NEWS

It isn’t often that an NFL team is thankful for suffering a loss on its home field.

But after the Seahawks defense held off a late rally from the New Orleans Saints in a 23-15 NFL Playoff Divisional Round triumph on Saturday afternoon in Seattle, Earl Thomas couldn’t help but think back to a lesson learned in a Week 16 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

“I’m kind of glad it happened,” ETIII said of Seattle’s lone loss in its last 17 home games. “Because you have tough learning lessons, even though you don’t want it to happen. But we learned from that experience and applied it to this experience and it paid off for us.”

 
With the 12th man at their backs, the Seahawks went 8-0 at CenturyLink Field in 2012 and won their first six games there in 2013. In their seventh home game this year, the Hawks held a late lead, only to see Arizona connect on a late touchdown pass to leave town with a 17-10 win, handing Seattle its first loss at home since the end of the 2011 season.

ET and Co. faced a similar situation on Saturday in their first playoff game of 2014 as the Saints mounted a late rally and had the ball with a chance to tie the game. But this time the Seahawks were ready and came up with the stops needed to secure the win and a berth in the NFC Championship game, to be played in Seattle next Sunday.

After thwarting New Orleans’ late comeback attempt, Earl spoke to the media about how proud he was of the job done by the Legion of Boom and the rest of the Seattle defense in front of the 68,388 in attendance at CenturyLink.

“You love it, especially as a competitor,” he said. “You want to prove that you’re the best. You want to prove who you are. Everybody is watching, so you love those moments. When a team is already down, you kind of kick them. We did a great job. We had opportunities to get some more interceptions on everybody’s part. But at the end of the day we got the win.”

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

ET III and his teammates knew they would be in for a physical game from the outset, as New Orleans infringed on their pregame warmups, cutting a rift between the teams before they even put on their shoulder pads. Earl downplayed the pregame melee but also noted that his team didn’t forget the incident.

“Just some chatter,” he said. “But you love those moments. I’m never going to forget those guys trying to run through our drills. But they don’t understand what’s coming.”

The Seattle defense appeared motivated by the pregame tiff and held New Orleans off the scoreboard for the first three quarters.

 
Earl and fellow All-Pro safety Kam Chancellor were flying around the field early and often, as usual. ET finished with 11 tackles, second only to Chancellor’s 14. Each also had two huge pass breakups.

Chancellor made the big play of the first drive, halting Saints running back Darren Sproles for no gain on second down, eventually leading to a three-and-out. A shanked punt gave the Hawks the ball inside Saints territory to start their first offensive drive, but they settled for a Steven Hauschka field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

 
New Orleans began to mount an impressive response, as running back Mark Ingram broke off a few long runs through the teeth of the Seattle defense. However each time, before Ingram could get away, ET was there on the back end to make a pair of touchdown-saving tackles. He then teamed with defensive end Michael Bennett on a third-down tackle that forced the Saints into a field goal attempt. New Orleans kicker Shayne Graham pulled his try wide left leaving the score still 3-0 Seattle.

TAKING CONTROL

The Seahawks ended their second possession with another Hauschka field goal to make it 6-0 and shortly thereafter came one of the biggest plays of the day.

On the ensuing New Orleans drive, the Saints went back to Ingram to try to carry them back down the field. But after a four-yard run on first down, Bennett met Ingram hard in the middle on a second down run. The impact caused a fumble, which was recovered by Bennett at the Saints 24.

Two plays later, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch galloped 15 yards for an impressive touchdown, giving the Hawks a 13-0 lead. Seattle added another field goal by Hauschka in the closing moments of the half to take a 16-0 advantage in at halftime.

The Saints managed 79 rushing yards in the first half, but Seattle completely shut down the New Orleans passing game limiting Drew Brees and the NFL’s second ranked air attack, which averaged 307.4 yards per game through the air, to just 34 passing yards in the first half.

As the teams headed to the locker room, the game looked an awful lot like a carbon copy of Seattle’s 34-7 Week 13 dismantling of New Orleans on Monday Night Football. For that, ET pointed to his team’s confidence in its own system.

“From the first game, everyone thought it was a big mystery how we were going to do it. We’re not going to change for anybody,” Earl said. “We have a great scheme here in Seattle.”

SAINTS MARCH INTO SECOND HALF

However victory wouldn’t come easily again for Seattle against a talented New Orleans offense. As No. 29 noted afterward, Brees wouldn’t go away quietly despite being silenced for three quarters.

