Hawk Watch: Storylines and takeaways from Seahawks’ dominant win over 49ers

The Seahawks got back on track.

And they did so in emphatic fashion, with their most complete performance of the season.

One week after falling to Arizona in an agonizing overtime defeat, Seattle rebounded from its first loss with a dominant 37-27 victory over the 49ers on Sunday that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf starred once again, leading the league’s top-scoring offense to its sixth 30-plus-point game of the season. And the Seahawks’ much-maligned defense delivered its most encouraging showing of the year by far, holding the defending NFC champions to just seven points through three quarters.

Combined with losses by the Packers and Rams, it was part of a near-perfect weekend for Seattle. The Seahawks improved to 6-1 and regained sole possession atop the NFC playoff picture, where they hold a half-game lead over Tampa Bay in the race for the conference’s lone first-round bye. And Seattle now has a one-game lead in the NFC West over second-place Arizona, as well as a 1.5-game lead over the third-place Rams and a 2.5-game lead over last-place San Francisco.

Here’s a look back at some of the key storylines and takeaways from the Seahawks’ resounding win over their most bitter rival:

METCALF, LOCKETT MIGHT BE LEAGUE’S TOP WR DUO

Last week, it was Tyler Lockett with a career-best performance.

This week, it was DK Metcalf.

Metcalf added another sensational chapter to his superstar rise Sunday, catching 12 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the biggest statistical showing of his young career. It came one week after Lockett burned the Cardinals’ defense for 15 catches, 200 yards and three touchdowns.

The past two weeks have perfectly encapsulated the dilemma opposing defenses face.

Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson shut down Metcalf last week, holding the star second-year receiver to just two catches for 23 yards. It was the only time this season Metcalf didn’t reach 90 receiving yards. But that left the Cardinals more vulnerable to Lockett, who responded with one of the best receiving performances in recent NFL history.

The opposite happened this week against the 49ers. San Francisco kept Lockett mostly in check, limiting him to four catches for 33 yards. But Russell Wilson turned instead to Metcalf, who exploded with six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

Metcalf’s rare combination of size, speed and strength was on full display Sunday. The most impressive moment came on the final play of the first quarter, when the 6-foot-4 phenom showcased his blazing speed on a spectacular 46-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Metcalf caught the pass on the left side of the field, turned on the jets, bolted horizontally across the field, sped his way past two defenders while turning the corner, and then used a block from tight end Jacob Hollister to race down the right sideline to the end zone. No ordinary receiver would have scored on that play. But Metcalf, of course, is anything but ordinary.

Metcalf also showed his dangerous deep-threat ability with a 35-yard reception down the sideline in the second quarter. A few plays later, he demonstrated his strength by fighting through a defensive holding call and outmuscling San Francisco cornerback Emmanuel Mosley for a 2-yard touchdown on an end-zone slant. And throughout the game, Metcalf hauled in a slew of other catches on a variety of crisp, well-run short and intermediate routes.

With his latest star performance, Metcalf is on pace for 1,554 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches this season. To put that in perspective, just two other receivers in NFL history — Calvin Johnson (2011) and Randy Moss (2003) — have ever posted at least 1,500 yards and at least 16 touchdowns in a season, according to Stathead.com. Both did so in their age-26 seasons. Metcalf is just 22 years old.

Lockett, meanwhile, is on pace for 1,314 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions. If both Metcalf and Lockett continue catching touchdown passes at their current rate, they would become the first teammates in NFL history to finish with at least 13 touchdown receptions in the same season, according to Stathead.com.

Furthermore, there have been just four instances in the NFL this season of a player posting at least 160 receiving yards and at least two touchdown catches in a game. Two of those performances have come by a Seahawks receiver in the past two weeks.

Metcalf’s emergence as a bona fide star this season has given Seattle the equivalent of two No. 1 wideouts. And when the league’s MVP front-runner is throwing to those same two receivers, that only makes them that much more dangerous.

For opposing defenses, it’s a pick-your-poison situation. It may be possible to slow down either Metcalf or Lockett. But keeping both of them in check? As the past two weeks have shown, that might be a near-impossible task.

WILSON BOUNCES BACK, CONTINUES MVP TEAR

DK Metcalf summed it up in his postgame press conference signoff: “The ‘Russ for MVP’ train is back on the tracks.”

After a scorching start to the season, Wilson hit a bump in the road with an uncharacteristic three interceptions in last week’s overtime loss to Arizona. It was his first multi-interception game since the 2018 season opener.

But Wilson bounced back with yet another MVP-caliber performance Sunday, completing 27 of 37 passes for 261 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 23 yards on six carries. It was already his fourth game this season with at least four touchdown passes.

Wilson now has 26 touchdown passes this season, which keeps him on pace to break Peyton Manning’s single-season record of 55 touchdown passes in 2013. Wilson is currently on pace for 59 touchdown passes.

OFFENSE KEEPS UP HISTORICALLY GOOD START  

After a slow start on their first two possessions, Russell Wilson and the league’s highest-scoring offense got rolling and scored touchdowns on four of their next five drives. The result was yet another onslaught from a unit that’s on pace to be one of the highest-scoring offenses in NFL history.

Seattle has averaged 34.3 points per game this season, which is tied for the ninth-most by any team through its first seven games of a season since the 1970 NFL merger, according to Stathead.com. And if the Seahawks continue at that pace, they would finish as the seventh highest-scoring offense in NFL history since the league changed to a 16-team slate in 1978. The 2013 Broncos’ offense holds the record at 37.9 points per game.

The Seahawks have already scored at least 35 points four times this season. They are one of just nine teams since the 1970 merger to score 30-plus points in at least six of their first seven games. And their low-water mark of 27 points against Minnesota — which came in rainy and windy conditions — is higher than the per-game scoring averages of 22 other teams.

One key for Seattle to maintain its scoring rate will be to keep up its exceptional red-zone efficiency. The Seahawks continued that trend Sunday, scoring touchdowns on all four of their trips inside the red zone. Seattle has touchdowns on 22 of its 25 red-zone trips this season, which is good for a league-best 88% red-zone touchdown rate that’s nearly nine percentage points better than any other team. The Seahawks also have scored touchdowns on 29 of 39 trips inside their opponents’ 40-yard line.

DEFENSE COMPILES BEST PERFORMANCE OF SEASON

All season long, the biggest question surrounding the Seahawks has been whether their much-maligned defense can play well enough for them to reach their Super Bowl aspirations.

For the first six games, it was Russell Wilson and Seattle’s top-scoring offense doing the heavy lifting, while the defense was giving up yardage at a historically bad rate. But on Sunday, the defense held up its end of the bargain and came through with its best performance by far.

The Seahawks held San Francisco to just seven points and 112 total yards through the first three quarters, allowing just 2.8 yards per play over that span. Spurred by a blitz-heavy attack, Seattle sacked Jimmy Garoppolo three times and limited him to 11-of-16 passing for just 84 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

It was a stark contrast from the 479.2 total yards per game and 368.7 passing yards per game that the Seahawks’ defense had allowed prior to Sunday, both of which were NFL records through the first six games of a season.

The 49ers made things somewhat interesting in the fourth quarter. After Seattle built a commanding 30-7 lead and Garoppolo left with an injury, backup Nick Mullens came in and threw for 238 yards while spearheading three fourth-quarter touchdown drives.

But once again — as has been the case so often this season — that late-game offensive production came with the Seahawks playing a prevent defense that’s designed to guard against big plays and force opponents to gain yardage underneath while chewing up the clock. Closing out games is certainly an area Seattle needs to improve on. However, it shouldn’t overshadow how well the Seahawks played defensively for the first three quarters.

And while it’s true that San Francisco’s offense has been decimated by injuries, that shouldn’t diminish Seattle’s defensive performance either. For one, the 49ers still managed to score a combined 59 points the previous two weeks in wins over the Rams and Patriots. Also, the Seahawks’ defense had its share of injuries too. Seattle played Sunday’s game without a handful of regulars, including star safety Jamal Adams, cornerback Shaquill Griffin, defensive end Benson Mayowa and nickel corner Ugo Amadi.

Yes, this was only one game. It could just be a blip on the radar. But this was a definite step in the right direction for Seattle’s defense.

Also, keep in mind that the Seahawks should be getting some major reinforcements for this Sunday’s game at Buffalo, with Adams expected to make his long-awaited return from injury and recently acquired defensive end Carlos Dunlap expected to make his Seahawks debut.

After a woeful start to the season, Seattle’s defense showed potential against the 49ers. And with some key pieces coming back into the fold, there’s optimism that this unit is capable of rising to the occasion and complementing the offense for a Super Bowl run.

SHOULD THE DEFENSE BLITZ AS OFTEN AS IT DID SUNDAY?

One of the biggest keys to the Seahawks’ defensive success Sunday was their ability to create pressure.

Just like last year, Seattle’s pass rush has struggled mightily this season. That was particularly evident in the loss to Arizona, with the Seahawks failing to register a single sack or quarterback hit on Kyler Murray.

But it was a much different story Sunday.

Seattle blitzed with an extra defender on 54.5% of San Francisco’s passing plays, according to Pro Football Reference. That was more than twice the Seahawks’ blitz rate of 26.7% entering the game. And the strategy was quite effective, with Seattle posting three sacks and eight quarterback hits. All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner excelled in particular, accounting for two sacks, four quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

So, that begs the question: Should the Seahawks replicate Sunday’s blitz-heavy game plan on a more regular basis?

The answer is probably more muddled than it seems.

Seattle actually brought pressure quite often in its first three games, blitzing on 37.5% of its opponents’ passing plays. And too often, that left the Seahawks’ secondary exposed for long completions. Seattle got burned for seven 30-plus-yard completions over the first three games and gave up at least 6.5 yards per play in each of those contests.

As the injuries mounted on defense, Seattle went to a more conservative approach. The Seahawks blitzed at just a 10.9% rate against Miami and a 26.2% rate against Minnesota. And in those two games, they played a little bit better defensively. They allowed 6.1 yards per play against Miami. They allowed 5.4 yards per play against Minnesota. And they didn’t give up a single 30-plus-yard gain against either team.

So, the first five games would seem to suggest Seattle shouldn’t blitz heavily. But the last two games, of course, paint a much different picture.

The Seahawks blitzed just three times against Arizona, and the dual-threat Murray carved up Seattle’s defense for 37 points and an average of 6.4 yards per play. The Seahawks then unleashed a blitzing onslaught against the 49ers, and the result was their best defensive performance of the year. The last two games would seem to suggest Seattle should blitz as much as possible.

It’s important to note, however, that Garoppolo has been sacked on 28.9% of his dropbacks this season, which is tied for the highest sack rate in the league among all quarterbacks with at least 100 total dropbacks, accoding to Pro Football Focus. Also, the 49ers aren’t much of a vertical passing team. San Francisco ranks 30th in the league with just 6.6 intended air yards per pass attempt, according to Pro Football Reference. Even with an injury-depleted secondary, the Seahawks felt comfortable enough that they could bring pressure without getting burned by the 49ers’ deep passing game.

Also, keep in mind that injuries have made this defense difficult to fully evaluate. Star safety Jamal Adams, who excels at blitzing, has missed the last four games with an injury. The Seahawks surely will blitz more often and more effectively with him back. Furthermore, the starting secondary of Adams, safety Quandre Diggs, cornerback Quinton Dunbar and cornerback Shaquill Griffin hasn’t played a full game together since the season opener. Once its full secondary is back, Seattle probably will be less concerned about the possibility of blitzes leaving the back end of its defense exposed.

So, the Seahawks’ blitzing effectiveness thus far has been mixed. Once they’re back to mostly full strength, it’s fair to think they could bring relatively frequent pressure and have success doing so. However, it’s probably unrealistic to expect them to fully replicate Sunday’s blitzing frequency and success on a regular basis.

BACKUPS STEP UP, PLAY KEY ROLES

With more than a handful of key players out because of injuries, several backups stepped up with notable contributions.

Fullback Nick Bellore, filling in at tailback for a depleted backfield, had a key reception late in the first quarter that helped spark Seattle’s offense. After punting on each of their first two possessions, the Seahawks were facing third-and-8 from deep in their own territory. Bellore slid out of the backfield and caught an underneath pass, then bulldozed his way through two defenders for a first down. That extended the drive, and Seattle scored its first touchdown just four plays later.

Bellore also recovered the fumble that Cody Barton forced on a kickoff midway through the third quarter. That was part of a key sequence that saw the Seahawks score two touchdowns in less than three minutes to stretch a six-point halftime lead to 27-7.

D.J. Reed, who was waived by San Francisco in August, also made a significant contribution in his first game since being activated from Seattle’s non-football injury list. Filling in for nickel cornerback Ugo Amadi, Reed came up with a key red-zone interception in the first quarter to keep San Francisco off the board.

Stephen Sullivan, a rookie tight end and seventh-round draft pick out of LSU, recently began working as a defensive end to provide the Seahawks with more depth in that area. And on his first-ever NFL snap Sunday, Sullivan teamed with Damontre Moore for a third-down tackle for loss.

Rookie DeeJay Dallas also had a nice performance as Seattle’s primary running back Sunday, with Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde both out with injuries. Dallas rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and added five caches for 17 yards and a score.

Hawk Watch: Storylines and takeaways in the wake of Seattle’s first loss

There was no late-game magic this time.

After so many comeback wins and last-minute escapes over the past two seasons — including three white-knuckle victories already this year — the Seahawks’ tightrope act finally caught up with them.

Seattle suffered its first loss of the season in agonizing fashion Sunday night, falling 37-34 in overtime to the Cardinals in an action-packed NFC West clash in the desert.

There were plenty of culprits for the Seahawks.

The defense blew a 10-point lead in the final minutes of regulation. Russell Wilson threw three costly interceptions. Seattle committed several game-changing penalties. And after a scorching first half, the offense came up empty on six of its seven possessions in the second half and overtime.

It was Seattle’s first loss of the Wilson era after leading by at least four points at halftime. Prior to Sunday night, the Seahawks were 59-0 in such situations since the start of the 2012 season. They also were 32-0 in the Wilson era when leading by at least 10 points at halftime.

Seattle had a chance to continue its franchise-best start and further solidify its spot atop the NFL’s best division. Instead, the rugged NFC West is now a logjam as the season nears its midway point.

Here’s a look at some of the notable storylines and takeaways in the wake of the Seahawks’ first loss of the year:

WILSON IS HUMAN, AFTER ALL

Russell Wilson entered as the clear frontrunner in the league MVP race. And for much of the night, he showed why.

Wilson threw for 388 yards, including three touchdowns to Tyler Lockett. He ran for 84 yards on six carries, highlighted by a 34-yard option keeper and a 22-yard scramble. He delivered a slew of big-time plays. And he finished with 472 total yards.

However, it was all undone by three costly interceptions.

Wilson’s goal-line interception in the second quarter took potential points off the board — and would’ve resulted in a pick-six if not for DK Metcalf’s heroic chasedown. His end-zone interception on a deep third-down rollout early in the fourth quarter likely cost Seattle a field-goal attempt. And his third-down interception in overtime gave the Cardinals prime field position, which they ultimately converted into the game-winning field goal.

The first interception was simply a poor decision by Wilson, who hung the ball in the air too long. On the second interception, Wilson and Metcalf didn’t appear to be on the same page. Wilson seemed to be expecting his receiver to continue down the sideline toward the end zone, but Metcalf stopped just as Wilson released the ball. On his third interception, Wilson tried to quickly float the ball over the defense to an open Lockett on a third-down blitz. But Lockett wasn’t looking for the pass, and the ball was off-target.   

Regardless of the circumstances behind each mistake, this was a highly uncharacteristic night for Wilson — especially after his red-hot start to the year. It was his first multiple-interception game since the 2018 season opener in Denver. And it marked just the fifth time in his career that he’s thrown at least three interceptions in a contest.

Wilson’s arm and legs were a major factor in the Seahawks totaling 572 yards, their third-highest output in franchise history. He led Seattle to 27 points and 377 total yards in the first half alone, guiding the offense to three touchdowns and two field goals on its first six possessions.

But with a struggling defense, the Seahawks can ill-afford mistakes from their superstar quarterback. And on Sunday night, Wilson’s three critical errors proved too much to overcome.

DEFENSE STRUGGLES YET AGAIN

Any hopes of Seattle’s defense making strides coming out of the bye week were undone by another troubling performance Sunday night.

The Seahawks surrendered 519 total yards, which was already the third time this season they’ve allowed more than 500 yards. By comparison, they yielded 500-plus total yards just three times over the previous nine seasons combined.

Seattle continues to give up yardage at a historically bad pace, with its 479.2 total yards allowed per game and 368.7 passing yards allowed per game both NFL records through the first six games of a season.

