Seahawks clinch NFC West title in same end zone they were denied a year ago
Pete Carroll called it “a good little bit of poetry.”
Nearly one year after they were denied the NFC West title in the northern end zone of what is now known as Lumen Field, the Seahawks clinched it there Sunday afternoon with a 20-9 win over the Rams.
They did it on a pass from the same franchise quarterback to the same tight end that came up an agonizing few inches short against the 49ers last December.
The fourth quarter was coming to a close. The Seahawks were clinging to a slim four-point lead, and Russell Wilson orchestrated a methodical drive.
Tyler Lockett had a pair of catches and Chris Carson a few productive touches to drive the Seahawks into the red zone.
Then, with less than three minutes remaining, on third down, Wilson lofted a pass to the end zone and Jacob Hollister made the easy 13-yard grab to give Seattle its final cushion.
There was no question this one was a touchdown.
After toppling across the back pylon, Hollister popped up and spun the ball. His teammates mauled him.
Wilson called it the “knockout punch” that lifted the Seahawks to their first division title since 2016.
“I think about last year’s game, that was an amazing matchup,” Wilson said. “We had a chance to win the division right there at the 1-inch yard line. We just missed getting in there on that play.
“But, Hollister, he’s been so efficient. He’s been so effective. He keeps making plays. … Last year was last year, but to win this year with that asterisk next to everything that’s gone on, it’s been exciting. It’s really exciting to win.”
Here’s a somewhat painful refresher of what happened against San Francisco in late 2019, when Seattle dropped that fateful 26-21 loss with the division on the line:
Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth, the Seahawks marched into the red zone and Wilson spiked the ball on first-and-goal from the San Francisco 1 after a critical fourth down completion to John Ursua that was just short of the goal line.
A delay of game penalty backed the Seahawks up to the 5. Wilson threw incomplete to Lockett and then incomplete again to Hollister, setting up fourth-and-goal and Seattle’s last chance.
Wilson completed the next pass to Hollister, but he was ruled short. Inches short. The call was disputed, but the booth upheld it, and that was it. The 49ers celebrated winning the NFC West on Seattle’s home field.
Hollister sat somberly at his locker afterwards discussing the call with reporters.
“It was obviously such a quick, bang-bang play, but after seeing the replay, I really do think that I got in,” he said then. “I’ll have to watch it closer. Those guys do the best that they can making calls.
“Obviously I got called down short, so it’s just what it is.”
Redemption, a clear touchdown and Seattle’s first division title since 2016 came exactly 365 days later — and surely made for a happier memory.
“We were right in this exact same situation (last year),” Carroll said. “Boom. We’re across there, we win. So, what I like about the analogy or bringing that up is that we’ve been here before — and we’ve been this close. This time we really pushed it over the top and finished and left no doubt.
“And Jakey did come through. It was a great call, great concept that we had for the moment. (Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) knew exactly what he wanted and Russ loved the thought and Jake did, and they worked it out perfectly. At the right moment, we did right.”
Seattle’s defense didn’t waver on Los Angeles’ final drive, holding the Rams in their own territory and forcing a turnover on downs.
Wilson and the offense closed out the final two minutes facing the same end zone where a division title unraveled a season ago. This time when the clock expired, though, it was the Seahawks celebrating winning the West.
“You’re seeing us play really good, smart football right now,” Carroll said. “We’re playing complementary football, we’re playing together and all of that.”
“There’s a lot more ahead of us,” Wilson said.
OLSEN RETURNS
Seahawks veteran tight end Greg Olsen returned to the field Sunday after missing four games with a fascia tear in his left foot.
Olsen was injured during Seattle’s Week 11 win over the Cardinals when his leg appeared to give out on a play in the fourth quarter.
His speedy recovery and return — Olsen caught one of two targets for 15 yards against the Rams, converting a third down early in the second quarter — wowed Carroll.
“This was a remarkable recovery to get back out there,” Carroll said. “We’ll see how he is after the game. I don’t know how that’s going to fare, but he was just the epitome of mentality. ‘I’m coming back, I’m going to be there, I can do it, I’ll get it done. Here’s my timeline.’
“He was weeks ahead of where he should have been, and it’s just because of the great competitor and the stud that he is. Most guys would never have been playing in the game this soon. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for been wanting to be part of this and wanting to be part of this championship.”
The 35-year-old veteran, who signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Seahawks earlier this year, was leading Seattle’s tight ends in receiving before the injury, tallying 23 catches on 35 targets for 224 yards and a touchdown.
Hollister and Will Dissly shared targets with Olsen out. Dissly had three catches on three targets for 17 yards against the Rams. Hollister had two grabs on six targets for 17 yards and the touchdown.
This story was originally published December 27, 2020 at 7:36 PM.
