SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 21, 2014
Seahawks 26, Broncos 20 (OT): Marshawn Lynch powered up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown run to cap an 80-yard march on the first possession of overtime as host Seattle outlasted Denver in a rematch of last season's Super Bowl.
Russell Wilson threw for 258 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and had four rushes on the winning march to improve to 17-1 at home since the start of the 2012 season. Lynch rushed for 88 yards and also caught a scoring pass as the Seahawks (2-1) prevailed in only the sixth rematch of Super Bowl opponents in the following season.
Peyton Manning rebounded from a mediocre first three quarters by throwing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including one to tight end Jacob Tamme that tied it with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. Manning finished 31-of-49 for 303 yards with two TDs and an interception, but he never got a chance to take the field in overtime for Denver (2-1).
While not as dominant as in the 43-8 Super Bowl beating of the Broncos, Seattle's defense forced eight consecutive punts sandwiched around a first-half kneel-down to take a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
Wilson threw two TD passes in the final 3:05 of the first half - a perfect 39-yard strike to to Ricardo Lockette in the right side of the end zone and a 5-yard slant to Lynch with 12 seconds remaining. Denver's defense came up with a pair of momentum-turning plays early in the fourth quarter, stuffing Lynch for a safety and getting a big interception by T.J. Ward to set up Manning's shovel pass to Julius Thomas, cutting the deficit to 17-12.
The Broncos were driving again but Kam Chancellor picked off Manning with 2:12 remaining and brought it back 52 yards to set up Steven Hauschka's 28-yard field goal for an eight-point lead with 59 seconds to go. Manning needed only 41 seconds to cover 80 yards for the tying score, hitting Tamme on a 26-yard strike down the left sideline before finding Demaryius Thomas in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion to send the game to OT.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning extended his streak to 42 consecutive games with a scoring pass and moved to within one of joining Brett Favre as the only QBs with 500 career TD passes, but he also tossed his first interception in 193 attempts. ... Lynch, who had three catches for 40 yards, has scored a touchdown in seven straight games (playoffs included). ... Broncos WR Wes Welker, making his season debut after his four-game suspension was cut in half, had six receptions for 60 yards.