Once again, the biggest issue was a complete inability to generate a pass rush. The Seahawks didn’t record a single sack or quarterback hit on Kyler Murray’s 48 pass attempts. As a result, the former Heisman Trophy winner had ample time to carve up Seattle’s defense for 360 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also burned the Seahawks with his speed and elusiveness, rushing for 67 yards and a score on 14 carries.

Led by the dual-threat Murray, the Cardinals mounted four touchdown drives of at least 75 yards. They also excelled in last-minute situations at the ends of both halves and in overtime. In the final minute of the first half, Arizona drove 44 yards for a last-second field goal. In the final minute of regulation, Arizona drove 54 yards for a game-tying field goal to force overtime. And in the final minute of the extra period, Murray led a quick 19-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal.

The Seahawks did force two turnovers and came up with a key fourth-and-goal stand after DK Metcalf’s chasedown play in the second quarter. But in far too many situations, Seattle’s defense simply couldn’t get off the field.

The Seahawks have fallen to 28th in Football Outsiders’ latest defensive DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. Over the 35-year span of DVOA’s ratings, just two teams have won a Super Bowl after finishing the regular season with a defense ranked worse than 20th — the 2006 Peyton Manning-led Colts and the 2011 Giants.

COSTLY PENALTIES

For as poorly as Seattle’s defense played, two of Arizona’s long touchdown drives were extended by costly penalties after the Seahawks appeared to come up with a stop.

Midway through the third quarter, it seemed as though Seattle’s defense had forced a three-and-out deep in Arizona territory. That would’ve given the ball back to the Seahawks in good field position, with an opportunity to extend their 27-17 lead. However, the Cardinals were awarded a fresh set of downs after Bobby Wagner was flagged for a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty on a third-down incompletion. Arizona capitalized, marching the length of the field for a 93-yard touchdown drive that made it a three-point game.

Perhaps the biggest mistake of the night was the costly Benson Mayowa penalty that extended the Cardinals’ touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. Leading 34-24 with just over three minutes remaining, Seattle’s defense had stopped Arizona on third down and forced a long field-goal attempt. But on the kick, Mayowa was flagged for illegally leveraging himself over an offensive lineman. The 15-yard penalty gave the Cardinals an automatic first down, and they capitalized two plays later with a touchdown that trimmed the margin to 34-31. That was significant, because it meant Arizona needed just a field goal to force overtime on its last-minute drive.

And of course, there was the holding penalty on receiver David Moore in overtime, which wiped away a game-winning 48-yard touchdown by DK Metcalf. Metcalf likely wouldn’t have scored if it weren’t for the hold by Moore. But Metcalf probably would’ve gotten close enough to the first-down marker for Seattle to consider going for it on fourth down, or perhaps even attempting a long potential game-winning field goal. Instead, the penalty backed the Seahawks into a third-and-14 from their own 48-yard line. Wilson then threw an interception on the following play, and the Cardinals needed just 19 yards to set up their game-winning field goal.

LOCKETT’S CAREER NIGHT

For most of the season, Tyler Lockett has been overshadowed by DK Metcalf’s continued rise to stardom.

That was especially the case after Metcalf’s heroics against the Vikings two weeks ago. Metcalf was coming off his fifth consecutive 90-yard receiving game and had two massive fourth-down catches on the final drive against Minnesota, including the game-winner. Lockett, meanwhile, had a total of just six catches for 83 yards over the previous two games against Miami and Minnesota.

But on Sunday night, with Metcalf mostly shut down by Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson, Lockett provided an emphatic reminder that Seattle has two top-notch receivers.

Lockett caught 15 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns, all of which either set or matched career highs. In fact, he became just the third player in NFL history with at least 15 catches, 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a game. (One of the other two receivers to accomplish this feat was former Seahawks star Steve Largent, who did so in a 1987 game against Detroit.)

And in addition to putting up massive numbers, Lockett made several very difficult catches Sunday. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, he had three receptions on passes that had a completion probability of less than 26%, which is a credit both to Russell Wilson’s pinpoint placement and Lockett’s ability to make tough, contested catches in tight spaces.

Lockett set the tone for his massive night on the game’s very first snap, when he made a contested, one-handed diving reception for a 34-yard gain. According to Next Gen Stats, that pass had just a 21.3% completion probability. Five plays later, Lockett gained separation with a great route against cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and hauled in his first touchdown catch of the night.

Lockett’s second touchdown came on a high-arcing deep ball from Wilson in the final minute of the first half. Lockett made another spectacular catch on the play, diving for a contested 47-yard reception in the end zone. It was his most improbable catch of the night, with just an 18.6% completion probability.

Lockett’s third touchdown was similarly impressive. On fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 3-yard line, just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, Lockett covered an immense amount of ground on a crossing route from right to left. As he was running at nearly full speed, Lockett hauled in a perfect lob from Wilson, while simultaneously getting both feet inbounds in the back of the end zone. The pass had a 25.9% completion probability.

With Lockett’s big night, the Seahawks now have two receivers near the top of the league’s statistical leaderboards. Lockett is tied with Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen for the most touchdown catches with seven, while Metcalf is tied for fifth with five. Lockett is fifth in receiving yards per game with 90.3, while Metcalf is 11th with 86.5. Metcalf also has a league-high 21.6 yards per catch.

FOURTH-DOWN AGGRESSIVENESS PAYS OFF

The Seahawks continued a trend of fourth-down aggressiveness Sunday night.

Leading by three points with just under seven minutes left in regulation, Seattle faced a fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 3-yard line. And instead of attempting a chip-shot field goal to extend the margin to six points, the Seahawks decided to keep their offense on the field. The gamble paid off, with Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett connecting for a touchdown pass that made it a two-possession game.

That was already the third time this season that Seattle has elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal. In the season opener against Atlanta, the Seahawks did so on fourth-and-5 from the 38-yard line, and it resulted in a long touchdown pass to DK Metcalf that extended their lead to nine points. Seattle also bypassed a field-goal opportunity in the second quarter against Miami, electing to keep its offense on the field for a fourth-and-3 from the 18-yard line. It didn’t work out that time, however, as Wilson was sacked on the play.

WITH CHANCE TO END GAME, SEATTLE GETS CONSERVATIVE

Despite the Seahawks’ aggressiveness on their fourth-down touchdown in the fourth quarter, they were noticeably more conservative while trying to run out the clock on the following possession.

After the Cardinals scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to 34-31, Seattle took over at its own 14-yard line with 2:25 left in regulation. Russell Wilson opened the possession by scrambling for a 9-yard gain on a play-action rollout, which took the clock down to the two-minute warning. Backup running back Carlos Hyde, filling in for the injured Chris Carson, then followed with a 3-yard run that moved the chains and forced Arizona to burn its first timeout.

At that point, the Seahawks needed just one more first down to essentially seal the victory. But instead of putting the ball in the hands of its superstar quarterback, Seattle ran the ball three more times with its backup running back. It didn’t work.

Hyde rushed for gains of 1 and 7 yards on the first two downs, which forced the Cardinals to use their final two timeouts. That set up a third-and-2 with 1:42 remaining. The Seahawks then ran again with Hyde, who was stopped at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Seattle then punted the ball away with just under a minute remaining, and Arizona proceeded to drive 54 yards to force overtime with a game-tying field goal.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to second-guess decisions like these. After all, if Hyde had gotten a game-sealing first down on any of those three runs, the decision to keep the ball on the ground would’ve been considered a good one.

But for as aggressive as the Seahawks have been offensively this season — for how much they’ve finally decided to open up the offense and lean on Wilson — the more conservative approach to this pivotal sequence was notable.

NFC WEST IMPLICATIONS

Had they won Sunday night, the Seahawks would’ve remained the only unbeaten team in the NFC. They would’ve maintained a 1.5-game lead over the Rams. And they would’ve been 2.5 games ahead of the Cardinals and 49ers.

Instead, the NFL’s best division is now a tightly packed jumble. Seattle holds just a half-game lead over the Cardinals and Rams, and just a 1.5-game lead over the 49ers.

This was the start of the Seahawks’ most challenging stretch of the season — a rugged five-game slate against the Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Rams and then the Cardinals again. Those five opponents (counting Arizona twice) have a combined 24-11 record and an average ranking of 10.2 in Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent.

How Seattle fares over its next four games will go a long way to determining how the NFC West — and the conference’s playoff picture as a whole — shakes out.

CAN REINFORCEMENTS TURN DEFENSE AROUND?

Jamal Adams is expected to be back soon. Veteran pass rusher Carlos Dunlap was acquired from Cincinnati via trade Wednesday. Recently acquired defensive tackle Damon Harrison could be nearing his Seattle debut.

With reinforcements on the way, not all hope is lost for the Seahawks’ defense.

Adams, of course, would likely be the biggest difference-maker. The star safety and prized offseason acquisition was an impact playmaker all over the field during the first three games of the season. He can improve all three levels of Seattle’s defense, including the much-maligned pass rush. Despite missing the last three games with an injury, Adams is tied for the team lead both in sacks (two) and quarterback hits (five).

But as much as anything, those last two stats are an indictment of just how bad Seattle’s pass rush is. Even if Adams continues making an impact in that area when he returns, the Seahawks need to start generating some sort of consistent pressure with their defensive line. Seattle has just nine sacks through six games. And according to Pro Football Focus grading, the Seahawks have the second-worst pass rush in the league.

That’s why Seattle traded for Dunlap. The 11-year veteran edge rusher has averaged 9.7 sacks per year over the previous seven seasons. Last year, out of 110 edge defenders with at least 250 total snaps, PFF ranked Dunlap fourth in overall defensive grading and 19th in pass-rush grading. He also was graded by PFF as the No. 42 overall player in the league last season, regardless of position.

Dunlap’s productivity has slipped this year. Out of 111 edge defenders, PFF ranks him 91st in overall defensive grading and 78th in pass-rush grading. But the hope for the Seahawks is that a change in environment helps him replicate — or at least get closer to — his prior level of play.  

Harrison, the former All-Pro defensive tackle who could be nearing his Seattle debut after signing as a free agent earlier this month, is much more of a run-stopper than a pass-rusher. He had a career-low 63.2 PFF defensive grade last year, but that came after four consecutive stellar seasons with defensive grades of 90 or higher. So even though the Seahawks’ run defense has actually been pretty good, a return to form by Harrison would only make that aspect of the defensive line better.

Another potential return to monitor is defensive end Rasheem Green, who got injured in the season opener and hasn’t played since. Along with the Dunlap addition, Green’s return would provide added rotational depth for Seattle’s pass rush. That should benefit players such as Benson Mayowa, who has been taxed with playing 72.3% of the team’s defensive snaps. Keeping players like Mayowa fresh should improve productivity.

It’s also worth noting that the Seahawks’ starting secondary —  Adams, safety Quandre Diggs, cornerback Quinton Dunbar and cornerback Shaquill Griffin — hasn’t played a full game together since the season opener. Getting that unit back to full strength and continuity should help matters, too.

With Russell Wilson and Seattle’s high-powered offense leading the way, the defense doesn’t need to be great. But it certainly needs to be much better than it’s been. Whether these defensive reinforcements can make that happen will go a long way to determining the fate of a Seahawks team with Super Bowl aspirations.  

50 stats — good and bad — that sum up the 5-0 Seahawks

For the first time in franchise history, the Seahawks are off to a 5-0 start. From Russell Wilson’s season-opening tear to the defensive struggles — and everything in between — here are 50 stats that place what’s transpired into context and help set the stage for what lies ahead:

LATE-GAME DRAMA

  • The Seahawks are 15-3 in one-possession games since the start of last season, including 4-0 this year. Seattle has won three of its five games this season in the final 15 seconds, with either a go-ahead score or a game-sealing stop.
  • After his late-game heroics against Dallas and Minnesota, Russell Wilson now has 34 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. That’s the most in the NFL since Wilson entered the league at the start of the 2012 season, according to Stathead.com.
  • Over his nine-year career, Russell Wilson has thrown or run for 11 game-winning touchdowns in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime. He’s done so twice this season, with game-winning TD passes against Dallas and Minnesota.
  • The Seahawks’ 94-yard game-winning touchdown drive against Minnesota was the third-longest go-ahead TD drive in the final two minutes of regulation over the past 20 seasons, according to Stathead.com. Russell Wilson accounted for all 94 yards on the drive.

THE HIGH-SCORING OFFENSE

  • The Seahawks are averaging a league-high 33.8 points per game, which is a franchise record through the first five games of a season. The last Seahawks team to finish a regular season with the top scoring offense was the 2005 squad, which reached the Super Bowl.
  • The Seahawks are ranked No. 1 in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. Seattle has finished a regular season with the top offensive DVOA twice — in 2015 (the year Russell Wilson went on a historic five-game tear during the latter half of the season) and 2005.
  • The Seahawks have a league-best 88.9% red-zone touchdown rate, with 16 touchdowns in 18 red-zone trips. That’s the best mark in the league by nearly nine percentage points. And perhaps even more impressive: Seattle has scored 21 touchdowns in 26 trips inside its opponents’ 40-yard line.

WILSON’S RED-HOT START

  • Russell Wilson has thrown a league-high 19 touchdown passes this season, which is the second-most through the first five games of a season in NFL history. The only quarterback with more was Peyton Manning, who threw 20 TD passes through the first five games of his record-setting 2013 campaign.
  • Russell Wilson is averaging a league-high 10.3 adjusted yards per pass attempt, which is more than a yard ahead of the next-closest quarterback. (This stat measures a quarterback’s yards per pass attempt, while factoring in touchdowns and interceptions.)
  • Russell Wilson has a league-high 85.4 adjusted completion percentage, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s nearly four percentage points better than any other quarterback. (This stat provides a more accurate measure of a quarterback’s completion percentage by accounting for instances such as dropped passes, throwaways and batted passes.)
  • Russell Wilson has a league-best 7.7 completion percentage above expectation, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That’s 1.6 percentage points above any other quarterback in the league. (This stat compares a quarterback’s actual completion percentage to his expected completion percentage, the latter of which is determined using the completion probability of each throw.)
  • Russell Wilson has a league-high 143.0 passer rating on throws targeted 20-plus yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus. He has completed 13 of 22 such passes for a league-high eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

‘LET RUSS COOK’ TRACKER

  • The Seahawks have passed on 60.9% of their offensive plays this season, which is the 11th-highest rate in the league, according to Sharp Football Stats. That’s a significant increase from their 54.3% pass rate last season, which ranked near the bottom of the league at 27th. (Note: Sharp Football Stats defines passing plays as plays in which a player either attempts a pass or is sacked.)
  • The contrast is even more profound early in games, with the Seahawks sporting a league-high 63.8% pass rate in the first halves of contests this season. That’s up from Seattle’s 56% first-half pass rate last year, which ranked 27th.
  • The Seahawks also have thrown considerably more often on first downs, especially early in games. Seattle has a league-high 62.5% pass rate on first downs in the first half this season. That’s up from a 47.6% pass rate in such situations last year, which ranked 19th.

METCALF’S RISE TO STARDOM

  • DK Metcalf is among the league’s top receivers in several statistical categories. The second-year wideout is first in yards per catch (22.5), second in receiving yards per game (99.2) and fourth in receiving yards per target (12.7). He also is tied for third in touchdown receptions (five), despite playing one fewer game than the other two receivers ahead of him (Adam Thielen and Mike Evans).
  • DK Metcalf has surpassed 90 yards receiving in all five games this season and has caught at least one touchdown pass in four of the five games.
  • Among all receivers in NFL history through their first 21 career regular-season games, DK Metcalf is 25th in receiving yards (1,396) and tied for 19th in touchdown receptions (12), according to Stathead.com. Metcalf also is first and second in those categories, respectively, among all receivers in Seattle franchise history through their first 21 career regular-season games.
  • DK Metcalf (496) and Tyler Lockett (342) are both on pace to finish the regular season with more than 1,000 receiving yards. The only time in franchise history that Seattle has had two 1,000-yard receivers was in 1995, when both Joey Galloway and Brian Blades accomplished the feat.

