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The Seattle Seahawks overcame a rough start to the 2015-16 season to make the playoffs for the fifth time in Earl Thomas III’s career. Along the way, No. 29 matched career-highs in interceptions and passes defended, as the team provided some spectacular moments on the road and at home in front of the 12s.

As ET III and Co. begin the road back to the Super Bowl this offseason, we’re counting down the best five games had by the All-Pro free safety during his sixth season in the NFL.

NO. 3—THE MINNESOTA MIRACLE

The story of the Seattle Seahawks’ comeback victory in the Wild Card round of the playoffs was dominated by the stunning last-second miss by Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a tremendous collective effort by Earl Thomas III and the Legion of Boom.

ET and Co. held Minnesota’s All-Pro running back, Adrian Peterson, to less than 50 yards (45) for the second time during the 2015-16 season. Earl spearheaded the Seattle defense with four tackles and a critical pass breakup as Seattle pulled out the 10-9 win on the road.

“These guys do a good job,” Peterson said of the Hawks. “After the game Earl Thomas came up to me and was like ‘Hey man, I have so much respect for you, because each game you know that teams are coming in and are focusing on stopping the run, and you still come in and continue to chop. That’s why I love and respect you.’”

The Hawks clearly placed a circle around Minnesota’s star runner during game preparations, and they zeroed in on him all afternoon. On the very first drive of the day, ET cleaned up team tackling effort to halt the seven-time Pro Bowler on 3rd-and-1.

The frigid Minneapolis weather slowed the pace of the game dramatically, as sub-zero temperatures limited both offenses to a combined 409 total yards, including just 183 by the Vikings. But that cold weather also resulted in multiple special teams miscues, including one early on by Seattle. After the Hawks’ first drive, the snap was low, forcing punter Jon Ryan to scoop it and take off—but he was stopped short of the first-down marker, giving the Vikes possession at Seattle’s 29-yard line.

As they did numerous times throughout the afternoon, the Hawks held tough in poor field position, forcing a 22-yard field goal by Walsh that put the home team up 3-0, where the score remained until the break—much thanks to a big play by No. 29. During the second quarter, Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater found Jerick McKinnon on 3rd-and-4 deep up the left side, but Earl bolted in and hammered the Minnesota running back, jarring the ball loose to prevent a sure touchdown.

“My hands were numb,” ET said. “My toes were numb. But I was able to fly around and have some fun. On defense you just have to hit and run, chase the football.”

After the half, the Vikings built some momentum and slowly took control of the game with a pair of field goals. With minimal yards and nary a point on the scoreboard, the Seahawks were in trouble—until the magical fourth quarter came.

The final frame was off to a precarious start, when a miscommunication resulted in center Patrick Lewis’ snap sailing over the shoulder of quarterback Russell Wilson. But the Seattle QB remained calm, picked up the loose ball and found rookie receiver Tyler Lockett for a huge gain, all the way to the four-yard line.

“For some reason, I was calm on the sideline,” Earl said of Wilson’s big play. “I didn’t panic. Russell didn’t panic, either. I was just happy that he made something out of nothing because it was definitely a crazy play. He was able to turn a miscommunication into that.”

Just two plays later, the Hawks found the end zone. Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for six, and Steven Hauschka added the PAT to make it just a two-point game, 9-7, with just under 12 minutes to go.

The L.O.B. then did their job on the ensuing drive to keep the momentum. Strong safety Kam Chancellor forced a Peterson fumble, and Earl raced in and jumped on the ball but couldn’t quite corral it. However, he successfully knocked it into daylight, where Seattle defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin secured it, gaining possession for the Hawks. Hauschka knocked through a clutch 46-yard field goal to put Seattle on top for the first time all night—and for good.

“That was a prime example of guys just giving it all up for each other until the last whistle,” Earl said. “We never gave up and fought until the end.”

The victory didn’t come without plenty of tense moments, though. Earl helped to halt Matt Asiata on third down, and Jeremy Lane came through with a critical pass breakup on the following series. But through all of Seattle’s stops, the Vikings still nearly swiped the late win.

A pass interference call on Chancellor in the final minutes put Minnesota in business. On the next play, Bridgewater hit tight end Kyle Rudolph for a big gain. Earl pushed Rudolph out of bounds, but not before the Vikings were well into field goal range. A few plays later, the home team lined up for a chip-shot game-winning field goal, but Walsh hooked it left through the cold air, and the Hawks survived in one of the great playoff finishes in franchise history.

“He’s a great player. He played great all game and that is just football. He scored nine points for them and they were leading the entire game because of him,” Earl said of Walsh. “Stuff like that shocks me. Even with the Green Bay game (the comeback to win the NFC title last year), it feels new. It makes me appreciate the game even more. I really love it, and to see us have another chance, there’s nothing like it.”