“Brees is an elite player in this league,” Earl said. “He’s going to fight until the clock hits zero. “

The Saints signal caller did exactly as Earl indicated. With No. 29 locking down the middle of the field, New Orleans began working the sidelines and moving down the field late in the third quarter. Early in the fourth, the Saints punched in their first score and were successful on a two-point conversion, cutting Seattle’s lead in half to 16-8.

 
On the Saints’ next drive, Brees attempted to venture into Area 29, looking for one of his top targets — tight end Jimmy Graham — on third down. But Earl climbed the ladder over Graham’s 6’7″, 265-pound frame and knocked the ball away to force a Saints punt. Graham, regarded as one of the league’s best tight ends, finished with just one reception on six targets.

 
As the Seattle defense worked to stop the Saints’ rally, the New Orleans defense held firm, forcing the Hawks offense into a three and out on their next drive. Both offenses had a rough go of it for most of the afternoon, with rain pouring down and winds swirling throughout the game.

Early on the next series, Earl had a shot to make a play that might have sealed the deal for Seattle. Showing off his range, he darted to an underthrown ball near the sideline, but the potential pick tipped off his hands and into the arms of New Orleans’ Robert Meacham for a 52-yard gain.

“I knew in the playoffs I was going to get a post ball and that was my money ball. I read it. I made it. I was right there. I just didn’t finish,” Earl said. “You just go to the next play. You realize that was a fluke situation and you lost concentration for a little bit, but you just go to the next play and keep playing ball. You know you’re having a hell of a game. So you don’t want any misleading thoughts to come to your mind….That just keeps me hungry for next week.”

 
The 52-yard play put New Orleans at the Seattle 25 with under five minutes to go, a brief glimmer of hope for the Saints that they may tie the game. But with the help of the 12th man, the Seahawks bent but did not break.

Brees took a delay of game penalty immediately following the long completion pushing the Saints back to the 30. After an incomplete pass, New Orleans continued to struggle with communication as the 12th man roared at CenturyLink and Brees was forced to use a timeout to avoid taking another delay penalty. Out of the timeout, the Saints quarterback missed his target on consecutive throws.

Saints coach Sean Payton elected to try a field goal on 4th & 15 from the 30, but Shayne Graham’s kick never had a chance as the swirling wind pulled it far wide of the goalposts. Graham finished 0-for-2 on field goal attempts while Seattle’s Steven Hauschka went 3-for-3.

CLOSING IT OUT

After Graham’s second miss, the Seattle offense added some insurance, but only after a clutch connection between Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin. On 3rd & 3 from his own 45, Wilson fired toward the sideline where Baldwin made an acrobatic grab, pulled the ball in and got his knee down in bounds before rolling out to complete an incredible 24-yard reception.

On the very next play, Lynch (140 YDS, 2 TD) went Beast Mode, blasting his way to a 31-yard touchdown—which would prove to be the game-deciding score.

Now in panic mode, Brees and New Orleans answered Seattle’s touchdown with a quick scoring drive of their own. ET nearly ended that drive, when he got the opportunity to read and jump a throw from Brees intended for Jimmy Graham. But on his way to the pick, No. 29 collided with teammate Kam Chancellor and Earl took an unpleasant hit below the belt while another potential INT fell incomplete.

 
Despite the pain and the lost chances, ETIII was just glad that they moved on with the victory.

“I was this close to playing a great game, a complete game in my eyes,” ET said. “All I had to do was bring in that interception at the end, but it just keeps me hungry. I felt great out there, in my zone, fluid. Most of all, I’m just glad to get the dub (win). That’s it.”

Eventually, Brees connected with Marques Colston for a touchdown, cutting Seattle’s lead back to eight. The Saints had just 26 seconds left on the clock, making their hopes slim, but New Orleans managed to recover the onside kick to get one more shot.

A quick play and spike had the Saints at midfield with 11 seconds to go. But after Brees completed a 13-yard pass to Colston near the sideline, the receiver elected not to go out of bounds and instead tried to throw a lateral across the field. However, his throw was clearly forward, a flag came out and the 10-second run off that came with the penalty ended the game, sending Seattle to the NFC Championship Game with a 23-15 win.

While the close nature of the victory was nerve-wracking for those watching, Earl explained afterward that the Hawks prepared for this situation long before it came to pass.

