Sunday’s finish saw an offense that had struggled for much of the game drive to set up a go-ahead field goal with 2:27 left in the game, which given how well the defense way playing, particularly in the second half, felt like it might be enough to win it. But then Philip Rivers, the Colts’ 44-year-old quarterback who just came out of retirement this week, dialed up one of his best throws of the game, a back-shoulder throw down the sideline that set up an impressive 60-yard field goal by Blake Grupe that gave the Colts a one-point lead with 47 seconds left.
The Seahawks used all of their timeouts to save some clock on that last Colts possession, meaning Sam Darnold and company had to drive for the game-winning field goal with almost no margin for error. Rashid Shaheed got things started with a nice return to the 37-yard line, then Darnold hit Shaheed with back-to-back completions, setting Jason Myers up for a 56-yard field goal, his sixth of the game. After that, a final deep throw by Rivers was tipped by Devon Witherspoon and intercepted by Coby Bryant to secure the Seahawks’ 11th win of the season.
“We’ve had games where we’ve blown people out, this game here where we had to come back and it was close,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said . “Championship teams, you need those. You need to see how your team is going to respond, and we responded well and were able to get the win, and that’s all that matter.”
Said Witherspoon, “A win is a win. Every win is going to be different, but it’s the NFL. They had a great plan, had a great scheme against. We’re just glad to come out with a W.”
The Seahawks had just six points at halftime for the second week in a row, a formula they know isn’t going to cut it when they start facing elite teams down the stretch and in the postseason, but that group, led by Darnold and another 100-yard game by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, did show the ability to come through when it mattered most.
“For us we just got start faster as an offense, finish in the red zone,” said Darnold, who completed 22 of 36 passes for 271 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers. “I feel like it’s becoming a theme the next few weeks, and we got get it figured out. I feel like our defense is playing really, really good football. But, yeah next we just got step it up a little bit as an offense. You know, that starts with me. But we just got to play better. Like I said, we got to be better on third downs, better in the red zone, and we will be better. We’ll look at the tape and get better. It’s a quick turnaround for Thursday night against L.A. that we’ll be ready for.”
Had the Seahawks lost on Sunday, the story of the game would have been how the offense’s mistakes, be it penalties or dropped passes or negative plays or missed opportunities in the red zone, proved to be too costly, but instead, thanks to come clutch drives late, great defense throughout and a ridiculously good day for Myers, the Seahawks can focus on cleaning up those mistakes while celebrating a win.
“There was no flinch, with our coaches and (staff),” said guard Grey Zabel. “We just understand it’s a softening process. We have to continue to be better. We started picking up a little bit in the second half. A huge shoutout to our defense for keeping us in a game like that. They’ve been playing unbelievable, and they’re just unbelievable guys too. They’re picking us up. We’re picking them up. It’s good stuff. We got a good squad.”
Seattle’s defensive players, who limited the Colts to 215 total yards, and allowed just a single field goal in the second half, also found room to be hard on themselves given that the one score did allow the Colts to briefly take the lead, but like the offense that responded well to adversity, the defense came back out after Myers’ go-ahead field goal and got the game-clinching turnover.
“That’s just kind of the mindset that we have,” said rookie safety Nick Emmanwori. “We’ve got each other’s back. Offense has our back, the defense has the offense’s back. That’s just kind of the mindset that we do. We don’t really flinch as a team. The game is played over four quarters. If they start slow or we start slow, we know we’re going to make it up in the end.
“We’re just finishers. We’re some closers. Cobe’s a dog. That’s what you do. He made a play, and we were super happy to just end the game and walk away with a dub.”
Said cornerback Riq Woolen, “At the end of game, it’s like a walk-off hit in a baseball game. It’s like a grand slam, man. It sealed the game. It’s a testament to how close we are and the work we put in.”
Sunday wasn’t the Seahawks’ most impressive game of the season, and certainly not their most comfortable finish, but with a big NFC West showdown against the Rams coming up on Thursday, and with the playoffs a near certainty at this point, there is also value in being battle tested.
“It’s great to win by multiple scores and put games away in the fourth quarter—we’ll take those every time—but this is the NFL and these teams are really, really good,” Macdonald said. “I’m just proud that we fought and found a way to win this tight game. This is what it’s going to be like from here on out.”
