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Groz’s Week 14 Seahawks Memory: A new franchise QB emerges in 1984
Dec 9, 2020, 10:30 AM
Nobody has surpassed Dave Krieg's Seahawks record of five TD passes in a game. (Getty)
(Getty)
The 1984 season was highly anticipated by Seahawks fans.
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The year before, head coach Chuck Knox’s squad made the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Led by sensational rookie running back Curt Warner, who rambled for nearly 1,500 yards, the Seahawks pulled off two wins in the postseason before falling to the Raiders in the AFC Championship game.
The high expectations for 1984 took a serious hit when Warner was lost for the season in the very first game, however. If the Seahawks were to meet their lofty expectations, they would have to do it through a stout defense and by riding the arm of young quarterback Dave Kreig, who became the full-time starter during the 1983 season.
The defense was up to the task. The team picked off an incredible 38 passes and Jacob Green and Jeff Bryant had 27.5 sacks between them. Kreig turned out to be up to the task, as well.
The Seahawks clinched a playoff spot in Week 14 as Kreig had one of his best days as a pro up to that point, completing 27 of 38 passes for 294 yards and a team-record five touchdown passes – two each to Steve Largent and Darryl Turner – as the Hawks crushed Detroit 38-17. Kreig’s record five touchdown passes has been equaled but never been surpassed by any other Seahawks QBs.
Links: Seahawks-Lions box score | The Story of the 1984 Seahawks video
In the playoffs, the Seahawks dumped the Raiders 13-7 to make up for the postseason defeat a year earlier but were handled by Dan Marino and the Dolphins 31-10 in the conference semifinals.
On the year, Kreig threw 32 touchdown passes to cement his status as starting quarterback.
Another significant development in the 1984 season was the Seahawks officially retiring No. 12 in honor of their fans, the 12th Man. Seattle became the first professional sports franchise to retire a jersey in honor of their fans. The ’84 season was one to remember.
More Seahawks memories from Groz
• An emotional OT win in 1992 — for Pete’s sake
• Bo bulldozes The Boz in Week 12, 1987
• Thomas Rawls picks up where Beast Mode left off in Week 11, 2015
• Goal-line retribution in Week 10 of 2016 against New England
• The franchise changed direction in Week 9 of Pete Carroll’s third year
• 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
