SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks during the Pete Carroll era have shown a tendency to play their best in prime time.
That wasn’t the case Monday as Blair Walsh’s 52-yard field goal attempt fell short with two seconds to play, and the Atlanta Falcons held off Seattle’s fourth-quarter comeback bid with a 34-31 win before 69,026 fans and a national television audience at CenturyLink Field.
“There’s no quit and I think you saw that today,” tight end Luke Willson said. “Being down 14-0 and having a chance to tie it up there late, it’s something we pride ourselves on, and I thought it was pretty vintage us in the fourth quarter there.”
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan’s numbers weren’t spectacular as he finished 19-for-27 for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
But the Falcons (6-4) were able to prolong scoring drives by taking advantage of Seattle’s injury-riddled secondary and converting nine of 14 third downs.
“It was critical,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “It allowed them to stay on the field, it allowed them to make plays when they needed to. We have to do a better job of getting off the field and getting the offense the ball back. They just did a good job. We hurt ourselves a couple times with penalties on third downs, but you gotta give (Atlanta) credit.”
Meanwhile, the Seahawks (6-4) inexplicably tried and failed on a fake field goal that potentially cost them three points at the end of the first half.
The play was a shovel pass from holder Jon Ryan to Willson, but it was immediately snuffed out by the Falcons.
“It was kind of a look we were waiting for and something they’ve done all year,” Willson said. “I don’t know why, but for this game they changed it up, which was a first-time thing for them so obviously it didn’t work. So yeah, it just kind of is what it is.”
That decision loomed large at the end as Seattle cut an 11-point third quarter deficit to three, and drove down to the Atlanta 35-yard line to set up Walsh’s field goal attempt.
Walsh’s kick was straight on, but fell about a yard short.
“I thudded it off my foot, but obviously I needed to drive it a little more to get it there,” Walsh said. “Hindsight, that’s what I would do is drive it more and not leave it short.”
Seattle trailed 24-17 at the break, and 34-23 after trading two Walsh field goals for a 25-yard touchdown reception by Levine Toilolo and a 19-yard field goal by Matt Bryant at 3:49 in the fourth.
But the Hawks weren’t done.
Russell Wilson went to work as the Hawks marched 75 yards in five plays, capped off by a 29-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin with 3:00 to play. The two-point conversion to Jimmy Graham was successful and pulled Seattle within a field goal at 34-31.
Wilson finished 26-for-42 passing for 258 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown, and got the Hawks within field goal range before Walsh’s miss sealed the team’s fate.
Free safety Earl Thomas returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury he suffered in the win over Houston. But he was without fellow Legion of Boom members Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor.
“No matter who is out there we always have a chance to win,” Thomas said. “Guys stepped up, but they also made some big plays on us too. We gotta keep our hands clean because the refs aren’t going to let us play physical. They know (how) Seattle is. We’re going to beat the receivers up. We’re not really going to give them chances to release like they want and they’re going to be watching us so we gotta be better.”
The Seahawks twice found themselves staring at 14-point deficits during the first half.
Wilson’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Graham cut Atlanta’s lead to 14-7 at 2:55 in the first quarter.
Seattle then forced a punt, but Takkarist McKinley sacked Wilson, who fumbled. Adrian Clayborn picked up the loose ball and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown to put the Falcons back up by 14 points.
Walsh’s 30-yard field goal cut it 21-10, and his ensuing kickoff was muffed by Andre Roberts and recovered by Seattle’s Tedric Thompson at the 11-yard line.
Wilson’s 1-yard keeper brought Seattle within 21-17 at 5:21 in the second quarter before Bryant’s 44-yard field goal at 1:06 pushed Atlanta’s lead back to seven.
That was when Seattle drove down to the Atlanta 17 before failing on the fake field goal attempt and fumbling the ball back to the Falcons with four seconds to play in the half.
“It was something that was in our playbook and it was called from the sideline,” Walsh said. “It just didn’t go our way.”
Early on the Falcons looked poised for a blowout victory.
Roberts opened the game with a 48-yard kick return, and a pass interference penalty on Jeremy Lane set up Tevin Coleman’s 1-yard touchdown run at 11:59 in the first for a 7-0 lead.
Former Washington Huskies star Desmond Trufant picked off Wilson on Seattle’s second play from scrimmage. The Falcons capitalized when Ryan found Mohamed Sanu over top of Justin Coleman for a 2-yard touchdown pass at 7:52 for a 14-0 advantage.
Seattle plays at San Francisco on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
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