710 ESPN Seattle’s instant reaction to Seahawks beating Patriots 31-24

As we do after each Seahawks game, we have enlisted the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle to give their initial thoughts. Here’s what they have to say about Seattle’s 31-24 win over New England:

Jim Moore of “Danny, Dave and Moore”

It didn’t make up for the Super Bowl loss two years ago, but it was interesting the way the Seahawks beat the Patriots, seeing Bill Belichick’s team blow it from the 1-yard line this time. And the Patriots didn’t blow it on only one play, they blew it on three plays from the 1. LeGarrette Blount got stuffed by Kam Chancellor and others at the goal line followed by a flubbed sneak by Tom Brady, who fumbled the ball. Then on fourth down, Brady tried to hit Rob Gronkowski in the corner of the end zone, and while there was considerable contact between Gronk and Chancellor, the officials rightfully deemed it a no-call situation as the ball landed incomplete on the turf. That spared Pete Carroll from a lot of second-guessing. If the Patriots had scored, the game likely would have gone into overtime, tied at 31.

On the Seahawks’ final possession, Doug Baldwin scored his third touchdown of the game. And instead of having Stephen Hauschka kick the extra point to give the Seahawks a 32-24 lead, Carroll chose to go for two in an attempt to make it a two-possession game. But Russell Wilson threw an incomplete pass.

Chancellor’s return from a three-game absence due to a groin injury gave the Seahawks’ defense a noticeable lift. His fourth-quarter strip of Julian Edelman was crucial to the win.

On the other side of the ball, C.J. Prosise had a huge impact with 87 receiving yards and 66 rushing yards. When Thomas Rawls returns this week against the Eagles, Christine Michael figures to be the odd man out with Prosise starting and Rawls backing him up until he shakes off the rust from not playing for two months.

Mike Salk of “Brock and Salk”

What a game, and I’d expect everybody in town to still have their heart racing as they drive to work in the morning. The Hawks just keep playing close games and that gives them chances to win a lot of them. The 4:15 to 6 p.m. time frame on Sunday’s NFL schedule was rough in Seattle. Arizona drove to win, Pittsburgh choked and Dallas won. Then the Pats opened the game by marching 75 yards in nine plays, making it look easy. It looked like the rout was on. But as usual, you just can’t panic with this group. They are too good and should have done enough to earn our trust even when things go awry. A running back emerged (even if Prosise will ultimately be a compliment to Rawls), Kam returned with a vengeance, and the defense made another amazing stand as it defended every last blade of grass to seal the win.

Tom Wassell of “Bob, Groz and Tom”

When Russell Wilson is mobile, the Seahawks’ offense can function. With protection and run blocking from the line, anything is possible. It’s easy to forget, but Kam Chancellor makes a world of difference in so many different ways. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves on C.J. Prosise, who had an unbelievable game, but yes, there’s a ton of potential there.

Brock Huard of “Brock and Salk”

As NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said so perfectly before the final play, “Isn’t it just fitting that the finish between these two teams would come down to the final yard?” And this time it was the Patriots throwing and missing from three feet away. It was as well a played game as we’ve seen in the NFL in 2016, with the stars showing up and five or six enormous plays impacting the final score. I had said earlier in the week that without Kam, I didn’t think the Hawks could win, and he made his presence felt throughout. Monster hits, a critical takeaway and ultimately the fourth-down stop on Gronk. Enormous win for a Hawks team that should only get healthier and better in the second half as C.J. Prosise showed how diverse and potent his game is as well. Go Hawks.

Brady Henderson, Editor in Chief of 710Sports.com

Given the circumstances, this was arguably as significant and impressive of a regular-season win the Seahawks have had in the Pete Carroll era. Consider everything they were up against: coming off a short week, playing on the East Coast against the NFL’s best team (which was coming off a bye) and the league’s hottest quarterback. Seattle’s running game had been nonexistent and its defense, overworked the last three weeks, was still missing Michael Bennett. That’s why New England was favored by a touchdown, Seattle’s longest odds since 2012. The Seahawks were anything but perfect. They left points on the board with some missed opportunities in the red zone on offense. Their defense bent plenty of times, particularly on third down, which remains an issue. But it held at the end to give the Seahawks a win despite so many things being stacked against them.