The Seattle Seahawks may have pulled out a 26-24 win against the Falcons on Sunday, but it wasn’t without controversy. Richard Sherman’s defense on receiver Julio Jones on the Falcons’ final fourth down of the game had many questioning why the refs didn’t throw the flag for pass interference. For the Seahawks, the thrilling ending was business as usual. In recent years, they’ve had a series of bizarre finishes to their games.
Things haven’t always worked out in Seattle’s favor — just look at its Super Bowl 49 loss to the New England Patriots. Games are never completely decided by one play, but the Seahawks have also come away with several wins that make it seem like Lady Luck is on their side.
So we decided to take a look at a few of the times the Seahawks have been the beneficiaries of some odd football.
Sept. 24, 2012: “Fail Mary”- Seahawks 14, Packers 12
Yes, Seattle Seahawks fans should remember this play like it happened yesterday. The “Fail Mary” occurred in the final moments of a hard-hitting Monday Night Football game between the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field. Green Bay was winning 12-7 with eights seconds remaining in the game, but Seattle had the ball on Green Bay’s 24-yard line.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who was a rookie at the time, lined up in the shotgun, took the snap, scrambled backward to keep the play alive, and lobbed the ball into the end zone. While the ball was still in the air, players from both teams positioned themselves to make a play. Seahawks receiver Golden Tate pushed cornerback Sam Shields out of the way and jumped in the air with safety M.D. Jennings to make a play.
Both of them went down with the ball, trying to wrestle it away from one another. However, the ruling on the field was a touchdown by Tate. The officials — who were replacement officials due to an NFL referee lockout — decided to review the play, but they still kept the call on the field.
Oct. 5, 2015: “BatGate”- Seahawks 13, Lions 10
Questionable calls struck again at CenturyLink Field, but this time it was in 2015 against the Detroit Lions. On third-and-1 on Seattle’s 11-yard line, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford took the snap and threw the ball to Calvin Johnson, who hauled in the catch and turned up the field to score the game-winning touchdown. When he got to the 1-yard line, Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor knocked the ball out of Johnson’s arms, and it went into the end zone.
However, Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright punched the ball out of bounds to ensure a touchback. When you are in the end zone, it is illegal to bat the ball in any direction. The officials did not throw out a flag on that play, and rather than the Lions getting the ball back at the 1-yard line, Seattle came away with the three-point victory.
Jan. 10, 2016: Blair Walsh Blows the Chip Shot - Seahawks 10, Vikings 9
The Seahawks looked doomed to lose their NFC Wild Card matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. They were up two, but Vikings kicker Blair Walsh was lined up to kick a gimme 27-yard field goal with 26 seconds left. Unfortunately for Walsh and the Vikings, holder Jeff Locke held the ball for Walsh so that the laces were facing in, thus violating Ace Ventura’s cardinal rule about which direction the laces should go.
Partially due to the laces-in hold, and perhaps due to a case of the yips, Walsh shanked an easy field goal wide left. The Seahawks were able to hold on for a 10-9 victory, advancing to the NFC Divisional round due to a fortuitous appearance of #collegekickers in the NFL. The Seahawks would ultimately lose the following week to the Panthers, 31-24.
Oct. 16, 2016: No Pass Interference- Seahawks 26, Falcons 24
Matt Ryan aimed to lead the Falcons on a game-winning drive in Seattle Sunday against the Seahawks, throwing a long ball down the field to Jones on fourth-and-10. Jones nearly secured the catch with one hand and heavy pressure from Sherman, but could not come down with it. The referees did not throw any flags on the play, but Sherman clearly grabbed Jones’ right arm, an act that falls under the definition of defensive pass interference.
Had defensive pass interference been reviewable, Sherman may have been flagged. Fortunately once again for the Seahawks, however, pass interference calls (or non-calls) cannot be reviewed. Fox NFL officiating guru Mike Pereira seemed to disagree with the call of the officials on the field, noting that Sherman clearly committed DPI.
No question that was PI. They're all tough, but you have to make that call. #ATLvsSEA
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) October 16, 2016
Sherman didn’t agree when asked if he thought he got away with one.
“No,” he said after the game. “I feel like we won the ballgame.”
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Of course, the Seahawks wouldn’t have been in position to win any of those games if they weren’t one of the top teams in the league for the past few years. Even if it seems like Seattle benefits from fortuitous bounces or calls, those are never the sole reason for any team winning a game. Time will tell if the Seahawks give us another ridiculous ending to add to this list, but if the recent past is any indication, they are bound to have it happen sooner or later.