New York: Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to a 34-7 thrashing of the New Orleans Saints yesterday as the hosts clinched a play-off berth with a win that maintains the best record in the National Football League.
In a marquee matchup between standout quarterbacks and the leading teams in the NFC, Wilson threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns while Drew Brees was unable to make an impact against a dominant Seattle defence.
“(Russell) loves Drew Brees and what he stands for, but he knew he was playing against the Saints (not Drew),” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters.
“He was just marvelous. (Home field advantage) is why winning the division is important. That’s our goal.”
The red-hot Seahawks (11-1) have now won seven games in a row and not lost at their raucous CenturyLink Field since the 2011 season.
In their latest victory, Wilson almost single-handedly dismantled the Saints defense during the first half as Seattle stormed to a 27-7 advantage by the interval.
Seattle’s opening touchdown came in the first quarter, where their defense knocked the ball loose from Brees and Michael Bennett returned a fumble 22 yards for a score.
The momentum only built as Wilson capped a 73-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller and a 17-0 advantage.
Brees temporarily halted Seattle’s charge with a two-yard pass to Jimmy Graham in the second quarter but it was a rare bright spot for his offense.
Steven Hauschka kicked his second field goal of the game in the second as Wilson threw another scoring strike before adding his third in the third quarter to complete the scoring.
The second-year quarterback added 47 of his team’s 127 rushing yards while the New Orleans offense struggled to make any sort of headway, with Brees completing a disappointing 23-of-38 passes for just 147 yards and one score.
Seattle played with a depleted secondary, missing Brandon Brower (injury) and Walter Thurmond (suspension) but the Saints were unable to take advantage.
“We had a balanced attack,” said Wilson, who completed 22-of-30 passes. “We brought a good amount of pressure and capitalised on that pressure.”
Following the defeat, the Saints were joined at the top of the NFC South division by the Carolina Panthers (both 9-3) with the teams scheduled to meet in New Orleans on Sunday.
Meanwhile, NFL officials admitted yesterday that referees blundered in the final seconds of the New York Giants’ 24-17 victory on Sunday over the Washington Redskins.
But there is nothing the Redskins can do but wonder what might have happened after suffering their ninth loss in 12 games.
Robert Griffin III completed a 4-yard pass on second down to the Washington 45-yard line very near the line to gain for a first down.
Referee Jeff Triplette signaled third down as the Redskins, hoping to march downfield for a tying touchdown, worked without a huddle in a “hurry-up offense”.
But the head linesman incorrectly had the sideline yardage marker crew move the chains forward as if the Redskins had gained a new set of downs and the markers reset to indicate first down.
Thinking Washington had a first down, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan called for a long pass to tight end Fred Davis that he dropped. Pierre Garcon had the ball ripped out of his hands on fourth down by Giants defender Will Hill and the Giants took the ball, clinching the victory. NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said officials should have halted the game to make certain everyone was aware of the situation once the incorrect information was discovered even though it meant aiding the Redskins’ who had used all of their timeouts.
“Referee Jeff Triplette signaled third down but the head linesman -- with Washington in a ‘hurry-up’ situation -- incorrectly motioned for the chain crew to advance the chains, which caused the down boxes to read first down,” Blandino said.
“Following a Washington incomplete pass, the chains were moved back and the down boxes correctly reset to fourth down.
“In this situation where there is obvious confusion as to the status of the down, play should have been stopped prior to third down and the correct down communicated to both clubs.
“This should have occurred regardless of the fact that Washington had no timeouts and it was inside two minutes.
“Only the referee can rule and signal a first down. The official nearest to the down markers and chain crew, the head linesman, must wait for the first-down signal from the referee before moving the chains.”
Agencies
