The Seattle Seahawks shook off a penalty-laden first half, riding Russell Wilson's throwing arm and legs to a 17-7 halftime lead over the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.
Our Seahawks/Redskins Halftime Quick Hitters
Washington would close the gap to 17-10 with a field goal to start the second half, but that would be the closest they would get to the Seahawks in the final 30 minutes. Seattle would shake off multiple mental mistakes and a late push by the Redskins to secure a 27-17 victory in D.C.
Who was to thank for this? Who else but Russell Wilson.
Turning Point: Russell Wilson's legs were his greatest asset all night long, but it was his shortest gain of the night that proved to be tonight's biggest moment.
Up 17-10 in the early 4th quarter, Wilson was seemingly trapped by the Washington pass rush for what looked to be a major sack on a 3rd-and-1 at the Redskins 32. However, last year's Super Bowl MVP escaped danger and found RB Marshawn Lynch for what turned out to be a one-foot gain.
The Seahawks would seemingly elect to kick a field goal from there, but punter/holder Jon Ryan would rush five yards on a fake to give Seattle a first down. 5 plays later, Wilson would connect with Marshawn Lynch again for what turned out to be a game-sealing 9-yard TD - all thanks to Wilson's All-Pro footwork out of the pocket.
Key Stat: Seattle had 13 penalities for 90 yards on Monday. Washington? 2 penalties for 15 yards. The Seahawks could have rolled their way to a victory a lot earlier in this game, but a revisitation to their 2013 regular season ways of drawing flag after flag gave Washington the opening to keep this a one-score game for most of the proceedings.
How much worse could it have been for Washington? Three Percy Harvin TD catches (two on the same drive) were nullified by flags - angering coach Pete Carroll and tons of fantasy football players around the world.
Seahawks MVP: QB Russell Wilson (18-of-24, 201 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 11 rushes, 122 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD)
Wilson's deceptive. He's crafty. He knows how to create havoc against opposing defenses. All of these qualities came into play on this night in D.C. Wilson threw for two scores and ran for one more, singlehandedly lifting the Seahawks out of the muck they created for themselves with repeated penalties. If there was any question that Russell Wilson belongs in the conversation with the elite signal callers in the NFL, Monday will go a long way towards silencing the doubters.
Redskins MVP: WR DeSean Jackson (5 catches, 157 yards, 1 TD)
The former Cal Golden Bear was the Redskins offense on this night. Jackson's 157 yards receiving (on five catches) accounted for over 50% of Washington's entire offensive output (307 yards). With the running game a complete non-factor (17 carries for 32 yards), Jackson gave QB Kirk Cousins one of his only weapons for the majority of the night (Cousins would find WR Andre Roberts with 3:35 left to make it 24-17), establishing himself again as one of the best big play threats in the business.
What’s Next? The Seattle Seahawks head back home for a battle of early-season NFC powers next Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys. Washington heads to Arizona to face a Cardinals team facing multiple injuries at the quarterback position.
Back to the Seattle Seahawks Newsfeed