OFFENSIVE LINE IMPROVEMENT

  • The Seahawks are ranked 12th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-block grading. Since Russell Wilson took over at quarterback in 2012, Seattle has never finished the season above 18th in that metric. And in five of the previous seven seasons — including last year — the Seahawks ranked a dismal 30th or worse.
  • The Seahawks are ranked fourth in Pro Football Focus’ run-block grading. Seattle hasn’t finished in the top half of the league in that metric since 2014, when it finished 13th.
  • Duane Brown is ranked seventh out of 61 offensive tackles in Pro Football Focus grading, among those with a minimum of 200 total snaps. The veteran left tackle is ranked 11th in pass-blocking and 13th in run-blocking.
  • Damien Lewis is tied for 10th out of 62 offensive guards in Pro Football Focus grading, among those with a minimum of 200 total snaps. The rookie third-round draft pick out of LSU is ranked fourth in run-blocking, but is 53rd in pass-blocking.
  • Mike Iupati is ranked 15th out of 62 offensive guards in Pro Football Focus grading, among those with a minimum of 200 total snaps. The veteran left guard is ranked 14th in pass-blocking and 17th in run-blocking.

DEFENSIVE WOES

  • The Seahawks have allowed 370.4 passing yards per game, which is the most in NFL history through the first five games of a season.
  • The Seahawks have allowed 471.2 total yards per game, which is the second-most in NFL history through the first five games of a season, trailing only the 1950 Baltimore Colts.
  • The Seahawks are tied for 28th in the league in both yards allowed per play (6.2) and net passing yards allowed per attempt (7.5).
  • The Seahawks have allowed 27.0 points per game, which is tied for 18th in the league. If Seattle’s defense continues allowing points at this rate, it’d be the worst mark in franchise history since the team’s inaugural 1976 season, when the Seahawks yielded 30.6 points per game.
  • The Seahawks rank 26th in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. The only Super Bowl champion to finish worse than 21st in defensive DVOA was the 2006 Indianapolis Colts. The 2006 Colts finished No. 1 in offensive DVOA and No. 26 in defensive DVOA, which mirrors Seattle’s current rankings in both categories. (Note: DVOA’s database goes back through the 1985 season.)

THE STRUGGLING PASS RUSH

  • The Seahawks have just seven sacks from defensive linemen this season. Their other two sacks came from star safety Jamal Adams, who has missed Seattle’s last two games with an injury.
  • The Seahawks have created pressure (either a quarterback hurry, knockdown or sack) on 21.4% of quarterback dropbacks, according to Pro Football Reference. That ranks 22nd in the league.
  • The Seahawks rank 28th in Pro Football Focus’ pass rush grading.
  • The Seahawks have zero players ranked in the top 90 of Pro Football Focus’ pass rush productivity rating, among all defenders in the league with at least 50 pass-rush snaps. The rating measures pressure created on a per-snap basis, weighted toward sacks.

SOME POSITIVES ON DEFENSE

  • The Seahawks’ defense has forced 10 turnovers this season (seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries), which is tied for fourth in the league. Seattle’s 2.0 takeaways per game is tied for first with the Patriots and Browns. The Seahawks have forced at least one turnover in every contest, including multiple turnovers in four of their five games.
  • The Seahawks have allowed 3.9 yards per carry, which ranks seventh in the league. Seattle ranks ninth in Football Outsiders’ run defense DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent.
  • After surrendering at least 6.5 yards per play in each of their first three games, the Seahawks allowed 6.1 against Miami and 5.4 against Minnesota. And after yielding at least 7.8 yards per pass attempt in each of their first three contests, the Seahawks allowed 6.8 against Miami and 5.9 against Minnesota.
  • The Seahawks’ defense got burned for seven plays of 30-plus yards over its first three games, including four such plays against the Cowboys. But over its last two games, Seattle hasn’t allowed any gains of more than 26 yards.
  • The Seahawks’ ability to minimize big plays in the last two games coincided with a significant reduction in blitzing. Seattle blitzed on 37.5% of opponent dropbacks over its first three games, but on just 18.2% of dropbacks over its last two games.

THE LEAGUE’S TOP LINEBACKER DUO

  • The Seahawks have two of the top seven linebackers in the league, according to Pro Football Focus grading. K.J. Wright is ranked second and Bobby Wagner is seventh.
  • Among all defenders with at least 200 total snaps, K.J. Wright is ranked 15th and Bobby Wagner is ranked 26th in Pro Football Focus grading. The only other Seattle defender in the top 100 is Jamal Adams (98th), who has missed the last two games with an injury.
  • K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner each have three pass breakups, which ties them with two others for the league lead among all linebackers. Wright is one of just two linebackers with three pass breakups and an interception.

SPECIAL TEAMS HAVE BEEN SPECIAL

  • The Seahawks are ranked fourth in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. Seattle has finished 20th or worse in that metric each of the previous three seasons.
  • Michael Dickson has averaged 49.6 yards per punt, which ranks fourth in the league. The third-year punter also has a league-high 17 punts inside the 20-yard line.
  • The Seahawks’ offense has been so efficient in the red zone that Jason Myers has attempted just two field goals all season. But he’s made both, including a 55-yarder against Miami. Myers also is a perfect 21-of-21 on extra points and ranks eighth in the league with a 73.3% touchback rate on kickoffs.

THE MOST SURPRISING CONTRIBUTOR

  • Ryan Neal, a safety who was promoted from Seattle’s practice squad just one day before making his first career defensive appearance in Week 3, made the game-sealing interception in the closing seconds against Dallas and intercepted another pass the following week on the opening series against Miami. With those two picks, Neal has more interceptions this season than both the Cowboys and Texans, whose defenses have just one apiece. Neal is one of just 23 players in the league who have intercepted multiple passes this season.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

  • Seattle’s three NFC West division rivals are a combined 11-7 and have an average 10.7 ranking in Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. The 10 non-divisional opponents on Seattle’s schedule are a combined 16-42, with an average 23.8 DVOA ranking.
  • The five opponents Seattle has faced thus far are a combined 9-20, with an average 19.8 DVOA ranking. Miami has the best record (3-3) and DVOA ranking (11th) of those five teams.
  • Seattle’s next five opponents (Arizona, San Francisco, Buffalo, the Rams and Arizona) are a combined 19-11, with a 12.2 average DVOA ranking.
  • After that, Seattle has a four-game stretch against four of the six worst teams in the DVOA rankings. Those four opponents (Philadelphia, the Giants, the Jets and Washington) are a combined 3-20, with a 30.0 average DVOA ranking. The Seahawks then close the regular season against the Rams and 49ers.

SUPER BOWL ODDS

  • According to FiveThirtyEight’s simulations, the Seahawks are projected to finish 12-4. They have a 94% chance to reach the playoffs and a 68% chance to win the NFC West. They have a 42% chance to earn the NFC’s top seed and lone first-round bye, with the next-closest competitor being Chicago at 15%. And the Seahawks have a 12% chance to win the Super Bowl, trailing only defending champion Kansas City at 19%.

Hawk Watch: Storylines and takeaways after Seahawks reach 5-0 with yet another dramatic win

For the first time in franchise history, the Seahawks are 5-0.

And my, what a crazy journey it’s been.

There was the goal-line stop of Cam Newton as time expired in Week 2, which continued the trend of Seahawks-Patriots games being decided at the 1-yard line. There was the wild win over the Cowboys in Week 3, which featured a trademark Russell Wilson game-winning drive and a game-sealing interception in the end zone.

Then there was Seattle’s dramatic 27-26 comeback win over the Vikings on Sunday night, which might’ve been the wackiest game yet. Even by Seahawks standards, this one was bonkers.

This game could basically be split into four distinct parts. Act I belonged entirely to Minnesota, which dominated total yardage and time of possession in the first half on its way to a 13-0 halftime lead. Act II featured a third-quarter avalanche from Seattle, which capitalized on a pair of turnovers and scored three touchdowns in less than two minutes to snatch a 21-13 lead. Act III was reminiscent of Act I, with the Vikings regaining control on back-to-back long touchdown drives to take a 26-21 lead.

And then, as is so often the case, the Seahawks starred in an electrifying, suspense-filled finish. Seattle came up with a fourth-and-1 stop deep in its own territory and Wilson followed with a game-winning 94-yard touchdown drive, connecting with star receiver DK Metcalf for a pair of epic fourth-down completions — including the game-winner with 15 seconds left.

After all the twists and turns, it was yet another narrow victory for a Seahawks team that’s made white-knuckle rides like these the norm. Seattle is now a whopping 15-3 in one-possession games since the start of last season, including 4-0 this year. This was already the third time this season that the Seahawks have won in the closing seconds with either a go-ahead score or a key stop.

Here are some storylines and takeaways in the wake of Seattle’s latest last-second triumph:

The king of game-winning drives

By this point, it almost sounds like a broken record: Russell Wilson led yet another game-winning drive.

This was his 34th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, which is the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2012. It also marked the 11th time in his career — and already the second time this season — that he’s thrown or run for a game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime.

And rarely do game-winning drives start this deep in one’s own territory. Wilson accounted for all 94 yards of this length-of-the-field march, which was the third-longest go-ahead touchdown drive in the final two minutes of regulation over the past 20 seasons, according to Stathead.com.

Even with his late-game heroics, this was far from Wilson’s best performance. Seattle’s high-powered offense sputtered for much of the night, punting on each of its first four possessions. Wilson’s trend of struggling in rainy weather manifested itself again at times, including on a pair of misfires early in the game-winning drive. And after a rare interception midway through the fourth quarter, Wilson almost didn’t get another chance to complete the comeback.

But even on a night when he wasn’t at his usual superstar level, Wilson still summoned the brilliance and poise to lead another one of his magical late-game drives.

That poise was evident throughout the 13-play, 94-yard march. Backed up against his own goal line, Wilson kickstarted the drive by calmly eluding a pass rusher and then pump-faking his way past a linebacker for a 17-yard scramble that gave the offense room to operate. Then after three consecutive incompletions put Seattle’s comeback hopes on the brink, Wilson lofted a 39-yard deep ball to DK Metcalf to extend the drive. Two plays later, Wilson craftily spun out of the pocket and found Tyler Lockett for a 17-yard completion. Two plays after that, Wilson threw a 15-yard slant to Metcalf to set up first-and-goal. And then, after three more incompletions left him with another do-or-die fourth down, Wilson fired a tough pass through the driving rain to Metcalf for the game-winner.

The odds of pulling off a 94-yard game-winning drive in the final two minutes are not great, especially when it includes two fourth-down conversions. Seattle’s win probability at the start of the possession was less than 14%, according to ESPN. It dropped below 5% soon after. But Wilson has delivered in so many of these pressure-packed situations that spectacular moments like this are almost beginning to feel commonplace. And perhaps that’s the most amazing part of it all.

Metcalf continues his rise to stardom

In his postgame interview with NBC’s Michele Tafoya on Sunday night, Russell Wilson mentioned that he and DK Metcalf want to be like the legendary 49ers duo of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

Time will tell whether Wilson and Metcalf can ever match one of the game’s all-time great quarterback-receiver pairings. But Metcalf certainly added another impressive chapter in his rise to stardom Sunday night.

Metcalf was the go-to target in crunch time, with six of Wilson’s 12 passes on that decisive final drive directed at the ultra-talented 6-foot-4 second-year wideout. Metcalf came through in a massive way, catching three of those passes for 60 yards and the game-winning score.

Facing a do-or-die fourth down early in the drive, Wilson lofted a jump ball down the sideline and Metcalf soared to make a spectacular 39-yard leaping catch that kept Seattle’s hopes alive. A few plays later, the duo connected again for a 15-yard slant that set up first-and-goal.

Then after a first-down incompletion to Lockett, Wilson targeted Metcalf in the end zone three straight times. Metcalf nearly hauled in Wilson’s second-and-goal pass for a touchdown in the front-right corner of the end zone, but the ball was knocked out of his hands at the last second. On the next play, Metcalf appeared to get held up by cornerback Mike Hughes on a pass to the back corner of the end zone.

Despite those back-to-back incompletions, Wilson went right back to Metcalf on fourth-and-goal with the game on the line. Metcalf rewarded his quarterback’s trust, making a diving catch in the rain for the game-winning score. It was the second game-winning touchdown of the young season for Metcalf, who also hauled in a deciding 29-yarder on a third-and-3 with less than two minutes remaining to beat the Cowboys in Week 3.

Metcalf finished with six catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns Sunday night, further solidifying his spot among the league’s top receivers in several statistical categories. He leads the NFL in yards per catch (22.5), is tied for third in touchdown receptions (five), and is fourth in receiving yards per game (99.2) and seventh in receiving yards per target (12.7). He’s been a major factor in every contest this season, surpassing 90 yards receiving in all five games and catching at least one touchdown pass in four of the five games.

Metcalf still has plenty of room to improve as a pass-catcher. He has three official dropped passes this season, and a handful of others that could’ve been caught. His catch rate of 56.4% is below average among qualified receivers. But even so, Metcalf has already ascended into one of the game’s premier playmakers at wide receiver. If he can develop into a more sure-handed pass-catcher, those Jerry Rice aspirations might not seem too crazy.

Has the defense made some strides?

The Seahawks have significant flaws on defense. Their 370.4 passing yards allowed per game is the most in NFL history through the first five games of a season. Their 471.2 total yards allowed per contest is the worst five-game mark to start a season since the 1950 Baltimore Colts.

But keep in mind, those numbers are somewhat inflated by all the yardage Seattle gave up while playing prevent defense to protect late double-digit leads in a few of their previous games.

On a per-play basis, the numbers aren’t nearly as bad. The Seahawks are tied for 27th in the league in net passing yards allowed per attempt (7.5) and tied for 26th in yards allowed per play (6.2). Also, Seattle ranks 28th in pass defense and 18th in overall defense according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings, which calculate a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. And in terms of scoring defense, the Seahawks sit at 19th with 27.0 points allowed per game.

None of those numbers are good, by any means. But there’s plenty to suggest Seattle’s defense hasn’t been nearly as awful as the historic yardage totals would seem to indicate.

Furthermore, there have been small signs of improvement over the past two weeks.

After allowing at least 6.5 yards per play in each of their first three games, the Seahawks allowed 6.1 against Miami and 5.4 against Minnesota.

After yielding at least 7.8 yards per pass attempt in each of its first three games, Seattle trimmed it to 6.8 against Miami and 5.9 against Minnesota.

And after getting burned for seven plays of 30-plus yards over their first three games — including four such plays against Dallas — the Seahawks haven’t allowed any gains of more than 26 yards over the past two weeks.

It’s also worth noting that Minnesota is ranked eighth in offensive DVOA, which is the best of any opponent Seattle has faced thus far. Miami’s offense is ranked 15th, which is the third-best of Seattle’s opponents. So, these small improvements over the past two weeks can’t be attributed to poor opposing offenses.

Rather, some of these positive trends might stem from a more conservative defensive approach that’s featured less blitzing. Seattle blitzed on 37.5% of its opponents’ dropbacks over the first three weeks, but on just 18.2% of dropbacks over the past two games.

Some of that is surely a product of superstar safety Jamal Adams — who excels at bringing pressure — being sidelined with an injury for the past two weeks. But it also might be true that a more conservative approach simply fits this defense better.

Either way, less blitzing certainly seems to have left the Seahawks’ secondary less vulnerable to long plays in the passing game. And after being gashed for so many of those backbreaking plays earlier this season, limiting them over the past two weeks definitely qualifies as an improvement.

Flaws and all, defense keeps making big plays

Even with all the yardage their defense has allowed this year, the Seahawks have shown a knack for forcing turnovers and coming through when it matters most. Seattle is tied for second in the NFL with 10 takeaways and has forced at least one turnover in every contest, including multiple turnovers in four of its five games. And every time the Seahawks have needed a late-game stop, their defense ultimately rose to the occasion.

Seattle stopped the Falcons on all four of their fourth-down attempts, three of which came in Seahawks territory. Quinton Dunbar helped swing the Patriots game with a key interception, and Seattle thwarted Cam Newton at the goal line on the final play. Against the Cowboys, the Seahawks’ defense scored on a safety, forced a pair of turnovers that led to touchdowns, and made a game-sealing interception in the closing moments. The following week, Seattle kept Miami out of the end zone for 58 minutes and came up with two more turnovers, including a fourth-quarter interception that led to a game-sealing score.

And on Sunday night, the trend of timely defensive plays continued.   

The Seahawks’ defense keyed the third-quarter explosion by forcing back-to-back turnovers, which gave their sputtering offense prime field position that led to a pair of touchdowns. Damontre Moore forced the first turnover, knocking the ball free from Kirk Cousins’ hand for a fumble that K.J. Wright recovered at the 15-yard line. Then on the first snap of Minnesota’s next possession, Wright made a spectacular one-handed interception to set up Seattle’s offense at the 29-yard line.

And in the game’s closing minutes, with the Vikings deep in Seahawks territory and on the doorstep of a first down that would’ve all but sealed the game, the defense came through with another late stop. Moore and Benson Mayowa hit Adam Thielen just short of the first-down marker on a third-down sweep, and then Mayowa and Wright teamed for a fourth-and-1 run stop on the following play to set the stage for Russell Wilson’s game-winning drive.

