Cool moment that was much bigger than football: Receiver Doug Baldwin, who is part Filipino and has a lot of family still living in the Philippines, ran onto the field before the game carrying a Philippine flag. It’s been an emotional week for Baldwin, who has watched from afar while the country was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Red Cross volunteers collected donations at Sunday’s game, which the Paul Allen Foundation will match, and
“It was huge,” Baldwin said. “I didn’t tell anybody I was going to do it besides my mom. It’s been an emotional time for my family, especially my grandmother. I got to talk to her last night, and she was emotional about it. Thank goodness all my family is fine, but being able to do that, and the NFL allowing me to do that, it was something special.”
Play of the game: Percy Harvin’s 58-yard kickoff return. Had any Seahawk popped a big return late in the half, as Harvin did to set up a touchdown, it would have been a big moment. That it was Harvin, on his second touch as a Seahawk, no less, helped ignite the crowd, spark a blowout, and provide a little taste of what’s to come for the Seahawks now that Harvin is back.
Player of the game: Quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson posted a career-best 151.4 passer rating, making plays from the pocket and also when things broke down (how ‘bout that little flip pass to Marshawn Lynch?)
As I mentioned in a story on Wilson for tomorrow’s paper, his raw numbers may not ever match up with some quarterbacks because the Seahawks just don’t throw that often, but Wilson is absolutely one of the most valuable players in the NFL. Wilson averaged 12.8 yards per pass attempt, a crazy number in the NFL, which was a good sign of how explosive Seattle’s offense was Sunday.
Making the most of a second chance: Late in the third quarter, linebacker Bobby Wagner dropped what looked not only like a sure interception, but likely a ball he could have returned for a touchdown. On Minnesota’s very next possession, however, Wagner didn’t miss his chance, catching a pass intended for Adrian Peterson (at least I think it was, it was a pretty awful throw).
Quotable: “You mean that they kicked a field goal to win it right there at the end? No.”—Pete Carroll when asked if he saw the end of the New Orleans-San Francisco game, which the Saints won on a last-second field goal to drop the 49ers to 6-4.
Key number: 3—interceptions on as many Minnesota possessions, allowing the Seahawks to turn a somewhat close game (24-13) into a blowout with 17 quick points.
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