Photo by Yahoo! Sports.
Down 21 to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson did not panic. He did not sulk. He went to work.
And before the Bucs could say “0-8,” Russell had led his team to a 27-24 overtime victory.
“That was a huge win. You think about the deficit we were under and to be able to comeback in that fashion … that’s big time,” Wilson said.
He was 19-for-26 for 217 yards and two touchdowns to go with two interceptions. But when it was time to mount a comeback, Wilson was pristine.
His 10-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin with 1:51 left in regulation pulled the Seahawks to a 24-24 tie. He then led Seattle on a nine-play, 51-yard drive in OT to Steve Hauschka’s game-winning 27-yard field goal.
Said Tampa defensive tackle Gerald McCoy of Wilson: “He’s just making the plays. I tried to stay all over him, all day. I tried. The dude is 5-6. It’s not fair, man. But whatever. He’s sneaking here and there. He’s just making plays.”
Wilson was aided and abetted by running back Marshawn Lynch, who had 125 yards on 21 carries. Lynch had runs of 10, 14 and 13 yards in overtime that set up Hauschka’s winning kick.
“He wanted every single yard. He was in beast mode today,” Seattle fullback Michael Robinson said. “He was upset and he was running mad.”
At least one Seahawk was not happy they they struggled against lowly Tampa Bay.
“I’m kind of (upset),” Seattle safety Earl Thomas said. “But I’m ready to get back on the field. I’m ready to get back to work. Ready to correct those mistakes.”
For the Buccaneers, it was another tough defeat of a miserable season. Tampa Bay fell to 0-8 for the first time since 1985 when the Buccaneers started the season 0-9. They started Sunday’s game with vigor, physically dominating the physically dominating Seattle defensive line to assume control of the game.
But they could not sustain it or control Wilson, whose growth is shown as much in how unfazed he is by interceptions as he is by deficits.
