Late pick secures 3rd straight win
LANDOVER, Md. — Ron Rivera was left adrift without a kicker and felt like he had to go for it in every situation.
The final roll of the dice by “Riverboat Ron” on fourthand-goal opened the door for some heroics by Russell Wilson, but Kendall Fuller’s interception on Seattle’s twopoint conversion attempt allowed Washington to hold on and beat the Seahawks 17-15 on Monday night for the team’s third consecutive victory.
“It meant a lot just because of the way these guys fight,” said Rivera, who pointed at and encouraged fans while walking off the field. “In spite of everything that’s gone on during the game with the injuries, we were able to come out on top, so good for these guys.”
After Taylor Heinicke’s fourth-down pass to Logan Thomas at the goal line was ruled incomplete on video review, Wilson led Seattle on a 10-play, 96-yard touchdown drive in just over two minutes. He connected with Freddy Swain on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left, but his two-point throw to Swain was picked off by Fuller, preventing Wilson from leading a comeback on his 33rd birthday.
“You’ve seen Russell do that for the last 10 years, and you never count him out,” Heinicke said.
He almost got another chance when it looked like Seattle (3-8) had recovered an onside kick. But the Seahawks were penalized for illegal formation on the first attempt and failed to recover the second.
“The last few minutes of the game shows that we have the right character of guys,” Wilson said. “That’s what’s special about this team just to believe that something great’s going to happen.”
The loss likely ended Seattle’s hopes for any longshot playoff bid. Wilson was 20of-31 for 247 yards and two touchdown passes, but he missed several throws and lost three consecutive games for the first time as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback.
“The film doesn’t lie, you know,” coach Pete Carroll said. “He missed some stuff.”
Washington (5-6) moved into the final NFC wild-card spot with the win.
J.D. McKissic caught a TD pass from Heinicke, ran for another and had 56 yards from scrimmage against the team he broke into the NFL with before being carted off with an undisclosed injury late in the game.
Heinicke & Co. had to do everything in the second half without the possibility of a field goal after kicker Joey Slye injured a hamstring late in the second quarter on an extra-point attempt that was blocked and returned for two points. Heinicke evaded a couple of potential sacks and outdueled Wilson, going 27-of-35 for 223 yards with the touchdown throw to McKissic and a pick.
A departure from each team’s typical results in prime time, Washington won at home on Monday night for the third time in 20 tries since FedEx Field opened in 1997. Seattle, which entered with the NFL’s best winning percentage on Monday night, fell to 11-4 in these situations in Pete Carroll’s 11 seasons as coach.
The Seahawks have fallen out of playoff contention over the past three weeks. They were right in it against Washington when Rasheem Green blocked, recovered and returned the extra-point attempt late in the first half to tie the score at 9, but the offense went cold after that.
Washington outrushed Seattle 152-34 and held a 41:4018:20 edge in time of possession.