Seattle again lays claim to NFC home advantage
SEATTLE — For the second straight season, the road through the NFC playoffs will go through Seattle.
Marshawn Lynch scored on a 9-yard run with 12:07 remaining, Bruce Irvin returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown and the Seahawks wrapped up homefield advantage with a 20-6 win over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
The two fourth-quarter touchdowns by Seattle (12-4) capped a six-game win streak to end the regular season. However, this was not the mostly smooth ride Seattle experienced a year ago on its way to a championship.
Home-field advantage again seemed highly unlikely after the Seahawks lost at Kansas City and fell to 6-4 in Week 11.
“All you guys kept talking about how you can’t do this and you can’t get to this point again and you can’t come back and all this stuff,” Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said. “You can. You can do it. And we did it to this point.”
Seattle held five of its final six opponents to fewer than 10 points.
“It just helps our case for a pretty great defense,” Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said.
The Seahawks became the first team since the 1969-71 Vikings to lead the NFL in scoring defense in three straight seasons, finishing the season having allowed 15.9 points per game.
St. Louis (6-10) couldn’t take advantage after a 6-0 halftime lead aided by Seattle’s two first-half turnovers. The Rams finished with 42 yards rushing and no play longer than 20 yards,
The Seahawks forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter. Jordan Hill and Irvin had interceptions and Earl Thomas knocked the ball from Benny Cunningham at the Seahawks’ 1-yard line.
The turnovers were key. Seattle moved the ball effectively in the third quarter but settled for two field goals by Steven Hauschka to pull even at 6-6. Hill’s interception added to the momentum, setting up Seattle’s lone touchdown drive.
The capper came less than three minutes later. St. Louis was driving near midfield and Shaun Hill attempted to find Lance Kendricks. Wagner knocked the ball from Kendricks’ grasp and it ricocheted to Irvin. He ran untouched for his second TD this season.
“I wasn’t even looking at the ball. It just ended up in my hands,” Irvin said. “That’s a sign of me living right.”