt.

The Ugly – Sorry Pats fans, you get the ugly treatment this week. I’m not dissing you as people, because 99% of you I interacted with at the game were fine and decent. I’m talking about how weak most of you were as far as noise goes. I now know that New England’s home field advantage comes from the fact that the Patriots are just really freaking good, because it’s not the noise. Seriously, that stadium was quiet. The Arizona Cardinals fans were louder. The Eastern Washington Eagles home games are louder. This was about as big a game as it gets for you guys and that was as loud as you could get? Maybe the constant winning has spoiled most of you. At CenturyLink Field, you can’t even hear yourself think because of the noise. On critical third downs, I could hold a decent conversation without barely raising my voice.

Looking Ahead – The Seahawks return to the friendly confines of the Pacific Northwest to take on the 5-4 Philadelphia Eagles. It is their first meeting since 2014, and the first meeting in Seattle since 2011. The Eagles look much different than in either of those two meetings, this will also be the third Eagles quarterback to face the Seahawks. Rookie standout Carson Wentz started the year red hot, but has since cooled down a bit. Wentz is clearly the future in Philadelphia, but every rookie has his struggles. Not only is Philadelphia starting a rookie at quarterback, they are also led by a rookie head coach. This is not me trying to disrespect the Eagles, just merely pointing out that escaping the Emerald City with a win will be a tall order. That’s not to say that the Eagles will be pushovers for the Hawks. Philadelphia is coming off of a 24-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons, along with wins over Pittsburgh and Minnesota. In what could easily become a trap game for Seattle, the Hawks must remain focused on their 1-0 mentality to avoid a home upset of their own.