SEATTLE — On a night when everything seemed to be going the Seattle Seahawks’ way, even their miscues sometimes paid off.
Midway through the third quarter, Seattle was facing a second-and-goal at the New Orleans 8-yard line. Leading 27-7 lead at the time, the Seahawks would have been content to settle for a field goal.
Instead they got a touchdown, courtesy of a fortunate bounce.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson rolled to his right and fired a pass to tight end Kellen Davis near the right sideline. The pass was a little high and struck Davis in the shoulder pads before bouncing away.
It bounced right to fullback Derrick Coleman who was trailing the play. Coleman made the catch just in-bounds and dove to the end zone for a touchdown.
The play was so unusual, the officials had to discuss it at length, then go to a video review, and then go to a second video review. The primary issue had to do with Coleman stepping out of bounds before he caught the caromed pass.
The officials finally determined that Coleman had re-established his position in-bounds before catching the ball, meaning the touchdown stood.
It was, admitted Seattle coach Pete Carroll, “a screwball play. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that, obviously.”
Miller makes his mark
Seattle’s Zach Miller might have been considered the “other” tight end in Monday’s game, but he held his own — statistically speaking — against New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham, one of the league’s elite tight ends.
Miller finished the night with five receptions for 86 yards (both team highs) with one touchdown. Graham had three catches for 42 yards and caught the pass for the Saints’ only touchdown.
Graham came into this weekend’s games with numbers befitting a wide receiver, including 946 yards that had him ranked 10th in the NFL. Against the Seahawks, Graham had a 2-yard TD reception, giving him 12 for the season and tying him for first in receiving touchdowns with Detroit’s Calvin Johnson.
“We made him look normal,” Seattle safety Earl Thomas said of Graham.
Injury report
Davis left the game in the second half and was taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
“He’s got a neck sprain or something, but we’re not quite sure what that is yet,” Carroll said. “He’s the only guy that didn’t finish the game, so we came out of it very healthy.”
Carroll also admitted that he “held out hope” injured wide receiver Percy Harvin might play, though he was listed as doubtful on Saturday.
“I’m kind of one of those hopeless optimists,” Carroll said. “But he just couldn’t quite get there. He felt a lot better today, but he’s just got some stiffness that hasn’t quite gone away and we don’t want to take a chance at this time.
“So here’s another week and we’ll go day-to-day. As soon as he’s ready to rock and roll, we’re going to go. It’ll be fun to add him to it.”
Time to boogie
During a fourth-quarter timeout, Seattle’s defensive players — on the field at the time — entertained the crowd with some impromptu dancing. Cornerback Richard Sherman was particularly animated, hopping around and waving his arms to incite the crowd.
“Our defense plays best when we’re having a good time, when we’re out there having fun, when we’re loose, when we’re jumping around, when we’re dancing,” he explained.
Record-setting crowd
Seahawks fans can once again call themselves the loudest in the world. Not that they likely ever felt they needed a record to do so.
After breaking the Guinness World Record for “loudest crowd roar” earlier this season in a Sunday night victory over San Francisco, Seahawks fans reclaimed the record that fans at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium broke a month after it was set in Seattle.
The official reading of 137.6 decibels was recorded in the second quarter on the Saints’ only touchdown drive. That was 0.1 decibels louder than the mark recorded at Arrowhead earlier this season.
Seahawks fans recorded a roar of 136.6 decibels to establish a record in September.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