As long as Wilson and their high-powered offense keeps putting up points, the Seahawks don’t need their defense to be elite. They just need a league-average unit that limits those back-breaking big plays, comes up with enough stops and forces a key turnover from time to time. So far, that formula has worked.

And with the possibility of star safety Jamal Adams and linebacker Jordyn Brooks returning from injury soon, there’s reason to believe this defense can build on some of the small yet encouraging steps it made against Miami and Minnesota.

Wright excelling after position change

There was some speculation this offseason that K.J. Wright’s tenure with the Seahawks might be nearing an end.

The 31-year-old veteran linebacker was coming off the lowest-graded season of his career, according to Pro Football Reference. And when Seattle used its first-round draft pick this spring on linebacker Jordyn Brooks, some thought it was a sign the Seahawks might be willing to move on from Wright after his current contract expires following this season.

But after moving from his usual weakside linebacker position to strongside linebacker following Bruce Irvin’s season-ending injury in Week 2, Wright has delivered back-to-back exceptional performances.

Wright has been the Seahawks’ highest-graded defender each of the past two weeks, according to PFF. During that two-week span, he had the third-highest grade of any linebacker in the NFL and was tied for the ninth-highest grade of any defender. Among players with at least 100 snaps, Wagner is now the third-ranked linebacker in the NFL this season and Seattle’s top-ranked defender, according to PFF grading.

Wright began his two-week tear with three pass breakups, eight tackles and a forced fumble in Miami. The 10th-year veteran had a key third-down pass breakup in the red zone in that game and delivered a punishing hit on a short completion.

Wright then followed up with another stellar performance Sunday night against the Vikings. He knocked down a pass at the line of scrimmage on the first snap of the game. He had the presence of mind to recover Kirk Cousins’ third-quarter fumble, even after the officials initially blew the play dead. He made a spectacular, leaping one-handed interception soon after. And he helped keep Cousins out of the end zone on Seattle’s pivotal 2-point conversion stop.

The Seahawks have shown some defensive improvements over the past two weeks. And during that span, there’s been no better player on Seattle’s defense than Wright.

Extra points

  • Wilson tossed three more touchdown passes Sunday night, which gives him 19 for the season. That’s the second-most touchdown passes through the first five games of a season in NFL history. The only quarterback with more was Peyton Manning, who threw 20 touchdown passes through the first five games of his record-setting 2013 campaign.
  • The Seahawks’ offense continues to be incredibly efficient in the red zone. Seattle has an NFL-best 88.9% red-zone touchdown rate, with 16 touchdowns in 18 red-zone trips. That’s the best in the league by more than seven percentage points. The Seahawks also have scored a remarkable 21 touchdowns in 26 trips inside their opponents’ 40-yard line.
  • Seattle’s offensive line has moved up to No. 11 in Pro Football Focus’ pass-block ratings. That’s significant, because the Seahawks have never finished the season ranked above 18th in PFF’s pass protection grading since Wilson took over at quarterback in 2012. In five of the previous seven seasons — including last year — Seattle ranked a dismal 30th or worse in that category.

Hawk Watch: Defense makes strides, complements offense in win over Miami

Through the first three weeks of the season, the Seahawks’ defense was mostly just along for the ride.

As Russell Wilson carved up opponents with a historic start, Seattle’s defense surrendered a historic amount of passing yardage. As the Seahawks’ high-powered offense lit up the scoreboard, the defense was more of a liability than an asset.

But on Sunday, the injury-plagued and much-maligned unit finally played a key role.

Seattle kept Miami out of the end zone until the game’s final two minutes, which helped the Seahawks to a 31-23 road win that improved them to 4-0 for just the second time in franchise history.

It was still far from a textbook defensive performance. Seattle allowed 23 points and 415 total yards to a below-average Miami offense. But it was a marked improvement from the first three weeks, during which Seattle was gashed for an NFL-record 1,292 passing yards and a league-worst 1,492 total yards. And even though the Dolphins still managed to move the ball and mount long drives, the Seahawks limited them to field goals. Prior to Miami’s lone touchdown drive in the closing minutes, the Dolphins settled for field goals on all five of their trips inside the Seattle 30-yard line.

For the Seahawks, the difference this week was a bend-but-don’t-break style of defense that helped them minimize big plays and keep Miami’s receivers in front of them.

Over the first three weeks, Seattle surrendered 18 completions of 20-plus yards. Nine of those 20-plus-yard completions came last week against the Cowboys, including three long touchdowns of 40-plus yards. But on Sunday, the Seahawks allowed just two completions of 20-plus yards and none longer than 26 yards.

Part of that was better coverage. Part of that was a Miami receiving corps that simply isn’t anywhere near the talent level of the Cowboys’ or Falcons’ wideouts. But a big part of Seattle’s defensive improvement Sunday also stemmed from a more conservative scheme.

Over their first three games, the Seahawks blitzed on 37.5% of their opponents’ dropbacks, according to Pro Football Reference. Seattle was trying to compensate for an often nonexistent pass rush by bringing added pressure, but too often that left its injury-depleted secondary vulnerable to explosive plays.

The Seahawks dialed back the pressure significantly against the Dolphins, blitzing on just 10.9% of Miami’s dropbacks. That made it easier for Seattle’s secondary to keep everything in front and not get beat over the top for long gains.

In addition to limiting big plays and forcing Miami to settle for field goals, the Seahawks’ defense also came up with two more key turnovers.

On the game’s opening possession, Benson Mayowa hit quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s arm and linebacker Cody Barton deflected the errant pass into the air to recently promoted practice-squad safety Ryan Neal, who came up with his second interception in as many weeks. And in the fourth quarter, Shaquill Griffin jumped a route for an interception that set up Seattle’s game-sealing touchdown. Despite the Seahawks’ defensive struggles over the first few weeks, they are now tied for second in the NFL with eight takeaways.

Some might diminish Seattle’s defensive performance Sunday by pointing to Miami’s below-average offense. But even when considering the quality of opponent, the Seahawks made definite strides on that side of the ball, especially given that they were missing star safety Jamal Adams, cornerback Quinton Dunbar, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and several others.

With a high-powered offense leading the way, Seattle doesn’t need its defense to be elite. The Seahawks just need to complement Wilson and their high-scoring offense with a league-average defense that makes enough stops and continues to come up with a key turnover from time to time. And on Sunday, they showed they’re capable of following that formula.

SHAQUILL GRIFFIN’S BOUNCEBACK PERFORMANCE

A big factor in Seattle’s improved defense Sunday was the play of cornerback Shaquill Griffin.

Griffin struggled throughout the first three games, allowing 20 receptions on 26 targets for a total of 318 yards and two touchdowns. The fourth-year pro was coming off a particularly dismal performance the previous week, having surrendered nine catches for 151 yards to the Cowboys. The lowlight was an awful sequence in the third quarter, when he gave up a 52-yard reception on a vertical route and a 42-yard catch-and-run score in a span of just three plays. He did intercept a pass from Dak Prescott, but that didn’t make up for his series of troubling coverage blunders.

However, it was an entirely different story against the Dolphins. Griffin turned in one of the best performances of his career, allowing zero receptions on six targets while finishing with an interception and three pass breakups.

In the third quarter, Griffin broke up a third-down slant route to force Miami to settle for a field goal. In the fourth quarter, he made a diving one-handed breakup in the end zone to protect a 17-12 lead. And later on, he made a great read and jumped a route for an interception that led to the Seahawks’ game-sealing touchdown.

WILSON, OFFENSE STAY AGGRESSIVE

It’s been well-documented how Seattle has unleashed Wilson this season and allowed him to operate a more pass-oriented attack, especially earlier in games and in early-down situations. The Seahawks’ overall pass rate is up nearly five percentage points from last year, and their pass rate on first downs in the first half is up by more than 14 percentage points.

But another aspect of the “Let Russ Cook” movement has been Seattle’s willingness to be more aggressive in certain situations. And that was on full display Sunday.

Late in the first half, the Seahawks took over at their own 25-yard line with a 10-9 lead and just 24 seconds remaining. In years past, they probably would’ve been content just to call a run play and head to the locker room with a one-point lead. Not this year, though.

Seattle kept its foot on the gas, and Wilson delivered with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just 21 seconds. Wilson opened with an 11-yard pass to tight end Greg Olsen. Then, he rolled out to the left and tossed a 57-yard pass on the run to David Moore, who made an impressive sideline grab at the 7-yard line. Wilson then followed with a 4-yard pass to Olsen and a 3-yard touchdown pass to running back Travis Homer with three seconds remaining.

And that late second-half touchdown drive wasn’t the only instance of Seattle being more aggressive than previous years. Earlier in the second quarter, the Seahawks kept their offense on the field and went for it on a fourth-and-3 from the Miami 18, instead of kicking a field goal. Wilson was sacked on the play, but the decision demonstrated the level of confidence Seattle’s coaching staff has in its superstar quarterback, and how that seems to have made the Seahawks more willing to take risks offensively than at any other time in the Pete Carroll era.

MOORE CONTINUES TO SHINE AS NO. 3 RECEIVER

DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett have garnered most of the headlines surrounding Seattle’s receiving corps, and rightfully so. The dynamic one-two punch has combined for 701 receiving yards and seven touchdowns over the first four weeks while providing Wilson one of the league’s premier receiving duos.

But with Josh Gordon suspended and Phillip Dorsett on the injured reserve, there were question marks entering the season at the No. 3 receiver spot. Not anymore.

Moore has excelled in the role, having emerged as a legitimate third option for Wilson. The former 2017 seventh-round pick has 10 catches on 11 targets for a total of 173 yards and two touchdowns, with an average of 17.3 yards per reception. Wilson has a perfect passer rating when targeting him. And for what it’s worth, Moore is graded by Pro Football Focus as the 16th-best receiver this season, ahead of both Lockett (27th) and Metcalf (tied for 29th). Moore’s emergence makes the Seahawks one of just three teams to have three top-30 receivers in PFF grading.

Moore turned in his best performance Sunday, catching three passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He made an exceptional 57-yard sideline catch in the closing moments of the first half, adjusting his body and getting both feet inbounds to key the last-second touchdown drive. In the third quarter, he took a wide-receiver sweep and eluded linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in the backfield with a video-game-like juke on his way to a 21-yard gain. And in the fourth quarter, Moore got both feet inbounds and made a leaping 17-yard touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone to give Seattle a nine-point lead and some much-needed breathing room.

Hawk Watch: Offense off to historic start, but defense officially a concern after latest escape

Another week, another roller-coaster victory for the Seahawks.

By this point, these white-knuckle rides have practically become the norm for Seattle.

The Seahawks’ wild 38-31 win over Dallas on Sunday afternoon marked the second consecutive week that they held on with a game-sealing defensive play in the closing seconds. Dating back to the start of last season, Seattle is now 13-3 in one-possession contests.

And with the way they’ve been playing, the Seahawks could be in for plenty more high-scoring nailbiters this fall.

Seattle has the second-highest scoring offense in the league, but also a porous defense that’s allowed a historic amount of passing yardage through the first three weeks. Is that a sustainable formula for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, especially given the Seahawks’ mounting injury concerns on defense? Only time will tell.

But with Russell Wilson leading a high-powered offense and just enough timely plays from its defense, Seattle has made it work so far. The Seahawks are 3-0 for just the second time in the Pete Carroll era, and the first time since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2013.

Here are some storylines and takeaways — both good and bad — following the Seahawks’ latest narrow escape:

WITH RUSS COOKIN’, THIS OFFENSE IS ELITE

Led by Wilson’s exceptional play, Seattle’s offense is off to one of the best starts in recent NFL history.

The Seahawks are just the eighth team in league history — and the sixth since the 1970 merger — to score at least 35 points in each of their first three games. Seattle’s franchise-best 111 points through three weeks is the seventh-most of any team since 2010 and is tied for the 23rd-most in league history.

Seattle ranks second in the NFL this season at 37 points per game, which is a full six points ahead of the next-closest team. The Seahawks are third in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which calculates a team’s success on every play based on situation and opponent. Seattle has scored touchdowns on all nine of its red-zone trips and on 15 of its 35 total possessions (42.9%).

At the center of it all is Wilson, who became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw 14 touchdown passes through the first three weeks of a season. He has completed a scorching 76.7% of his passes for 925 yards, and his only interception came off a dropped ball. He’s averaging a league-high 11.3 adjusted yards per pass attempt, which is nearly a yard ahead of the next-closest quarterback. He’s also rushed for 90 yards at an average of 6.4 yards per carry.

Wilson and Seattle’s offense weren’t quite as sharp Sunday as they were in their first two games. Wilson had several uncharacteristic off-target throws, which could be partially attributable to a Dallas pass rush that sacked him four times and appeared to leave him a bit less comfortable in the pocket. Seattle’s offense, meanwhile, benefited from a short field on two of its touchdowns and stalled in the second half with three consecutive punts.

And yet, that’s all just nit-picking.

Wilson still turned in yet another massive performance, completing 27 of 40 passes for 315 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He would’ve had another touchdown pass if not for DK Metcalf’s careless goal-line gaffe in the first quarter, which wiped away what would’ve been a 63-yard score. Had Metcalf held onto the ball, the Seahawks very well might’ve scored 30 first-half points.

And even after Seattle’s offense fell into a rut for most of the second half, Wilson did what he’s done so often over the course of his nine-year career, rallying the Seahawks with a game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes. It was his 33rd career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, which is the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2012.

Seattle’s receiving corps and offensive line also deserve credit for the offense’s red-hot start. Tyler Lockett and Metcalf have provided Wilson one of the best receiving duos in the league. The Seahawks’ offensive line ranks 19th in pass-blocking by Pro Football Focus — which is still below average, but a marked improvement from the 30th-or-worse rankings the unit finished with in five of the past seven seasons.

However, the biggest difference this season continues to be Seattle’s willingness to “let Russ cook.” That three-word rallying cry has been popular among Seahawks fans who have wanted their team to allow Wilson to operate a more pass-oriented and aggressive attack, especially early in games. And so far, Seattle has certainly altered its approach from its usual establish-the-run mantra of years past.

Seattle’s pass rate of 61.2% in the first half of games this season ranks ninth in the league, according to Sharp Football Stats. That’s a considerable uptick from last year’s 56% first-half pass rate, which ranked 27th.

And the contrast is even more pronounced on first downs. The Seahawks rank second in the league with a pass rate of 63.8% on first downs in the first half. That’s up from 47.6% in those situations last year, which ranked 19th.

The more aggressive approach has put the ball in the hands of Seattle’s best player more often, and Wilson has taken advantage of the increased opportunities with a historic season-opening tear that’s produced the best offensive start in franchise history.

THE DEFENSE IS OFFICIALLY A CONCERN

The Seahawks surrendered 450 passing yards to Matt Ryan and the Falcons. They gave up 397 passing yards to Cam Newton and the Patriots. And the ugly trend continued Sunday, with Seattle’s defense getting torched by Dak Prescott and the Cowboys for 461 yards through the air.

The Seahawks have allowed a whopping 1,292 passing yards through the first three weeks of the season, which is an NFL record by a wide margin.

Yes, there are some caveats that have inflated those numbers. With double-digit leads in the second halves of all three games, Seattle has played a considerable amount of prevent defense, which tends to concede underneath yardage in an attempt to limit big plays. Also, all three of the Seahawks’ opponents feature strong passing attacks. And of course, a rash of injuries on defense has been another contributing factor.

But none of that offsets the reality that Seattle’s pass defense has been pretty horrific so far.

Those struggles were on full display Sunday, as the Seahawks surrendered big plays with regularity. Seattle gave up nine completions of at least 20 yards, including three long touchdowns of 40-plus yards.

A particularly troubling stretch occurred on back-to-back Dallas touchdowns in the second half. Seattle cornerback Shaquill Griffin got beat twice on a quick three-play drive the spanned the length of the field, giving up a 52-yard completion on a vertical sideline route and a 42-yard touchdown pass on an intermediate crossing route. Then on the ensuing Dallas possession, Seattle cornerback Tre Flowers got beat on a vertical sideline route for a 43-yard touchdown pass.

The biggest question mark entering the season was the Seahawks’ pass rush, and those concerns have proved valid. Seattle’s pass rush ranks 31st in the league, according to Pro Football Focus grading. And the Seahawks rank 28th in sack rate, with sacks on just 3.1% of their blitzes, according to Pro Football Reference.

