Wrestling one away
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After a few agonizing seconds concluding one of the few plays of the game that compelled fans to get out of their seats, Seattle receiver Paul Richardson won the fight with New York’s Landon Collins for control of the ball.
And when he did, it also finally gave the Seahawks control of a game that until that point had ranked as among the most exasperating in their recent history.
Seattle dominated statistically from the first play to the last, winning 24-7 and gaining 425 yards and holding the Giants to just 177.
But until Richardson’s 38-yard touchdown catch with 9:34 left put Seattle up 17-7, the game remained in doubt due largely to a litany, if not a comedy, of errors by the Seahawks’ offense that stopped one scoring opportunity after another.
Seattle trailed 7-3 at halftime despite outgaining the Giants in yardage, 22242. At one point, Seattle ran 10 consecutive plays from the New York 10 or closer without scoring.
But the defence never broke and that allowed Seahawks pull out hard-fought victory over short-handed Giants Richardson to finally deal the backbreaker.
The touchdown came a play after Seattle defensive lineman Jarran Reed forced an Eli Manning fumble that Frank Clark recovered at the 38.
On the next play, the Seahawks called a double pass with Russell Wilson pitching it to J.D. McKissic, who then threw backward to Wilson, who then lofted it to Richardson.
The ball was a little underthrown and Richardson and Collins leapt at the same time, each battling for control of the ball as they fell to the ground. It was a play reminiscent of Golden Tate’s famous score for Seattle against Green Bay in 2012.
The officials ruled that both Richardson and Collins each had possession, which gives the ball to the offence and meant a Seattle touchdown. The ruling was confirmed after a review, giving Seattle a 17-7 lead. With the way the Seahawks’ defence was handling the Giants, it was enough of a lead to finally feel comfortable.
Seattle later added a feelgood score on a two-yard pass from Wilson to Jimmy Graham with 2:14 left to make it 24-7 and a most inartful game finally at least had a happy conclusion for the Seahawks.
Seattle now is 4-2 and has won three in a row. The victory also allowed the Seahawks to keep pace with the Rams in the NFC West — Los Angeles is 5-2 after a rout of the Cardinals.
The Seahawks took their first lead on a 22-yard pass from Wilson to Doug Baldwin that made it 10-7 with 7:30 to play in the third quarter.
Fitting for the way the game went, the play came after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Seattle’s Mark Glowinski set up second-and-goal at the 22.
Baldwin broke easily into the open past Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at the line of scrimmage and Wilson lofted the pass over the rush.
The Giants had a chance to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. But Aldrick Rosas missed a 47-yard field goal wide right with 14:18 to play.
The first half could hardly have been more frustrating for the Seahawks as they dominated in just about every statistical category, but left the field trailing 7-3 as Seattle’s offense had three drops and six penalties in the first two quarters.
The frustration to turn yards into points boiled over late in the second quarter when Baldwin yelled and gestured as the Seahawks’ offence gathered on the sideline, then pushed offensive line coach Tom Cable.
It was unclear if Baldwin was upset with Cable or attempting to get at someone else.
Baldwin and Cable appeared to have patched things up by the end of the half, walking to the locker room together as the second quarter ended with Cable briefly putting his arm around Baldwin.
In one of the stranger and logic-defying sequences in recent team history, Seattle ran 10 plays from the 10-yard line or closer on their second drive of the game but couldn’t score.
After a penalty gave Seattle a first down at the New York one, three plays resulted in a net of no yards, which meant the Seahawks again went without a touchdown in the first quarter this season — they have scored just nine points in the first quarter this season, all on field goal.
But Seattle decided to go for it on what was the first play of the second quarter. But there would be no payoff as Graham dropped a pass in the end zone.
Seattle’s next drive was foiled when Graham dropped another pass when wide open down the sidelines at about the New York 30. Two penalties also killed that drive.
On the Seahawks’ final drive of the half, the Seahawks thought they had a touchdown when Tyler Lockett outmanoeuvred Donte Deayon for an under-thrown pass.
But Lockett was called for offensive pass interference that helped force Seattle to have to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.