Groz’s Week 9 Seahawks Memory: When the franchise changed direction in Pete Carroll’s 3rd year
Nov 5, 2020, 10:36 AM
Marshawn Lynch's Seahawks ended up getting the best of Adrian Peterson's Vikings in 2012. (Getty)
(Getty)
Pete Carroll’s third year with the Seahawks was looking a lot like the first two, and the natives were getting restless.
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Sure, you had the “Beastquake” win over New Orleans to win a playoff game in a year when you were 7-9, and followed that up with another 7-9 season (but no postseason) in 2011. And now you were halfway through your third season, treading water at 4-4, and on to your third starting quarterback with an 18-22 record in your first 40 games.
After beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots two weeks earlier, two straight losses had put the Seahawks’ season on the brink with the resurgent Minnesota Vikings coming to town. A loss here and hopes for the playoffs would take a serious hit, and it could have been the beginning of the end of the Pete Carroll experiment.
The Seahawks were ready – especially young quarterback Russell Wilson, who connected on two touchdown passes in the first quarter. They were needed as the young Legion of Boom was getting torn up by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who galloped for a career-high 144 yards in the first half, propelling the Vikings to pull to within three at halftime.
The defense rose to the occasion in the second half, though, limiting Peterson to just 38 yards, with 28 of those coming on one carry. Marshawn Lynch took over, the Seahawks’ defense destroyed Vikings QB Christian Ponder, and when the dust had cleared, Seattle had a 30-20 win and momentum (watch highlights here, or the condensed game here).
The Seahawks won six of their next seven, advanced to the second round of the playoffs and have never looked back. Since that game, Seattle has gone 88-38 and been to the postseason seven times.
It’s hard to remember how close that came to not happening.
More Seahawks memories from Groz
• Holmgren’s blowout Green Bay return in Week 8, 1999
• Slaying the 1986 Super Bowl champion Giants in Week 7
• Unlikely hero gets 2005 Super Bowl run going in Week 5, 2005
• Super Bowl championship team shows it’s for real in Week 4, 2013
• Curt Warner establishes ‘Ground Chuck’ in Week 3, 1983
