Ain’t that a kick in the tailfeathers? Seahawks 22, Ravens 17…

I don’t buy into the “letdown” theory…  The Ravens were prepared for the Seahawks… they just failed to rise to the occasion when the Seahawks upped the ante with their own individual efforts and combined focus. Seattle smashed Baltimore in the face and never looked back.

Steven Hauschka matched a franchise record with five field goals, Marshawn Lynch scored Seattle’s only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge, and the Seahawks forced three turnovers in a surprising 22-17 win over the Ravens on Sunday.

Joe Flacco was rarely able challenge the Seahawks secondary downfield due to strong coverage that forced him to throw underneath. When he did have opportunities to pick up chunks of yards, Flacco missed open receivers. Ray Rice was a non-factor as a runner and David Reed fumbled twice on kickoff returns leading to six points for Seattle.

Hauschka kicked field goals of 22, 38, 39, 35 and 30 yards. Tarvaris Jackson was 17 of 27 for 217 yards and Lynch had 109 yards rushing and another 58 receiving as Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak. The Seahawks also picked up their second victory over a division-leader this season after beating the New York Giants in early October.

Flacco was 29 of 52 for 255 yards. Rice, who was visibly upset after the Ravens had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff late in the third quarter, had five carries for 27 yards. He caught eight passes for 54 yards.

Baltimore had a chance with a 10-play, 65-yard drive, helped along by two defensive penalties and capped by Flacco’s 11-yard TD pass to tight end Ed Dickson with 5:52 remaining, cutting the lead to 22-17. Flacco set a career-high in attempts, while Dickson had a career-high with 10 catches and two touchdowns, including a second-quarter TD catch from Rice.

But Flacco and the Ravens never got the ball back. Following the score, Seattle faced third-and-5 at its 25 and Jackson found Golden Tate for 24 yards with 4:37 left. The Seahawks got another third-down conversion when Lynch took a short pass and faked out both Ray Lewis and Jarret Johnson to get the needed yards. Seattle ran out the clock, finally taking a knee at the Ravens 17 as the final seconds ticked away.

After Lynch’s 1-yard TD run on Seattle’s second possession, the Seahawks got inside the Baltimore 25 on five other occasions, settling for field goals each time.

Seattle also forced a turnover when rookie K.J. Wright dropped off the line, batted Flacco’s pass for Anquan Boldin into the air and into the arms of David Hawthorne, who returned the interception inside the Ravens 10 and lead to another Hauschka field goal.

After giving up 13 total first-quarter points this season, the Ravens surrendered 10 to the Seahawks. Lynch was responsible for 50 of Seattle’s 60 yards on its opening drive with receptions of 23 and 21 yards and plowing in from the 1 for a 7-0 lead.

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER				BAL	SEA
	TD	08:07	Marshawn Lynch 1 Yd Run (Steven Hauschka Kick)	0	7
	FG	05:26	Steven Hauschka 22 Yd	0	10
SECOND QUARTER				BAL	SEA
	TD	09:11	Ed Dickson 1 Yd Pass From Ray Rice (Billy Cundiff Kick)	7	10
	FG	05:39	Steven Hauschka 38 Yd	7	13
	FG	01:52	Steven Hauschka 39 Yd	7	16
	FG	00:46	Steven Hauschka 35 Yd	7	19
THIRD QUARTER				BAL	SEA
	FG	12:26	Steven Hauschka 30 Yd	7	22
	FG	00:52	Billy Cundiff 35 Yd	10	22
FOURTH QUARTER				BAL	SEA
	TD	05:52	Ed Dickson 11 Yd Pass From Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff Kick)	17	22

The key to the win was Seattle’s collective and individual willpower to run out the clock with 4 minutes to go. It was a drive that smoked with sheer determination by the Seahawks’ OL and RB Lynch…  Seattle’s lead had been trimmed to 22-17 after Flacco hit Ed Dickson on an 11-yard TD on his 52nd pass attempt of the night. The Seahawks took over at their own 20 with 5:52 left and immediately picked up two penalties to back them up to the 10, creating a first-and-20 situation that in the past would lead to a short series and a punt.

Not this time. They worked to a manageable third-and-5, and Jackson connected with Golden Tate for 24 yards. A minute later, they faced the same down and distance from the Baltimore 46. Jackson threw short for Lynch, who slipped ahead for 8 yards and another clock-churning first down.

“I’ve said it before: The man walks aggressively. Everything about him is moving forward aggressively and trying to gain yards. You’ve got to love that,” Seattle fullback Michael Robinson said. Lynch added four more runs that ensured all Jackson had to do was take a knee twice inside the Baltimore 20 to close out the victory. For a drive that produced no points and started with a pair of penalties, it couldn’t have been more valuable for the young Seahawks.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a four-minute drill quite like this before,” Seattle center Max Unger said. “I couldn’t tell you a time that we had that much time left on the clock with the lead and ran the ball out like that.”

To witness it even from the Ravens side of the field was remarkable. It’s not that the Ravens were not trying hard or out of position. It was just a simple display of sheer will to win.  Lynch was moving piles of bodies of guys who know how to tackle. It wasn’t a case of Ravens letdown, it was all about a focus and determination on Seattle’s offensive unit… and the Ravens begrudgingly yielding to an irresistible force.

That proved to be enough thanks to Seattle’s stout defense and special teams mistakes by the Ravens. David Reed fumbled twice on kickoff returns, leading to six points for Seattle. Flacco’s lone interception was returned by David Hawthorne inside the Ravens 10 and eventually led to another field goal from Hauschka. Along with Reed’s two fumbles, Billy Cundiff missed field-goal attempts of 52 and 50 yards in the first half.