SEATTLE — Doug Baldwin was twice a thief on Saturday.
First, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver stole a completion that kept the game-clinching drive alive, and then he ended the drive by stealing a touchdown pass intended for his friend and teammate, Jermaine Kearse.
All of that was part of a performance in which Baldwin had 11 catches for 104 yards, a team record for receptions in a playoff game, as he helped the Seahawks defeat Detroit 26-6 in an NFC Wild Card playoff game at CenturyLink Field.
In the fourth quarter, with Seattle leading 19-6 and trying to put the game away, Baldwin made a circus catch on third-and-nine.
The pass from quarterback Russell Wilson was behind Baldwin, but he got his hands on it, sort of guided it between his legs and then pinned it to his right buttock with his right hand as he was falling down.
He ended up on the ground, essentially lying with the ball under his rear end but on top of his hands.
The pass was initially ruled incomplete, but Baldwin was awarded the catch after an instant replay review.
That gave Seattle a first down at the Detroit 14.
Two plays later, Baldwin and Kearse were running straight down the left side of the formation, with Kearse a step or two ahead of Baldwin.
It appeared that Wilson’s pass was intended for Kearse as it would have been an easy catch for him, but Baldwin reached out with his left hand and tipped it to himself for a touchdown reception that made the score 26-6.
Reporters made light of it after the game, but Baldwin was genuinely remorseful.
“I felt terrible,” Baldwin said. “I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, and I took away a touchdown from a brother. You don’t get a lot of opportunities or targets in this game, and I took one away from him.”
Kearse didn’t seem too upset.
“I guess … I guess not,” Kearse said with a chuckle when asked if the pass was intended for him. “I thought it was coming to me, but I don’t know. We scored, so …”
Return man
Devin Hester had fun in his Seahawks debut, though he never got the chance to have a long kick return.
Was he hoping to break one? “Yeah, I was,” Hester said with a grin. “I wanted so much to be the guy (with the big play), but we really didn’t get that many opportunities. But we’ve got one (playoff game) down and three to go, and hopefully I’ll get one.”
Hester, one of the top kick returners in NFL history, was signed during the week to replace injured Tyler Lockett. Hester, who played the first 12 games of the season with Baltimore before being released, had a first-half punt return for 5 yards and a kickoff return in the waning seconds of the half for 20 yards.
Still, Hester is thrilled to be a Seahawk.
“There’s something about this team,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around a team like this where the players are all united, where they’re all one. You know, sometimes (on other teams) you have guys that separate themselves, but you don’t see that here. This is my first time experiencing a team like this and it’s great. It’s a winning attitude.”
In an 11-year NFL career, Hester played the first eight seasons with Chicago and then had shorter stints with Atlanta and Baltimore. He is a four-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time first-team All-Pro pick. His 20 career returns for touchdowns and his 14 career punt returns for touchdowns are NFL records.
Kicking woes
Seattle’s kicking problems continued with another missed extra point by Steven Hauschka. After a fourth-quarter Seahawks touchdown, Hauschka’s PAT try bounced off the right upright. It was his seventh miss of the season.
The Seahawks were also debuting a new long snapper, Tyler Ott. All his snaps were on target, though a few — particularly his initial snap to punter Jon Ryan in the first quarter — lacked zip.
Familiar face
The 12th Man flag was raised before the game by former Seahawk offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson. A first-round draft pick in 2001 out of Michigan, Hutchison played five seasons in Seattle, including the 2005 Super Bowl season.
Hutchinson left after that season for a free-agent contract in Minnesota, where he played six seasons before finishing his career in 2012 with Tennessee. He was named to seven Pro Bowls and was a five-time first-team All-Pro.
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