But despite a lackluster pass rush, Seattle’s secondary was supposed to be a strength. So far, it’s been a major disappointment. The Seahawks rank 19th in pass coverage, according to PFF grades. Neither of Seattle’s starting cornerbacks — Griffin and Quinton Dunbar — are ranked among the top 50 cornerbacks by PFF. And Tre Flowers, who started in place of the injured Dunbar on Sunday, is ranked a dismal 85th among all cornerbacks.

The Seahawks did force the Cowboys into three turnovers, including two that led to scores. Late in the first half, Griffin intercepted Prescott to set up a Seattle touchdown. On the opening snap of the second half, Jarran Reed hit Prescott’s arm to force a fumble that Benson Mayowa recovered to set up another touchdown. And in the game’s closing seconds, recently promoted practice-squad safety Ryan Neal intercepted Prescott in the end zone to seal the victory.

Also, the Seahawks’ run defense quietly had another strong performance, limiting star running Ezekiel Elliott to just 34 yards on 14 carries. Seattle has allowed just 3.0 rushing yards per attempt this season, which ranks third in the NFL.

But neither the forced turnovers nor the run defense’s success are nearly enough to overshadow the Seahawks’ major struggles in defending the pass. Seattle ranks just 23rd in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA this year, which would be its lowest ranking in a decade if the season ended today.

WILD AND WACKY, EVEN FOR SEAHAWKS

The Seahawks have played in plenty of bizarre games over the years. But even by their standards, this one was pretty unusual.

There was Metcalf’s goal-line gaffe that wiped away a sure touchdown. There was the Cowboys’ fumbled kickoff return that led to a safety on the ensuing play. There were two missed extra points (one of which was blocked) by typically reliable Dallas kicker Greg Zuerlein, who entered with a streak of 74 consecutive made PATs. And all of that happened in just the first half, which lasted a marathon one hour and 45 minutes.

The second half was also full of drama and momentum swings, with Seattle’s win probability at one point fluctuating from above 96% to under 48% in a span of less than nine minutes, according to ESPN. Seattle and Dallas finished the back-and-forth shootout with a whopping 934 combined yards of total offense, including 787 yards through the air.

And, perhaps fittingly, the wild contest ended with a game-sealing interception in the end zone by a safety who was on Seattle’s practice squad just 24 hours prior.

Hawk Watch: Russ keeps cookin’, but defense struggles again in dramatic win over Patriots

Once again, all that separated the Seahawks and Patriots was one yard.

Just like the Malcolm Butler interception in Super Bowl 49 and the Seahawks’ goal-line stand in the 2016 regular-season rematch, the latest showdown between these perennial powers also came down to a defensive stop at the 1-yard line.

Cam Newton had already scored twice on 1-yard quarterback keepers to the left side earlier in the night, including a touchdown on the previous possession that made it a one-possession contest. So with the Patriots on the 1-yard line again and only enough time for one game-deciding play, they again put the ball in the hands of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound former NFL most valuable player.

This time, the Seahawks were ready.

Lano Hill submarined New England’s lead blocker and L.J. Collier shed a block at the line of scrimmage to meet Newton in the backfield, forcing him into a premature leap that ended nowhere near the goal line.

The unlikely Seattle duo’s tackle for loss as time expired preserved a nailbiting 35-30 win that improved the Seahawks to 2-0 and kept another spectacular Russell Wilson performance from being spoiled.

Here’s a look at some of the key Seahawks storylines from their dramatic primetime victory Sunday night:

RUSS KEEPS ON COOKIN’

One week after his nearly flawless season-opening performance in Atlanta, Seattle’s superstar quarterback put on another sizzling show.

Wilson completed 21 of 28 passes for 288 yards and threw touchdowns to five different players, carving up a New England secondary that many consider to be the league’s best. He also scrambled five times for 39 yards and finished the night with 327 total yards.

Wilson’s full passing arsenal was on display during his five-touchdown masterpiece. He eluded pressure and fired a strike to Tyler Lockett in the end zone. He uncorked deep touchdown passes to DK Metcalf and David Moore. He found rookie Freddie Swain on a crossing route for another score. And with a hand in his face, he tossed his fifth touchdown of the night by floating a perfect 18-yard pass off his back foot on a swing route to running back Chris Carson.

This all came after Wilson endured a bad break on the third snap of the game, when a catchable pass went off tight end Greg Olsen’s hands and was snagged by New England safety Devin McCourty, who returned it for a pick-six to put the Seahawks in an early 7-0 hole. But Wilson bounced right back, completing each of his next 12 throws on his way to spearheading a rare offensive onslaught against a Bill Belichick-coached team. This was one of just 16 times that an opponent scored at least 35 points against the Patriots during Belichick’s legendary 20-plus seasons at the helm, according to Pro Football Reference.

And through two games, it’s hard to overstate just how spectacular Wilson has played.

Wilson has completed 52 of 63 passes for 610 yards and nine touchdowns, with the lone blemish being an interception that wasn’t his fault. His 82.5 completion percentage is the highest in NFL history through the first two weeks of a season among all quarterbacks with at least 40 total pass attempts, according to Pro Football Reference. His nine touchdown passes are tied for the second-most in NFL history through two weeks. He’s averaging 9.7 yards per pass attempt. He’s rushed for 68 yards, at a clip of 8.5 yards per carry. And of his mere 11 incompletions, three were drops and three were throwaways.

Just like last season, Wilson has established himself as the early front-runner for league MVP. But the difference this year, at least through two games, is that the Seahawks have truly “let Russ cook.”

That three-word rallying cry has been popular among Seattle fans who have clamored for their team to open up the offense and allow Wilson to operate a more pass-oriented and aggressive attack, especially early in games.

The Seahawks certainly did that in their season-opening win over Atlanta. They called passes on 18 of their 25 offensive plays in the first half of that game and finished the afternoon with a pass rate of 65.5%, which was a sharp increase from last year’s 54.3%.

There was some speculation that Seattle might get back to its usual establish-the-run mantra against New England, given that the Patriots have arguably the league’s most talented secondary. Yet while the Seahawks did sport a more balanced attack in Week 2, they remained aggressive and committed to the pass in early-down situations.

Wilson dropped back to pass on 21 of his team’s 34 offensive plays in the first half, including on 11 of 16 first-down plays during that span. Seattle has called passes on 18 of its 28 first-down plays in the first half this season for a rate of 64.3%, which ranks third in the NFL. That’s a dramatic rise from last season’s 47.6% rate in such situations, which ranked 19th.

Over the past two games, the Seahawks have unleashed Wilson like never before. And the results speak for themselves. Seattle ranks second in the NFL with 36.5 points per game and is second in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which calculates a team’s success on every play over the course of the season, based on situation and opponent.

METCALF HIGHLIGHTS BIG NIGHT FOR RECEIVERS

Last year, New England allowed just four touchdown passes to wide receivers over the course of the entire season. The Seahawks matched that total Sunday night, with four different receivers hauling in touchdown receptions against the Patriots’ elite secondary.

Metcalf highlighted the Seattle receiving corps’ big night with four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Even more impressive was that most of his work came against star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year. Metcalf beat Gilmore for a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter, racing past the lockdown corner and using his physical frame to haul in a contested catch before sprinting the rest of the way to the end zone. Prior to that, Gilmore had gone a league-high 104 consecutive targets without allowing a touchdown, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Through two games, Metcalf has eight receptions for a team-high 187 yards and two long touchdowns.

But Metcalf wasn’t the only Seattle receiver with a standout performance against New England’s talented secondary. Lockett caught seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown, bumping his season totals to 15 receptions on 16 targets for 159 yards. Moore had three catches for 48 yards, including a sensational 38-yard touchdown in the third quarter when he demonstrated exceptional body control to get his left foot inbounds and hit the pylon with his right foot, all while making a tightly contested grab as he was falling to the ground. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the pass had a completion probability of 6.3%, which made it the second-most improbable catch of the last two seasons. Rookie sixth-round draft pick Freddie Swain even joined the scoring spree with a 21-yard reception in the third quarter for his first career touchdown.

Seattle’s receiving corps has complemented Wilson’s brilliant start with excellent play through the first two games. Even with Josh Gordon yet to be reinstated from his suspension and Phillip Dorsett on the injured reserve, this might be the best collection of pass-catchers Wilson has ever had. If and when Gordon and Dorsett return, Wilson’s array of weapons will only get more dangerous.

PASS PROTECTION QUIETLY PROVIDING RARE STABILITY

Competent pass protection from Seattle’s offensive line is an underrated aspect that’s helped make Wilson’s scorching start possible.

For years, the Seahawks suffered from porous offensive-line play that made things difficult on Wilson and left him needing to make Houdini-like escapes on a regular basis. In five of the past seven seasons, Seattle finished 30th or worse in Pro Football Focus’ pass-block grades.

But through two games this year — even with no preseason contests to break in three new starters along the offensive line — the Seahawks are ranked 19th in pass blocking. While that’s still slightly below average, it’s a marked improvement from last season’s No. 30 ranking.

Seattle’s offensive line has allowed five sacks and 24 quarterback pressures, but Wilson appears much more comfortable in the pocket than previous years, which has allowed him to go through his progressions and zip the ball all over the field with historic accuracy during his torrid two-game start.

DEFENSE STRUGGLES AGAIN, AND SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING INJURIES

Aside from the game-saving stop on the final play, it was largely another forgettable performance from the Seahawks’ defense.

Seattle came in focused on stopping the Newton-led ground attack. One week prior, New England piled up 217 yards rushing at a 5.2-yard clip against Miami, while running the ball on two-thirds of its offensive plays. The Seahawks did a good job of containing Newton and the Patriots’ ground game Sunday night, limiting them to just 67 yards at an average of 2.7 yards per carry.

But Newton picked apart Seattle’s defense through the air, completing 30 of 44 passes for 397 yards at a clip of 9.0 yards per attempt. It was similar to the season opener, when the Seahawks allowed 434 yards passing to Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ array of talented receivers.

Seattle has surrendered 831 passing yards through the first two games, which is the second-most in NFL history, according to Pro Football Reference. And while the Seahawks rank third in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.0) this season, they are 29th in both yards allowed per play (6.6) and net passing yards per attempt (8.2).

One caveat with those concerning numbers is that a significant portion of the passing yardage occurred when the Seahawks were playing prevent defense while holding leads in the fourth quarters of their two games. In those situations, they were content to give up some yardage underneath in order to protect against big plays.

Another caveat is the personnel challenges Seattle’s secondary was dealt Sunday night. Free safety Quandre Diggs was ejected in the first quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit, and nickel cornerback Marquise Blair suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in the second quarter. That left the Seahawks without two starting defensive backs.

Second-year pro Ugo Amadi filled in well for Blair at nickel corner, but Diggs’ absence was sorely felt. Newton had success attacking downfield after Diggs was ejected, connecting with Julian Edelman for several big completions.

The return of Diggs should greatly benefit the Seahawks, but it remains to be seen how they will fare after the injuries sustained Sunday night. In addition to Blair, Seattle also lost veteran rush end Bruce Irvin to a season-ending torn ACL late in the fourth quarter. Irvin was expected to play an important role in the Seahawks’ pass rush, which was already virtually nonexistent over the first two weeks with just three sacks and a pressure rate of just 17.5%.

Seattle’s defense faces another considerable challenge Sunday afternoon when Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ talented receiving corps come to town. Dallas’ potent aerial attack should provide a measuring stick as to whether the Seahawks can make some strides on defense, or whether their concerning performances of the past two weeks could end up being season-long trends.

Hawk Watch: Russ cooks, Adams shines, and other takeaways from season-opening win

“Let Russ cook.”

That’s been the rallying cry among Seahawks fans who have clamored for their team to open up the offense and allow Russell Wilson to operate a more pass-oriented and aggressive attack, especially early in games.

Those fans got their wish Sunday.

Wilson came out firing early and often in the Seahawks’ season-opening 38-25 road win over the Falcons, producing one of the finest performances of his career while leading his team to an unusually fast start and comfortable victory.

Wilson completed each of his first 12 passes and finished 31 of 35 for 322 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His career-high 88.6 completion percentage is tied for the third-highest single-game mark in NFL history among all quarterbacks with at least 35 pass attempts. And of the mere four incompletions he threw, one was a dropped pass and another came on a play that could’ve been flagged for pass interference.

It was a practically flawless outing.

But the storyline Sunday wasn’t that Wilson delivered a sensational performance. He’s had many such performances over the course of his eight-plus seasons in the NFL. It was that Seattle deviated from its usual establish-the-run mantra that’s been so prevalent throughout coach Pete Carroll’s tenure, and instead put the ball in its superstar quarterback’s hands from the get-go.

Just how different was the play-calling Sunday? Here are some stats that illustrate the contrast, with the help of situational pass-rate data from Sharp Football Stats:

  • Wilson dropped back to pass on 11 of the 14 offensive plays on his team’s first two drives, leading the Seahawks to a pair of touchdowns for an early 14-3 lead. It was a rare quick start for a franchise that, over the years, has so often slogged its way through the first few quarters before finally unleashing Wilson in the fourth quarter to attempt a late-game comeback.
  • Seattle called passes on 18 of its 25 offensive plays in the first half, which ranked third among all teams in Week 1. That 72% first-half pass rate was a sharp contrast from last season’s 56%, which ranked 27th in the league.
  • The Seahawks finished the game with 38 passing plays (including three sacks) and just 20 rushing plays. Their pass rate of 65.5% ranked fifth among all teams in Week 1. It was a massive increase from last season’s 54.3% pass rate, which was 27th in the league.
  • Wilson dropped back to pass on seven of his team’s 12 first-down plays in the first half. That was good for a 58.3% pass rate in such situations, which ranked 10th among all teams in Week 1. Seattle’s first-down pass rate in the first half last season was 47.6%, which ranked 19th.
  • Wilson dropped back to pass on all 12 instances when it was second-and-7 or longer. Seattle called passing plays in just 62.8% of those situations last season, which ranked 22nd.

Furthermore, the increase in pass attempts was part of a more aggressive offensive approach that was evident throughout the game, beginning with Seattle’s opening series.

On his team’s very first snap, Wilson was sacked for a 9-yard loss. In recent years, the Seahawks have often taken a more conservative response to negative yardage on early downs. Second-and-long run calls have been a common source of frustration among Seattle’s fanbase.

But this time, they continued to attack. With offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer calling another pass on the ensuing play, Wilson fired a 15-yard completion to Tyler Lockett that set up a manageable third-and-4 situation. Wilson then hit Greg Olsen for another completion to move the chains.

Later in the opening drive, a holding penalty and a sack pushed the Seahawks into a third-and-23 from about midfield. But instead of just trying to gain back some of that yardage underneath, Wilson launched a deep pass downfield that drew a defensive pass-interference call. The 41-yard penalty set up first-and-goal and led to a touchdown two plays later.

The biggest example of aggressive play-calling, of course, was Wilson’s fourth-down touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on the opening drive of the second half. After being stopped on third down, Seattle faced a fourth-and-5 from the Atlanta 38. Over the years, Carroll and the Seahawks have typically been one of the more risk-averse teams on fourth down. Not once over the past three seasons has Seattle gone for it on fourth-and-5 or longer when in the lead, according to Sharp Football Stats. But sticking with the theme of the day, the Seahawks bucked the trend. Metcalf raced down the sideline on a vertical route, and Wilson lofted a perfectly placed deep ball to the standout second-year receiver to extend Seattle’s lead to 21-12.

Yet another instance of a more attacking approach came early in the fourth quarter, after three consecutive penalties backed the Seahawks into a second-and-29 at midfield. Once again, Seattle let Wilson keep firing. Wilson completed a 10-yard pass to Lockett and then a 17-yarder underneath to rookie Freddie Swain, which moved the ball to the Atlanta 23 and set up a field goal that made it a three-possession game.

And even with a comfortable 13-point lead later in the fourth, the Seahawks kept their foot on the gas. On a second-and-9 with just over six minutes remaining, Wilson hit Metcalf for a 37-yard gain on a slant-and-go route that keyed a game-sealing touchdown drive.

It remains to be seen whether all of this was just a one-game anomaly, or whether Seattle truly plans to unleash Wilson like never before. It can be foolish to draw conclusions from Week 1. And even if there is a significant uptick in the Seahawks’ pass rate this fall, it likely won’t reach 65.5% on a regular basis. Carroll loves to run the ball and surely would like to get his backfield more than just the 16 carries it received in the season opener.

However, keep in mind that Wilson himself vocalized this past offseason that he’d like the offense to be more aggressive. And what transpired Sunday in Atlanta sure seems to suggest that Carroll and Schottenheimer, at least to some degree, are on board.

IS CARSON SET FOR EXPANDED ROLE IN PASSING GAME?

