NFL Game Summary - Denver at Seattle
Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - The rematch wasn't the blowout that the Super Bowl was, but it ended with the same team winning.
Marshawn Lynch ran in a touchdown in overtime and the Seattle Seahawks survived to take a 26-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in a rematch of last season's Super Bowl on Sunday.
The last time these teams met, Seattle was all over Denver in capturing its first Super Bowl courtesy of a 43-8 victory this past February.
In just the sixth time that there has been a rematch in the regular season of the previous Super Bowl opponents, Lynch had 88 yards on 26 carries, while adding three catches for 40 yards and a score for the Seahawks (2-1), who bounced back from last week's loss to San Diego.
Russell Wilson went 24-for-34 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the win.
"It was a tremendous game," Wilson said. "It was a battle."
Peyton Manning went 31-for-49 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Broncos (2-1), who had opened the season with wins against Indianapolis and Kansas City.
"I thought communication was okay. It was just our execution that we needed to do better," Manning said.
Seattle started overtime with the ball and Wilson was able to convert a pair of short third downs by scrambling out of the pocket. Following a 6-yard run by Wilson and a 7-yard catch from Percy Harvin down to the Denver 6, Lynch took a handoff up the middle and leaped over the goal line for the victory.
The Seahawks held a 20-12 lead after Steven Hauschka hit a 28-yard field goal with just 59 seconds left on the clock, but it was plenty of time for Manning.
A 42-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders down the left sideline got the team to the Seattle 38. Three plays later, Demaryius Thomas caught a 12-yard pass which set up Jacob Tamme's 26-yard touchdown. Denver had to go for two in order to force overtime, and Manning hit Thomas in the back of the end zone to complete the conversion to tie the game with just 18 seconds left.
It was a bit of deja vu for Denver on its first offensive snap, as Montee Ball coughed it up on a carry and Seattle grabbed the ball to recover at the Denver 23. The first snap in the Super Bowl saw the ball go over Manning's head and Seattle awarded a safety to set the tone for the rout.
The Denver defense, though, stuffed Lynch on a 3rd-and-goal at the 1, and the Seahawks had to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Hauschka to take a 3-0 lead 4 1/2 minutes in.
Denver came back with a 15-play drive that covered 75 yards, with Brandon McManus hitting a 24-yard field goal to tie the game with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter.
Both offenses sputtered in the next several possessions, but the Seahawks got the ball back with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the half and went to work from their own 27.
A 21-yard catch-and-run by Lynch was followed by a 14-yard catch from Doug Baldwin down to the Denver 39. The next snap saw Wilson toss a deep ball down the right sideline into the hands of Ricardo Lockette for a 10-3 advantage with just over three minutes to play in the half.
Forcing Denver into a quick three-and-out, Seattle got the ball back at its own 32. Quickly getting his team to the red zone, Wilson tossed a short pass to Lynch over the middle and he took it in for a 17-3 lead at the break.
The score stayed that way until the fourth quarter when Denver was able to get a safety. Pinning the Seahawks back at their own 8 after a punt, Wilson was sacked for seven yards and after a false start on Seattle, Lynch was gang- tackled in the end zone to make it a 17-5 game.
Denver had to punt after getting the ball back, but Chris Harris picked off a tipped ball to give the Broncos the ball back at the Seattle 19.
Five plays later, Manning used a shovel pass to get the ball to Julius Thomas, who took it in from three yards out to make it a 17-12 game with 9:20 to play in the fourth quarter.
After forcing a punt from Seattle, Denver got down to the Seattle 23. Facing a 3rd-and-11, Manning tried to toss the ball to Wes Welker, but Kam Chancellor picked it off and took it 52 yards down to the Denver 35, helping set up Hauschka's late field goal.