By Andrew Holman | The Duquesne Duke
The Seattle Seahawks have represented the NFC in the Super Bowl in back to back seasons thanks to a few magical moments. A rather fortunate 10-9 escape over the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s wild-card game showed that there still might be a little more magic left in the Seahawks, especially in the form of their reliable quarterback.
Although they have not emitted an aura of dominance in the 2015-16 season like they have in the past few years, there is no doubt that this Seahawks team is talented enough to earn a spot in their 3rd consecutive Super Bowl.
Seattle has fought off its fair share of injuries and growing pains this season – a big reason why they finished as the sixth seed in the NFC. However, they have a signal caller named Russell Wilson who always seems to make the right plays in the right moments.
Rewind to the 2015 NFC Championship game with the ‘Hawks down 19-7 and just over three minutes on the clock. Remember Wilson’s improbable throw all the way from one sideline to the other on that 2-point conversion? Clutch. But they wouldn’t have pulled it off without the botched onside kick by Brandon Bostick.
What about the back and forth tussle with the San Francisco 49ers back in the 2014 Championship Game? Seattle slid by once again. After trailing for much of the game, Wilson came up huge when his team desperately needed him to make a play.
Fast forward to last weekend, with his team trailing 9-0 in the 4th quarter, a miscommunication between center and quarterback led to the ball whizzing past Wilson’s head. Crucial mistake, right? Not quite. Wilson ran back, picked up the ball, scrambled to his right and tossed a composed pass to rookie Tyler Lockett. This completion got Seattle inside the five-yard-line and back in the game.
Those are the plays that winning teams make.
The Seahawks only suffered one loss all season in which they lost by multiple possessions. Meaning in their other five defeats, they were within one “lucky” play of winning. No team is going to get lucky week after week and the Hawks are no exception, but they give themselves a chance to win each game and that’s what makes them so dangerous.
Yes, luck definitely has seemed to play a factor in their recent and continued success, but when is the last time luck wasn’t a part of a team’s championship run?
It’s impossible to count on luck, but one thing that can be counted on is Wilson. Wilson and his teammates repeatedly make the necessary plays to keep themselves in nearly every single game they play.
Whether it’s Wilson leaving the crowd in awe as he turns a broken play into an incredible play or it’s the “Legion of Boom” making a game-saving interception, the ‘Hawks can never be counted out as recent history has shown.
Most people watched the Seahawks squeak past an improving, but mediocre, Vikings team and thought lesser of Seattle. Others saw this game as Seattle’s lucky break for 2016. They have had lucky moments on their way to back-to-back Super Bowls and Blair Walsh’s missed field goal was that lucky moment this year.
Walsh’s miscue was their wake up call, which will be the motivation they needed to spark yet another Super Bowl run.