With so much talent and depth at wide receiver and a formidable one-two receiving punch at tight end, this is likely the best group of pass-catchers Wilson has ever had. That depth was on full display Sunday, with Wilson completing passes to nine different players.

As expected, Metcalf (four catches for 95 yards) and Lockett (eight catches for 92 yards) led the team in receiving. But it was a bit surprising that running back Chris Carson finished third in both targets and receiving yards.

After averaging just 2.5 catches per game last season, Carson caught six passes for 45 yards and a pair of first-quarter touchdowns Sunday. He had four catches on Seattle’s first two possessions, highlighted by a 19-yard screen pass he took into the end zone for his second score of the opening quarter.

The fact that three of Carson’s receptions came on running-back screens and another on a designed play-action rollout could indicate that he’s set to become an increased factor in the passing game this season. And doing so would make sense on multiple fronts.

For one, running-back screens are a way to mix in some easier and safer passes among the downfield shots Wilson likes to take. And screen passes are also a great change-of-pace tactic to punish defenses for blitzing, which in turn could benefit Seattle’s pass protection and help keep Wilson upright.

ADAMS SHINES IN SEAHAWK DEBUT

Seattle made a major splash in late July by acquiring superstar safety Jamal Adams from the Jets for a steep price that included two first-round draft picks. With a spectacular Seahawks debut Sunday, Adams showed why Seattle was willing to give up so much for the versatile 24-year-old All-Pro.

Adams made plays all over the field and finished with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also was a major factor in the pass rush, producing two quarterback hits and a third-down sack off the edge in the second quarter. His standout performance earned him the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade among all safeties in Week 1.

Adams delivered a slew of highlight-reel moments, but two excellent open-field tackles stood out in particular. The first one came on a swing pass to running back Todd Gurley, with Adams closing the gap in blazing speed and launching into him behind the line of scrimmage. And when Calvin Ridley took a wide-receiver sweep on the Falcons’ following possession, Adams raced to the edge and made a diving tackle for a 1-yard loss.  

DON’T FORGET ABOUT WAGNER

With Adams garnering the bulk of the attention for his dazzling Seahawks debut, it could be easy to overlook what a great performance Bobby Wagner had. The five-time All-Pro received the highest Week 1 PFF grade among all linebackers in the league, showing no signs of slowing down as he enters his ninth season at age 30.

Wagner posted seven tackles, including a tackle for loss where he burst into the backfield and stopped running back Brian Hill on third-and-short in the opening quarter. He also had two pass breakups, highlighted by a textbook play late in the first half when he reached around tight end Luke Stocker to swat away a pass.

CONCERNS ON DEFENSE?

Despite the exceptional individual performances from Adams and Wagner, the Falcons moved the ball with relative ease for much of the afternoon. The Seahawks’ defense gave up 506 total yards, including 450 yards through the air to Matt Ryan and Atlanta’s talented receiving corps. Those numbers were inflated by Seattle being content to surrender underneath yardage in the fourth quarter, after the game was mostly out of reach. However, the Seahawks still yielded 305 total yards through the first three quarters.

Seattle limited the damage by stopping the Falcons on all four of their fourth-down attempts, three of which came in Seahawks territory. Defensive end Benson Mayowa was responsible for two of those stops, blitzing off the edge to bat down a fourth-and-3 pass in the first quarter and chasing down Ryan for a red-zone sack on fourth-and-2 late in the third quarter.

Mayowa and the Seahawks deserve credit for turning back Atlanta in those situations. But on the other hand, if the Falcons had converted just one or two of those fourth downs, it might have been a different game.

It’d probably be an overreaction to start panicking about Seattle’s defense after just one week. Keep in mind that the Seahawks also allowed a season-high 510 yards to the Falcons in a victory last season, and that was with backup Matt Schaub at quarterback. Atlanta probably has one of the most prolific aerial attacks in the league. And even with the Seahawks’ pass-rush concerns, their secondary is too talented to struggle like this on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, it certainly wasn’t the most encouraging start to the season for Seattle’s defense. The next two matchups against the Patriots and Cowboys, for better or worse, should provide a much clearer and more complete picture.

The top 10 performances of Russell Wilson’s career… so far

Russell Wilson has compiled a slew of spectacular performances over the course of his first eight NFL seasons, while leading the Seahawks to an unprecedented run of success and developing into one of the league’s top quarterbacks. (Kevin Clark / Courtesy photo)

Few quarterbacks have accomplished as much as Russell Wilson over their first eight seasons in the NFL.

Wilson won a Super Bowl in his second season, then came within a yard of potentially winning another the following year. He has led the Seahawks to seven 10-win campaigns and seven playoff appearances, including six trips to at least the NFC divisional round. He has 86 regular-season victories, which is tied with Tom Brady for the most wins by a quarterback over the first eight seasons of one’s career. Among all quarterbacks over their first eight seasons, Wilson is ranked second in adjusted yards per pass attempt, third in passing touchdowns, fifth in passing yards and fifth in completion percentage.

And along the way, Wilson has compiled a plethora of exceptional performances. There have been epic shootouts against other star quarterbacks, dazzling prime-time showings filled with jaw-dropping plays, plenty of stellar stat lines, and no shortage of dramatic comebacks.

But of all the great games he’s had, which ones were his best?

To answer that question, I went back and watched every Wilson throw and run from any game that could be in consideration. Then, I took on the agonizing task of whittling down the list and assembling a top 10. Stats were obviously a big factor, but more important was the game film and overall context behind those numbers. And of course, clutch late-game performances carried extra weight.

Because of the sheer number of sensational performances from Wilson, there were some very worthy games that missed the cut. One could make a strong case that his 292-yard, five-touchdown dissection of the Ravens in 2015 deserved a spot. Same with his memorable fourth-quarter comeback win over the Patriots as a rookie. There also was his highly efficient outing against the Lions in 2018, when he finished with a perfect passer rating (albeit on just 17 pass attempts). For most quarterbacks, any of those performances would’ve been surefire picks for a top-10 list.

And keep in mind, Wilson may very well still be peaking. The 31-year-old superstar is coming off an MVP-caliber season and is surrounded by arguably the greatest array of pass-catchers he’s ever had, so there’s a good chance at least one or two of the games on this list will be supplanted this fall. But before Wilson embarks on his 2020 campaign, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit his best performances so far.

10. Seattle 23, Chicago 17 (OT) — 2012 (Week 13)

PASSING: 23 of 37, 293 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 9 carries, 71 yards

This dramatic comeback win was a signature moment in Wilson’s rookie season and provided some of the first significant glimpses into his greatness to come.

Facing one of the league’s top defenses in a pivotal early-December contest at Soldier Field, Wilson deftly used his arm and legs to orchestrate a pair of masterful late-game touchdown drives. The first was a pressure-packed 12-play, 97-yard march that culminated with a go-ahead score in the final minute of regulation. Then after Chicago stunned Seattle with a last-second field goal to force overtime, Wilson answered right back with a game-winning 12-play, 80-yard drive in the extra period. He finished with 364 total yards, including a combined 162 yards on those final two possessions.

Wilson’s length-of-the-field drive late in the fourth quarter was particularly impressive. It began on his own 3-yard line, with Seattle trailing 14-10 and 3:40 remaining. The stakes were high, as a loss would’ve dropped the Seahawks to 6-6 and dealt a serious blow to their playoff hopes. Unfazed by the magnitude of the moment, the rookie quarterback began methodically leading his team downfield against a stalwart Bears unit. A holding penalty near midfield threatened the drive, pushing Seattle back into a precarious third-and-14 situation. But Wilson coolly responded with a third-down completion to Doug Baldwin, followed by a fourth-down pass to Zach Miller to move the chains. Wilson then rolled out on the next play and found Sidney Rice for a 27-yard completion. And on the ensuing snap, Wilson threw a short slant to Golden Tate, who eluded defenders and fought his way across the goal line for a go-ahead 14-yard touchdown with 24 seconds remaining.

At that point, it appeared the Seahawks had just snatched a critical road victory. But after Seattle’s defense surrendered a back-breaking 56-yard completion in the closing seconds, the Bears forced overtime with a game-tying field goal. No matter. The Seahawks won the overtime coin toss, and Wilson did it all over again.

Wilson’s dual-threat skill set was on full display during the overtime drive, especially during a string of three consecutive third-down conversions. He converted a third-and-2 on a read-option keeper. He converted a third-and-5 by scrambling around the right edge for a first down. He converted a third-and-10 by rolling left and finding Baldwin to extend the drive. And on the following play, Wilson rolled left again and fired a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rice for the game-winner.

Wilson’s heroics helped serve as a turning point both in Seattle’s season and the franchise’s rise as an NFC power. The comeback victory sparked a late-season surge, igniting a six-game win streak that not only led the Seahawks to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, but also helped lay the foundation for their Super Bowl-winning campaign the following year.

9. Seattle 38, Minnesota 7 — 2015 (Week 13)

PASSING: 21 of 27, 274 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 9 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5fy4lW_jD0

This was the third game of Wilson’s historic tear through the second half of the 2015 season, when he became the only quarterback in NFL history to post five consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Wilson was coming off a 345-yard, five-touchdown performance in a wild win over Pittsburgh the previous week, which earned the No. 3 spot on this list. He followed with another nearly flawless outing in this one, leading the Seahawks to five touchdowns on their first seven possessions en route to a road thrashing of the eventual NFC North champions.

Wilson completed all seven passes on Seattle’s first touchdown drive, but the most spectacular play of that possession came on a third-and-short scramble. Wilson rolled left on a play-action fake, stopped on a dime, faked a cutback to his right and then put a ruthless spin move on Danielle Hunter, sending the Minnesota defensive lineman helplessly flailing past him as he cut back to his left for a key first down.

Later in the first half, Wilson lofted a perfectly placed third-down pass to Tyler Lockett, splitting two defenders for a 29-yard completion. That kept alive a 98-yard touchdown drive, which Wilson capped by scrambling and diving into the end zone for an 8-yard score. Then after Seattle’s defense came up with an interception on Minnesota’s ensuing possession, Wilson fired a 20-yard touchdown strike to Baldwin on the very next play for a 21-0 halftime lead.

Wilson added two more touchdown passes in the third quarter, including a 53-yard masterpiece to Baldwin. Facing pressure from the Vikings’ pass rush, Wilson released the ball a split-second before being hit to the ground, just as Baldwin was gaining separation. The pass floated over the defense and fell perfectly into Baldwin’s hands, allowing him to catch it in stride and sprint the rest of the way for a 35-0 lead.

Wilson was deadly efficient all afternoon, especially in late-down situations. He personally accounted for seven third- or fourth-down conversions, helping Seattle finish 10 of 14 in such scenarios.

8. Seattle 35, Arizona 6 — 2014 (Week 16)

PASSING: 20 of 31, 339 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 6 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD

Wilson turned this primetime NFC West battle for first place into a big-play bonanza, gashing one of the league’s better defenses with an onslaught of chunk plays.

Wilson accounted for eight plays of 20-plus yards, including the longest run of his career and a touchdown pass that remains tied for the longest completion of his career. He finished with 427 total yards, leading the Seahawks to a franchise-record 596 yards of total offense. It was one of just five times in NFL history that a quarterback threw for at least 330 yards and ran for at least 80 yards.

Wilson’s career-long run came on the final play of the first quarter, when he took off up the middle, raced down the left sideline and stiff-armed an Arizona safety for a 55-yard gain. Wilson matched the longest completion of his career in the second quarter, when he rolled right and floated a pass over the top of the defense to tight end Luke Willson for a runaway 80-yard touchdown. Wilson also connected with Baldwin for a 49-yard completion in the third quarter.

Despite their bevy of big plays and overall dominance of the game, the Seahawks led just 14-6 early in the fourth quarter, largely because of three missed field goals. But with Arizona hanging around, Wilson and Willson connected for two more big gains, including a 20-yard touchdown pass that gave Seattle some breathing room. Wilson finished 3 of 3 for 139 yards and two touchdowns when targeting Willson.

And though Marshawn Lynch provided the night’s most memorable moment — a tackle-breaking 79-yard touchdown that busted the game wide-open — Wilson capped the Seahawks’ dominant fourth quarter with a highlight-reel touchdown run of his own. On a play-action rollout from the 5-yard line, Wilson was approached in the backfield by linebacker Alex Okafor. The play seemed doomed. But after backpedaling a few steps, Wilson used a hesitation move and a stiff-arm to get around Okafor, and then juked his way past Antonio Cromartie at the goal line to provide the exclamation mark to Seattle’s rout.

The victory moved the Seahawks into first place in the NFC West and ultimately helped them secure the NFC’s top seed, which they rode to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

7. Seattle 28, Pittsburgh 26 — 2019 (Week 2)

PASSING: 29 of 35, 300 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 6 carries, 22 yards

Pittsburgh brought pressure early and often, sacking Wilson three times in the first quarter. But Wilson and the Seahawks adjusted, countering with a quick and decisive passing attack. The result? A historically accurate performance from Seattle’s superstar quarterback, who proceeded to slice through one of the league’s top defenses with masterful precision.

Wilson finished the afternoon with a career-high 82.9 completion percentage, which is tied for the 14th-highest single-game mark in NFL history among quarterbacks who attempted at least 35 passes. And in the second half, he was near-perfect. Wilson completed each of his final 12 passes and led three consecutive second-half touchdown drives, as well as a brilliant game-sealing drive to run out the clock.

Wilson’s biggest throw came at a pivotal juncture midway through the fourth quarter. Seattle was nursing a two-point lead, facing third-and-3 from the Pittsburgh 28-yard line. With an empty backfield, Wilson took a shotgun snap and went for it all, lofting a pristine pass down the left sideline that fell perfectly into DK Metcalf’s hands for a key touchdown. It was the third touchdown pass of the day for Wilson, who also connected with tight end Will Dissly for a pair of scores earlier on.

However, the Seahawks weren’t out of the clear just yet. Less than two minutes later, after a costly Chris Carson fumble led to a Pittsburgh touchdown, Seattle again found itself clinging to a two-point lead. But Wilson made sure the Steelers never got the ball back, expertly using his arm and legs to help bleed the final five and a half minutes off the clock.

Wilson began the game-sealing drive with three consecutive completions. He gained another first down on a 10-yard scramble into Pittsburgh territory. And after a penalty backed Seattle into third-and-16, Wilson escaped pressure and took off for a 15-yard gain. That set up the game-clincher from Carson, who plowed across the first-down line on the following play to send the Seahawks into victory formation.

6. Seattle 38, Kansas City 31 — 2018 (Week 16)

PASSING: 18 of 29, 271 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 8 carries, 57 yards

In an action-packed primetime clash between two of the league’s top quarterbacks, Wilson outdueled eventual MVP Patrick Mahomes and led the Seahawks to a rousing playoff-clinching win over the NFL’s highest-scoring team.

Wilson finished with 328 total yards and three touchdown passes, but his stat line alone doesn’t fully illustrate the excellence of this performance. Wilson made a slew of highlight-reel plays — some with his arm, some with his legs, some with a combination of both. And none were more spectacular than his 45-yard moonshot to Lockett late in the fourth quarter.

Clinging to a 31-28 lead with just over three minutes remaining, Seattle faced a second-and-12 from its own 34-yard line. The league’s most dangerous offense was on the opposite sideline, hoping for a chance at a game-winning drive. Wilson, taking matters into his own hands, reared back and launched an immaculate pass to Lockett down the right sideline. There wasn’t much space between the 5-foot-10 Lockett and 6-foot-1 cornerback Charvarius Ward. But because of the sheer height Wilson put underneath the ball — and the resulting sharp trajectory — it was all the space Lockett needed. The ball soared to its apex, then maintained a tight spiral as it fell back down and landed perfectly in Lockett’s arms. It was the type of throw that exemplified why many hail Wilson as the best deep-ball passer in the league — a claim NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth echoed in the ensuing moments as he marveled at the trajectory and pinpoint placement.

Wilson’s otherworldly throw put the Seahawks in field-goal range, but they weren’t settling for three points. Two plays later, Wilson rolled left and floated a pass on the run to Baldwin, who made a juggling 29-yard catch at the 1-yard line to set up a game-sealing Carson touchdown plunge.

The clinching score capped a 24-point second-half onslaught by Wilson and the Seahawks, who mounted three second-half touchdown drives of at least 70 yards. Wilson connected with Baldwin for the first of those second-half touchdowns, teaming with the veteran wideout for a perfectly executed 27-yard back-shoulder fade just inside the left pylon. And on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter, Wilson hit Lockett for a 25-yard completion and then took off up the middle for a 26-yard scramble to set up another touchdown.

Wilson finished with eight plays of 15-plus yards in the second half, including an astounding five plays of at least 25 yards in the final 16 minutes.