“This is a prime example of why we practice so hard. Even in walkthroughs, it’s game-like. Every situation is game-like. And that’s why players are elevating their game. It’s no surprise that guys are making crazy plays or the defense is playing lights out. We communicate well in practice and we listen to the coaches in practice. We’re coachable. We’re always striving to get better and it’s going to pay off every time we step out there, whether it’s Sunday or Monday, whenever.”

 
Much of the credit for that improvement, particularly on the defensive end can go to Earl. After the game, FOX analyst Howie Long picked Earl as his player of the game for the impressive way in which he led the Seattle defense all afternoon.

“He’s the benchmark at the position of safety. I think he’s the most versatile player at that position since Ed Reed in his heyday,” Long said. “What a great security blanket for your front seven, with his ability to close on the ball, the range that he has. He’s versatile. The run, the pass, he can come down and man up on the slot, there’s not a thing he can’t do. He’s really not a safety. He’s an all-in-one.”

 

NEXT UP

Earl and the Seahawks had to wait 24 hours to find out their foe, but after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Carolina Panthers 23-10 on Sunday, it was confirmed that Seattle will play host to a familiar foe, the 49ers, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line next week.

 
ETIII is looking forward with confidence, pointing out that the Hawks only continue to improve.

“It’s great that we’re peaking right now,” No. 29 said. “But I think we’re still getting better. We’re not stressing out over these games. We’re working hard, and when we’re in it, we’re in it. Practice is high tempo. And game day is fun, especially when guys honor their roles and are being unselfish. That’s what makes a championship team.”

He also alluded to his own attitude toward being one game away from the Super Bowl. While the situation can seem overwhelming, Earl is thinking back to his Pop Warner days and just enjoying every second of the run.

“You just keep having fun, stay in the moment. I’m so lost in this process. It’s so fun to me. This is like Pop Warner. It just has that type of feel as far as playing the game of football. That’s how much I love it. You just enjoy all the moments, enjoy all your teammates and you keep practicing your butt off. Work on the fundamentals because late in the season, that’s really what you need.”

Seattle and San Francisco split their two meetings this season. The Hawks snuffed out the Niners in Week 2 in a 29-3 win at CenturyLink. However, SF posted some payback in a 19-17 win in Week 14.

 
This time the stakes are a little higher for the NFC West rivals as they’ll battle on Sunday for a berth in the Super Bowl. The winner will take on the winner of the AFC Championship contest between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.

Putting the history between the rivals in the rearview, ETIII is looking forward without any expectations—because expectations can result in ceilings on the team’s performance. Instead, Earl believes the sky is the limit for the Hawks.

“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” he said. “I don’t have any expectations. I never have put any limits on this defense or myself. You just let stuff happen, and that’s how you become legendary.”

The Seahawks will look to soar to legendary status when they host the Niners in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff is slate for around 3:30 p.m. PT and the game can be seen on FOX.

RELATED LINKS

• It’s Seahawks and 49ers for the NFC Championship (Seahawks.com, Jan 12, 2014)
• Seahawks take advantage of everything they’ve earned (Seahawks.com, Jan 11, 2014)
• Defense lifts Seahawks into NFC title game (Seahawks.com, Jan 11, 2014)
• Seahawks hold on, beat Saints 23-15 (The Seattle Times, Jan 11, 2014)
• Seahawks rumble past Saints, 23-15 (Associated Press, Jan 12, 2014)
• Seahawks find a way, as they always do (ESPN.com, Jan 11, 2014)
• Saints’ offense meets its match in Seahawks…again (MyNorthwest.com, Jan 12, 2014)
• Seahawks ‘right at the edge’ of Super Bowl berth (USA Today, Jan 12, 2014)
• Seahawks win because they were tougher than Saints (The Seattle Times, Jan 11, 2014)
• Defense isn’t perfect, but good enough to top Saints (The Seattle Times, Jan 11, 2014)
• Saints try tough act with Seahawks, pay playoff-life price in Seattle (CBSSports.com, Jan 11, 2014)
• Larry Stone: Seahawks fierce but fallible on defense against Saints (Yakima Herald, Jan 12, 2014)
• The Morning After: Seahawks and Lynch Repeat History, Beat Saints 23-15 (Seattle PI, Jan 12, 2014)
• Seattle Seahawks peaking at right time for Super Bowl run (NFL.com, Jan 12, 2014)