In less than 10 seconds, Seattle Seahawks fans across the country went from sunken faces and defeated hearts to shocked mouths and shrieking screams as the Minnesota Vikings challenged the explanation of American football to send the Seahawks on their way to the second round of NFL Playoffs.
The last two minutes of Sunday’s game had a freaky resemblance to a game 11 months prior, when the Seattle team lost a heartbreaking Super Bowl championship game that could be chalked up to a simple bad play choice. But it seems that fate apologized for last season as Blair Walsh defied odds, missing a 27-yard field goal that had a 99% success rate.
It was no secret that Pete Carroll’s team had extreme difficulty playing in below-freezing temperature, a disadvantage that was never-before seen for the Super Bowl XLVIII champs. Myself, along with, surely, the majority of Seahawks fans, were very critical of their playing, with Russell Wilson’s slow-reflexes and a complete first half loss for the offense. I think many fans believe that the team did not deserve the win based solely on skill. But the Seattle Seahawks have a loveable reputation, despite their less-than impressive regular play earlier in the season and during the first round of playoffs. Notwithstanding recent drama with Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks fans across the nation support their time while uniquely being able to admit fault without excuse; something that isn’t collectively seen with any other team in the NFL.
So was last week’s win lucky? Perhaps … but it also displays the team’s ability to stay calm, cool and collected during points of pressure. The Seahawks know that no game is over until the final clock runs out; having experience being on the 1-yard line and losing. But I think it’s more than just luck. Seattle is a comeback team, having unbelievable wins over teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals in the recent years that defy the odds of the game and contribute to the loveable reputation they have acquired since coming to the forefront in 2012. This attitude, along with some of the top defensive linemen in the league, have given the team what many see as a “second chance” in more than a handful of games.
The Seahawks now faces the Carolina Panthers, a team with an incredible 15-1 record, in the second round of the NFL playoffs. But most fans, and sports analysts, see Seattle as having a real chance to come out with a win next week. So for those fans, and even foes, out there who see last week’s game as purely luck: you may have a slight point. However, make sure to consider the fact that the team has won six of their last seven regular-season games, and are ranked second in the league for passing defense. People can chalk up last week’s win to luck, but have it be known that the Seahawks make their own luck. In the end, there is no room for luck in the locker room, or on the field. Skill determines the outcome of each game and the fan-favorite team sure has proved its place in the NFL.
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