5. Seattle 31, New England 24 — 2016 (Week 10)

PASSING: 25 of 37, 348 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 3 carries, 6 yards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIQHSJ9epWE

In a highly anticipated rematch of their gut-wrenching Super Bowl loss to the Patriots, Wilson and the Seahawks exacted a measure of revenge with a riveting primetime triumph in Foxborough.

Wilson led the way with a magnificent performance against the eventual Super Bowl champions, showcasing his full passing arsenal by making seemingly every throw imaginable. There were deep-ball dimes, intermediate passes with laser-like precision, scrambling throws while evading pressure and a picturesque lob off his back foot that capped a three-touchdown night. His pristine play guided the Seahawks to scores on seven of their nine drives, excluding the game-ending possession.

Wilson’s most impressive sequence came in the waning moments of the first half, when he spearheaded a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just 59 seconds. He completed a scrambling third-down pass to Jimmy Graham to extend the drive, then followed a short run with back-to-back completions to move Seattle to the 18-yard line. Then, with the clock ticking under 20 seconds and no timeouts, the Seahawks elected to run another play instead of spiking the ball. After hurriedly setting up the offense, Wilson took a shotgun snap and spun out of the pocket to his left, then shifted his vision back to the right and found Baldwin wide-open in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown pass with just six seconds remaining. It was a masterful bit of improvisation that worked to perfection and gave Seattle a 19-14 halftime lead.

Another pivotal moment came with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, with the Seahawks trailing 24-22 and facing third-and-6 from the New England 40. Rookie running back C.J. Prosise, in the midst of a breakout performance, was split out in the left slot. Wilson stood tall in the pocket against the blitz and lofted a majestic pass down the left sideline, threading the needle between two defenders as it fell into Prosise’s arms at the 2-yard line. That led to a go-ahead field goal, which marked the seventh and final lead change of this back-and-forth contest.

Then after Seattle regained possession with a forced fumble, Wilson helped the Seahawks add to their narrow one-point lead. Facing heavy pressure on third-and-3 from the 15-yard line, he gracefully floated a pass off his back foot, releasing the ball just as Baldwin was about to beat his defender. The ball sailed over the defense and fell softly into Baldwin’s hands for the duo’s third touchdown of the night, extending Seattle’s lead to 31-24 with 4:24 to play. The Seahawks went on to make a goal-line stand in the game’s final moments, flipping the script from their Super Bowl heartbreak two seasons prior.

4. Seattle 30, Carolina 27 — 2018 (Week 12)

PASSING: 22 of 31, 339 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 3 carries, 4 yards

Twice in the game’s final minutes, the Seahawks needed five yards or less to extend a critical drive. Both times, Wilson gambled and went deep for the home-run ball. And both times, it paid off with a game-changing play. Buoyed by those two massive fourth-quarter completions, Wilson kept the Seahawks in the thick of playoff contention and rallied them to a pivotal comeback victory over a fellow wild-card challenger.

Wilson’s late-game heroics began after Carolina took a 27-20 lead on a go-ahead touchdown with just under seven minutes remaining. At that point, Seattle’s win probability was less than 18%, according to ESPN. The Seahawks were sitting at 5-5, so a loss would have been devastating to their playoff chances.

With the pressure mounting, Wilson completed three consecutive passes to kickstart an all-important drive. But the comeback bid was in jeopardy a few plays later, as lost yardage on a first-down run put the Seahawks behind the chains and ultimately left them with a fourth-and-3 situation. Wilson had already connected with David Moore for a big play back in the third quarter, when he uncorked a 54-yard pass to the second-year receiver. And with the season potentially hanging in the balance, Wilson turned to him again. Recognizing that Moore had a half-step of separation down the left sideline, Wilson eschewed a shorter crossing route and lofted a do-or-die shot toward the end zone. The pass was spot-on, and Moore cradled it for a game-tying 35-yard touchdown with 3:26 to play. Given what was at stake, it was one of Wilson’s biggest and most memorable throws in recent years.

But he wasn’t done just yet. After Carolina missed a long field goal on the ensuing possession, Seattle got the ball back for a chance to win in regulation. And once again, Wilson struck with the deep ball. On a third-and-5 near midfield with just over a minute remaining, Wilson side-stepped pressure in the pocket and extended the play, allowing Lockett to race past the defense on a double move down the right sideline. Wilson then reared back and flung a 43-yard pass to his speedy receiver, who hauled it in at the 10-yard line to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Highlighted by his deep-ball prowess, Wilson led the Seahawks to scores on each of their final five possessions, including three touchdown drives of 75 yards or more. He finished with a gaudy second-half stat line of 15-of-18 passing for 218 yards.

3. Seattle 39, Pittsburgh 30 — 2015 (Week 12)

PASSING: 21 of 30, 345 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 4 carries, 14 yards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfsQPmkGDfI

This was another instance where the Seahawks were sitting on the edge of the playoff picture at 5-5 and desperately needing a win. And to have any chance of overcoming a 538-yard onslaught from Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offense, Seattle needed a big-time performance from its star quarterback.

Wilson, despite battling flu-like symptoms and reportedly taking three IVs, rose to the occasion and delivered one of his finest outings. He threw five touchdown passes for the first time in his career. He finished with 14.8 adjusted yards per pass attempt, the highest mark of his career for any game in which he threw at least 25 passes. And he was at his best late, tossing three touchdowns during an action-packed fourth quarter to spearhead a wild victory at CenturyLink Field.

Wilson began his touchdown spree with a 16-yard strike to Baldwin on a third-and-goal in the second quarter. On Seattle’s next possession, Wilson completed 7 of 8 passes for 94 yards to lead a touchdown drive that included three consecutive third-down conversions of at least 10 yards or more. The latter was a 22-yard completion to Jermaine Kearse on third-and-16, which Wilson immediately followed with a 21-yard bullet to Kevin Smith and a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kearse.

Wilson fired another touchdown pass to Kearse early in the fourth quarter, giving the Seahawks a 26-21 lead with 12:17 remaining. Pittsburgh quickly regained a one-point lead, but Wilson answered right back with a six-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. It included a clever bit of wizardry where Wilson unleashed a spin move in the backfield to avoid pressure, then rolled to his right and threw a running dart to Lockett for a 16-yard gain. A few plays later, Wilson tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Baldwin, who faked an out route before cutting vertically up the right sideline. Wilson released the ball just as Baldwin was gaining separation, lofting it to him between two defenders for a 32-27 lead with 8:12 to play.

Then after Pittsburgh trimmed the margin to two points, Wilson and Baldwin sealed the game in epic fashion. Facing third-and-10 from his own 20-yard line with 2:14 remaining, Wilson hit his go-to receiver on a crossing route at the first-down line. Baldwin then did the rest, eluding a defender and stiff-arming another before racing down the right sideline for an iconic 80-yard catch-and-run score that gave him his third touchdown of the day.

This was the second game of Wilson’s record-setting 2015 stretch, when he became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions in five consecutive contests.

2. Seattle 41, Houston 38 — 2017 (Week 8)

PASSING: 26 of 41, 452 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT

RUSHING: 4 carries, 30 yards

The Seahawks needed every bit of Wilson’s brilliance to outlast Deshaun Watson and the Texans in this high-octane shootout. The two dynamic quarterbacks traded big plays all afternoon at CenturyLink Field, both throwing for 400-plus yards and four touchdowns. The epic clash featured four ties and five lead changes, including four lead changes alone in a dizzying fourth quarter.

But as much as the rookie Watson tried to outshine his more experienced counterpart, it was Wilson who delivered the final blow. Facing a 38-34 deficit with 1:39 remaining and no timeouts, Wilson needed just three plays to lead Seattle 80 yards downfield for the game-winning touchdown.

It began with Wilson launching a 48-yard jump ball to Paul Richardson, who made a leaping grab to kickstart the drive with a massive gain. Then after a false start, Wilson hit Lockett for a 19-yard completion. Instead of then spiking the ball, Wilson hurried to the line and took advantage of a disorganized Houston defense. With the clock ticking under 25 seconds, Wilson received the shotgun snap and found Graham wide-open up the seam, zipping an 18-yard touchdown pass to his tight end for the game-winning score.

Wilson finished with a franchise-record 452 yards passing and became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 450 yards and rush for at least 30 yards in a game. His record-setting performance included long completions of 66, 54, 53 and 48 yards. He led five scoring drives of 75 yards or more, including four that ended in touchdowns.

And in a statistical anomaly, he accounted for 482 of his team’s 479 total yards. Yes, you read that correctly. Because Seattle’s running backs totaled just 3 yards rushing and Wilson was sacked twice for minus-6 yards, Wilson technically accounted for more than 100% of his team’s total offense. (In the NFL, lost yardage from sacks is deducted from the team’s passing yardage but doesn’t count against a quarterback’s total yardage.)

Wilson’s first touchdown pass was a highlight-reel play where he spun away from pressure, rolled left and then pivoted back toward the middle of the field to fire a 20-yard strike to Richardson. Later in the first half, Wilson uncorked a 53-yard completion to Tanner McEvoy and then connected with Richardson for another touchdown pass on the following play.

Midway through the third quarter, Wilson found fullback Tre Madden wide-open for a 66-yard catch-and-run. During the fourth-quarter fireworks, Wilson launched a 54-yard completion to Lockett, leading to a go-ahead touchdown pass to Graham that gave the Seahawks a 34-31 lead with 5:37 remaining.

The only reason this game isn’t atop the list? With Seattle trailing 38-34 and less than three minutes to play, Wilson threw a red-zone interception that killed a chance at a potential go-ahead touchdown. But the Seahawks’ defense made a pivotal stop to give Wilson another opportunity, and he made the most of it by leading a game-winning drive to cap one of the greatest performances of his career.

1. Seattle 40, Tampa Bay 34 (OT) — 2019 (Week 9)

PASSING: 29 of 43, 378 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT

RUSHING: 1 carry, 21 yards

Several of Wilson’s outstanding performances above also have strong claims for the top spot on this list. But his sensational play in this back-and-forth thriller — especially in the fourth quarter and overtime — makes it the best game of his career.

This marked just the 22nd time in NFL history that a quarterback has thrown for more than 375 yards, at least five touchdown passes and no interceptions in a game. Wilson completed 23 passes that resulted in first downs, including 18 completions of 10-plus yards. And he accounted for 187 total yards on the Seahawks’ final three possessions, highlighted by a long go-ahead touchdown pass to Metcalf in the fourth quarter and a game-winning drive in overtime.

Wilson set the tone on Seattle’s first possession of the game by completing all five passes for a total of 73 yards, including a perfectly placed 19-yard touchdown to Lockett in the corner of the end zone. Then after the Seahawks fell behind 21-7 in the second quarter, Wilson helped rally them back. He tossed a short touchdown pass to tight end Jacob Hollister late in the first half. He threw another touchdown pass to Lockett in the third quarter, followed by a game-tying 2-point conversion pass to Metcalf. Later in the third, Wilson dug Seattle out of a second-and-long hole with a 30-yard completion to Lockett, followed by a crafty flick to Willson for a 16-yard gain that led to a game-tying field goal. And then, as is so often the case, Wilson put the team on his back with fourth-quarter heroics.

Almost immediately after Tampa Bay tied the game at 27-27 with just over five minutes left in regulation, Wilson completed a 19-yard pass to Lockett and then lofted a perfect play-action pass to Metcalf on a deep crossing route. The ball hit the standout rookie receiver in stride, allowing him to race down the right sideline for a go-ahead 53-yard touchdown that gave Seattle a 34-27 lead.

The Buccaneers responded, driving downfield for a game-tying touchdown with 46 seconds to play. But again, Wilson answered right back. With two completions to Metcalf sandwiched around a 21-yard scramble, Wilson needed just five plays to march the Seahawks 53 yards for a shot at a game-winning field goal. In a career filled with game-winning drives, it appeared Wilson had just engineered another one. However, kicker Jason Myers’ last-second 40-yard attempt sailed wide right, and the game went to overtime.

Yet once again, Wilson was undeterred. Seattle won the overtime coin toss and gave the ball right back to its star quarterback, who promptly led his team downfield by completing 5 of 8 passes for 70 yards. Wilson kept the drive alive with a key third-down conversion to Metcalf, connecting with the rookie sensation on a pinpoint 29-yard back-shoulder pass to set up first-and-goal. Wilson then found Hollister on a crossing route two plays later, firing a 10-yard touchdown to the backup tight end for the game-winning score.

Wilson’s five-touchdown onslaught made him the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw at least 22 touchdown passes and just one interception through the first nine games of a season. It solidified him as the midseason MVP front-runner, and it epitomized the degree to which he carried the Seahawks last year while making up for flaws and inconsistencies elsewhere on the team.

Seattle’s defense struggled all afternoon, surrendering 34 points and more than 400 total yards. Myers missed an extra point and two field goals, including the potential game-winner as regulation expired. Carson fumbled away a valuable fourth-quarter possession. Combined, those factors spell almost certain defeat. And yet, with the greatest performance of his career to date, Wilson defied the long odds and still found a way to lift his team to victory.

Ranking college basketball’s past 20 national championship games

The NCAA Division I men’s college basketball national championship game was supposed to take place Monday night.

It would’ve been the grand finale to the annual three-week ride of bracket-busting upsets and thrilling finishes that captivates sports fans each spring.

But this March, there was no Madness. No team will be cutting down the nets in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Like so many other aspects of life, the coronavirus pandemic has shut down the sports world.

Yet while a champion won’t be crowned this season, it provides an opportunity to remember some of the great title games of years past. Here’s a look back at each of the past 20 national championship games, ranked from best to worst:

1. 2016 — Villanova 77, North Carolina 74

This all-time classic featured one of the more incredible late-game sequences not just in college basketball, but in all of sports.

After rallying from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes, North Carolina tied the game on an off-balance, double-clutch 3-pointer from Marcus Paige with 4.7 seconds to play. Had the Tar Heels gone on to win, that shot would have earned a spot in college basketball lore. Instead, it was overshadowed by what happened next.

Following a timeout, Villanova point guard Ryan Arcidiacono dribbled upcourt in the closing seconds and flipped the ball back to teammate Kris Jenkins. Jenkins let it fly from beyond the arc and drained one of the all-time buzzer-beaters in college basketball history, sending the Wildcats into euphoria as streamers and confetti showered them from above.

Jenkins’ iconic shot and the dramatic finish were reasons enough to put this game atop the list, but this back-and-forth contest was full of intrigue throughout.

There were nine ties and nine lead changes, including eight lead changes in the first half alone. There was an unlikely star in Villanova’s Phil Booth, who came off the bench to hit a halftime buzzer-beater and score a season-high 20 points. There even was the highly compelling storyline of two stepbrothers — Jenkins and North Carolina’s Nate Britt — squaring off on opposite sides for a national title.

And for both teams, this game served as part of a larger story. For the Tar Heels, this heartbreaking loss fueled them throughout their national championship run the following season. And for the Wildcats, this was the first of two national titles in a three-year span that elevated Jay Wright’s program to rare heights in college basketball’s modern era.

2. 2008 — Kansas 75, Memphis 68 (OT)

This heavyweight clash of No. 1 seeds pitted two teams that entered with just four losses combined. And it certainly lived up to the hype, resulting in the first overtime national championship game since 1997.

Future NBA star Derrick Rose took over the game for Memphis in the second half, scoring 14 of his team’s 16 points during an eight-minute stretch. He capped the run by banking in an off-balanced 18-footer as the shot clock expired, extending the Tigers’ lead to seven points with 4:15 to play.

Memphis led 60-51 with two minutes remaining, but left the door open with poor free-throw shooting down the stretch. Kansas came roaring back from the nine-point deficit, and Mario Chalmers forced overtime by swishing a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation.

The Jayhawks then scored the first six points of the extra period and pulled away for the third national championship in their program’s storied history. Meanwhile, the Tigers were left wondering ‘what if?’ after missing four of their final five free throws in regulation.

This was the first of two national championship meetings between Kansas coach Bill Self and Memphis coach John Calipari. They squared off again in the 2012 title game, after Calipari took over at Kentucky.

3. 2019 — Virginia 85, Texas Tech 77 (OT)

One year after infamously becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed in NCAA Tournament history, Virginia completed the ultimate redemption story by outlasting Texas Tech in an overtime classic.

What began as a low-scoring grind between two elite defensive teams turned into yet another wild finish for the Cavaliers, who were coming off improbable last-second victories over Purdue and Auburn in the previous two rounds.

Texas Tech erased a 10-point second-half deficit and pulled in front on a spinning layup by Jarrett Culver with 35.1 seconds remaining in regulation. The Red Raiders then added a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game. But once again, Virginia pulled off some late heroics.

Ty Jerome found De’Andre Hunter open in the corner for a game-tying 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds to play, and the Cavaliers’ defense came up with a stop on the other end to force overtime. Virginia fell behind again in the extra period, but the NBA-bound Hunter hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining, and the Cavaliers pulled away for their first-ever national championship.

The late-game drama, combined with Virginia’s storybook journey from one-and-done to national champion, makes this one of the best title games in recent memory.

4. 2010 — Duke 61, Butler 59

On the surface, this matchup had a definite David vs. Goliath feel. Duke, a blue-blooded powerhouse, was making its 10th national championship game appearance. Butler, a small school from the obscure Horizon League, had never advanced past the Sweet 16 prior to this underdog title-game run.

These Bulldogs, however, were not your typical Cinderella team. With future NBA star Gordon Hayward leading the way, and future Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens roaming the sideline, fifth-seeded Butler went toe-to-toe with the mighty Blue Devils and came within inches of winning it all.

This back-and-forth affair — played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, less than six miles from Butler’s campus — was exceptionally tight from start to finish. There were seven ties and 15 lead changes, and the teams were separated by less than five points nearly the entire way. A game this good deserved a dramatic finish, and that’s exactly what transpired.

With Butler trailing 60-59 and less than 10 seconds to play, Hayward drove to the right baseline and attempted a fadeaway jumper that clanked off the rim. Duke’s Brian Zoubek grabbed the rebound and was fouled, sending him to the free-throw line with 3.6 seconds remaining. Zoubek sank the first free throw to make it a two-point game, then purposely missed the second.

Hayward snatched the rebound, took several dribbles to midcourt and launched his memorable last-second heave. It came oh-so-close to falling for a championship-winning buzzer-beater, but instead bounced off the backboard and the rim before dropping to the floor. Duke prevailed for its fourth national championship, while the upstart Bulldogs fell just short of a Hollywood ending.

5. 2003 — Syracuse 81, Kansas 78

LeBron James’ chase-down swat in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals was one of the biggest blocks in NBA history. The college basketball equivalent might be the last-second block by Syracuse’s Hakim Warrick in this epic title game.

With the Jayhawks trailing by three points in the closing seconds, Kansas point guard Kirk Hinrich found teammate Michael Lee wide-open in the left corner for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But the 6-foot-9 Warrick sprinted from the middle of the key, soared toward Lee and used his long wingspan to send the shot out of bounds with 1.5 seconds remaining. Hinrich’s ensuing off-balance heave at the buzzer missed the rim entirely, and Syracuse prevailed for its first-ever national championship.

Warrick’s legendary block helped seal the victory, but it was the Orangemen’s red-hot shooting that propelled them to an 18-point first-half lead. Syracuse scored 47 points in the game’s first 15 minutes and sank 10 3-pointers in the first half, including six from Gerry McNamara.

The Jayhawks rallied at the start of the second half and again in the game’s final five minutes, cutting a late 12-point deficit down to two. But the Orangemen held on and future NBA star Carmelo Anthony capped his one-year college career in style, leading Syracuse with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a massive title-game performance.

6. 2005 — North Carolina 75, Illinois 70

This showdown of No. 1 seeds seemed headed toward a runaway win for North Carolina. The Tar Heels were in complete control, leading by 15 points early in the second half.

But just like Illinois’ epic Elite Eight comeback against Arizona, the Fighting Illini stormed back. Illinois rattled off a 10-0 run to tie the game with under six minutes to play, then evened the score again on a 3-pointer by Luther Head with 2:39 remaining.

North Carolina reclaimed the lead on a tip-in by Marvin Williams, which gave the Tar Heels a 72-70 edge with 1:30 to go. Later on, clinging to a three-point lead with less than 20 seconds remaining, North Carolina left Head open for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But the ball clanked off the rim, and the Tar Heels sank a pair of free throws to seal their fourth national championship.

North Carolina center Sean May was the star of the game, finishing 10-of-11 from the field while dominating in the paint with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The victory gave coach Roy Williams his first national title, just two years after he left Kansas following the Jayhawks’ loss to Syracuse in the 2003 championship game.

7. 2013 — Louisville 82, Michigan 76

This might be one of the more underrated national title games. Though it didn’t feature a dramatic finish like the ones listed above, this fast-paced, high-scoring affair was wildly entertaining.

The first half was highlighted by a pair of unlikely stars. Michigan freshman reserve Spike Albrecht, who entered the night averaging less than two points per game, seemingly emerged out of nowhere. Albrecht caught fire with four 3-pointers and 17 first-half points, helping the fourth-seeded Wolverines to a 33-21 lead.

But just as Albrecht was on his way to cult hero status, Louisville forward Luke Hancock stole the show. Hancock came off the bench to score a team-high 22 points, including a barrage of four 3-pointers late in the first half. He single-handedly outscored Michigan with a personal 12-1 run during that stretch, bringing the top-seeded Cardinals within a point by halftime.

After the break, Louisville pulled in front and maintained a narrow lead as the teams traded blows during an action-packed second half. Michigan was within three points with just over five minutes to play, but the Cardinals gained separation in the closing minutes for their third national championship.

However, the title was later stripped from Louisville because of violations discovered during an escort scandal investigation. 

8. 2015 — Duke 68, Wisconsin 63

Two nights prior, Wisconsin had ended Kentucky’s bid for a perfect season, knocking off the previously unbeaten Wildcats in the national semifinals. That prevented the blue-blooded Duke-Kentucky championship showdown many expected, but this battle of No. 1 seeds turned out to be quite a matchup in its own right.

Led by 7-foot senior Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers went toe-to-toe with Duke’s freshman trio of first-round NBA draft picks. After a back-and-forth first half that ended in a tie, Wisconsin built a nine-point lead with 13 minutes to play.

But the Blue Devils rallied to tie the game, and then surged ahead in the closing minutes with their one-and-done stars. Point guard Tyus Jones sank a pair of 3-pointers and 6-foot-11 center Jahlil Okafor added a pair of baskets inside, combining for a go-ahead 10-0 run as Duke pulled away for its fifth national championship. 

This also was the night Grayson Allen introduced himself to the nation. The Duke freshman provided a major spark, coming off the bench to score 16 points.

The victory gave Mike Krzyzewski his fifth national title, which put the Blue Devils’ legendary coach alone at second place on the all-time list, behind only the great John Wooden.

For the Badgers, it was another near-miss at the ultimate prize. The previous year, Wisconsin lost a one-point heartbreaker to Kentucky in the national semifinals.

9. 2001 — Duke 82, Arizona 72

This star-studded title game was brimming with future pros. Duke had Carlos Boozer, Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy and Chris Duhon. Arizona had Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson and Luke Walton. All seven of those players went on to have long careers in the NBA.

The overall collection of talent on the Metrodome court in Minneapolis this night was rare, and the game itself was pretty good too.

Dunleavy hit three 3-pointers early in the second half, helping the Blue Devils stretch a two-point halftime lead to double digits. Then after Arizona sliced the margin back to two points, Duke again pushed it to double digits. But the Wildcats wouldn’t go away. With less than three minutes to play, Arizona closed the deficit to 75-72.

Then came a pair of back-breaking plays from the Blue Devils. Jay Williams — the current ESPN basketball analyst — assisted Battier for a thunderous one-handed jam. Williams then added a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, helping Duke pull away for its third national championship.

None of it, however, would have been possible without the Blue Devils’ epic comeback against Maryland in the national semifinal two nights prior. Duke rallied from a 22-point first-half deficit in that contest, scoring an astounding 57 second-half points to race past the Terrapins and into the title game.

10. 2017 — North Carolina 71, Gonzaga 65

One year after falling to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the national championship game, North Carolina completed its redemption quest by outlasting Gonzaga in a battle of No. 1 seeds.

This certainly wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing game, as frequent whistles disrupted the flow and at times turned it into a free-throw shooting contest. The referees called 44 fouls, leading to 52 combined free throws and both teams reaching the bonus just seven minutes into the second half.

But because this down-to-the-wire contest was so tight throughout, it remains on the upper half of this list. There were 11 ties and 12 lead changes, and neither team led by more than seven points.

Nigel Williams-Goss scored eight straight points for the Zags down the stretch, including a banked-in jumper that broke a tie with 1:52 to play. But the Tar Heels answered right back, regaining the lead with a three-point play by Justin Jackson on the ensuing possession.

Then after North Carolina added another basket to make it a three-point game with 25 seconds remaining, Kennedy Meeks blocked a Williams-Goss shot and Jackson slammed home a fast-break jam to seal the Tar Heels’ sixth national championship.

11. 2007 — Florida 84, Ohio State 75

After rolling past UCLA in the previous year’s title game, Florida defended its crown and beat Ohio State to become college basketball’s first repeat national champion since Duke accomplished the feat in 1992.

To this date, the Gators and Blue Devils remain the only programs to earn back-to-back national titles since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty won seven straight from 1967 to 1973. This Florida squad also earned its own spot in college basketball history as the only team to repeat as national champions with an identical starting lineup.

This clash of top seeds was filled with future NBA talent, including the likes of Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Marreese Speights, Mike Conley and soon-to-be No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden. Horford led the Gators with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while the 7-foot Oden totaled 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Buckeyes.

Florida was in control most of the way after building an 11-point lead late in the first half. Ohio State twice cut the deficit to six points in the second half, but couldn’t pull any closer.

In an extreme rarity, these two schools also squared off in college football’s national championship game less than three months prior. And just like the gridiron showdown, the Gators had their way on the hardwood.

12. 2012 — Kentucky 67, Kansas 59

Kentucky’s star-laden team of future NBA talent was simply too much for the Jayhawks. The top-seeded Wildcats had six players who were selected in the ensuing NBA draft, including the top two picks in Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Davis struggled from the field, finishing with just six points. But the 6-foot-10 freshman still made a massive impact, totaling 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals. Doron Lamb, a second-round draft pick, led Kentucky with 22 points.

Kansas pulled off three double-digit comeback wins during its run to the title game, but an 18-point first-half deficit against mighty Kentucky proved insurmountable. The Jayhawks trimmed the margin to five points in the final two minutes, but the Wildcats sank free throws down the stretch to capture their first national title since 1998 and their eighth in program history.

This was the second national championship game meeting in five seasons between Kentucky coach John Calipari and Kansas coach Bill Self. Back when he was Memphis’ coach, Calipari suffered an overtime loss to Self’s Jayhawks in the 2008 title game.

13. 2014 — Connecticut 60, Kentucky 54

The seventh-seeded Huskies and eighth-seeded Wildcats both made surprising runs to the title game, resulting in the lowest-seeded national championship matchup in tournament history.

UConn jumped in front early and led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Kentucky’s team of talented freshmen fought back, cutting the deficit to one point shortly after halftime, and to one point again with just over eight minutes to play.

But Shabazz Napier and the Huskies held off the Wildcats down the stretch to prevail in the low-scoring affair. It was UConn’s second national title in four seasons and its fourth since 1999.

Napier capped his dazzling tournament run in style, scoring a game-high 22 points to lead the Huskies. The senior guard was among those who stuck with the UConn program, despite the Huskies being handed a postseason ban the previous year because of a failure to meet academic requirements. 

14. 2002 — Maryland 64, Indiana 52

There was no heartbreaking collapse this time. One year after Maryland blew a 22-point first-half lead in a national semifinal loss to Duke, the Terrapins completed their redemption journey by capturing their first-ever national title.

Similar to the nightmare Duke loss, the senior-laden Terps watched a 12-point first-half advantage whittle away in this one. The underdog Hoosiers closed the gap and eventually took their first lead with just under 10 minutes to go. But it didn’t last long.

Maryland star Juan Dixon immediately answered with a go-ahead 3-pointer, kickstarting a 22-5 pull-away run for the top-seeded Terps. Dixon scored a game-high 18 points to cap an exceptional tournament in which he averaged 25.8 points per contest.

It was a sloppy game on both sides, with each team committing 16 turnovers. Indiana shot well from 3-point range but struggled mightily inside, finishing a woeful 10-of-35 (28.6%) on 2-point attempts.

This was the first national title game loss in six appearances for the Hoosiers, who made an underdog run to the championship game as a No. 5 seed, with upset wins over top-seeded Duke and second-seeded Oklahoma.

15. 2000 — Michigan State 89, Florida 76

Michigan State dispatched Florida to complete a dominant national championship run in which it won all six tournament games by double digits.

The top-seeded Spartans broke the Gators’ full-court press and shot a scorching 55.9% from the field, led by a combined 58 points from Morris Peterson, A.J. Granger and Mateen Cleaves. Michigan State’s efficient shooting offset a 27-point performance from Florida center Udonis Haslem.

The Spartans built a 43-32 halftime lead and were in control most of the way. The fifth-seeded Gators trimmed the deficit to six points early in the second half, but Michigan State stretched the margin to 18 points and cruised to its second national championship.

This was the second of eight Final Four trips for the Spartans under Tom Izzo, but it remains the only national title won by the accomplished coach.

16. 2018 — Villanova 79, Michigan 62

In a March filled with upsets and parity, Villanova simply was a class above the rest.

Led by five eventual NBA draft picks, the top-seeded Wildcats steamrolled to their second national title in three seasons. Villanova won all six tournament games by double figures and outscored those opponents by an average of 21 points.

Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Omari Spellman garnered many of the headlines for the Wildcats throughout the season. But in the title game, it was another soon-to-be draft pick who stole the show.

Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench to score a career-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers. The sophomore sixth man netted 12 points during a go-ahead first-half run, then later scored 11 straight points for Villanova to help put the game out of reach in the second half. The Wildcats led by as many as 22 points late in their championship romp.

Michigan shot a woeful 3-of-23 from 3-point range and finished as the national runner-up for the second time in six seasons. The Wolverines fell to 1-6 in national championship games, with their lone title coming in 1989.

17. 2006 — Florida 73, UCLA 57

This was the first of back-to-back national titles for a group of Gators that included future NBA players Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer.

Florida pulled in front early and cruised the rest of the way, stretching its lead to 20 points in the second half en route to its first national championship. Noah led the Gators with a dominant all-around performance, totaling 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a title-game-record six blocks.

UCLA shot a miserable 3-of-17 from 3-point range in the loss. It was the first of three disappointing Final Four trips for the Bruins, who fell short all three times of adding another title to their program’s decorated history.

18. 2011 — Connecticut 53, Butler 41

One year after falling to Duke in an all-time classic, Butler made another surprising run to the national championship game. This one, however, wasn’t nearly as memorable.

The Bulldogs shot a historically low 18.8% from the field, the worst-ever in a national title game. Butler was even worse inside the arc, finishing an abysmal 3-of-31 on 2-point attempts. UConn shot an unspectacular 34.5% from the field, yet still won by double digits on this brutal night of shooting inside Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

The only thing keeping this game from the bottom of the list was the fact it was relatively close most of the way. Butler actually led 25-19 early in the second half, but went ice-cold while UConn pulled away with a 22-3 run.

Though this wasn’t the most flattering game, it capped an epic postseason ride for Kemba Walker and the third-seeded Huskies.

UConn was a complete afterthought just one month prior, having finished 9-9 in the Big East. But Walker led the Huskies on an incredible run, beginning with five wins in five days to claim the Big East Tournament title. UConn then added six more victories in the NCAA Tournament, completing an improbable journey to its third national championship. Walker led the way, averaging 23.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.

19. 2004 — Connecticut 82, Georgia Tech 73

This game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicates. UConn built a 41-26 halftime lead and pushed the margin to 25 points in the second half while rolling to its second national title in six seasons.

The Huskies were led by center Emeka Okafor and guard Ben Gordon — two of the top three picks in the ensuing NBA draft. Okafor dominated in the paint with 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Gordon added 21 points. In a statistical rarity, UConn’s starters combined for 81 of the team’s 82 points.

The Huskies’ victory avenged a 16-point loss to Georgia Tech in the Preseason NIT four months prior, when Okafor was hampered by an ailing back.

20. 2009 — North Carolina 89, Michigan State 72

Led by a trio of first-round NBA draft picks, North Carolina capped one of the most dominant NCAA Tournament runs of all time with a complete dismantling of Michigan State.

The Tar Heels raced to a 34-11 first-half lead and led by 21 points at halftime, the biggest such margin in national championship game history. It was all but over at that point, as North Carolina cruised the rest of the way to its fifth national title. The top-seeded Tar Heels outscored their opponents by an average of 20.2 points in their six tournament games.

Like they had all season, the NBA-bound trio of Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough combined for 58 points to lead North Carolina. Lawson also set a title-game record with eight steals, helping the Tar Heels force Michigan State into 21 turnovers.