Talk about a game that was a tale of two halves. Or, should I say, three quarters. The Seattle Seahawks looked strong early, almost grinded to a complete stop, but found life late to win 24-20 over the Cleveland Browns.
Seattle started the game as hot as can be, racing out to a commanding 17-7 lead in the first quarter. Their first three drives resulted in two touchdowns and a field goal, as well as recording a crucial sack/fumble on defense.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks almost entirely packed it in following the first quarter with an abysmal offensive display for nearly the remainder of the game. Following the first quarter, Seattle was shutout the final three quarters until literally 0:38 seconds left in the game.
The Browns simply kept chipping away at the Seahawks’ lead, eventually wearing them down as they won the time of possession battle 36:40 to 23:20. Seattle’s offense struggling to stay on the field did the defense little favors, as they did all they could to keep the team in the game. A late interception recorded by safety Julian Love – his first as a Seahawk – gave the offense life late, and one final shot at redemption.
One final shot was all they needed, apparently, as the offense finally started clicking when it mattered most. On the final drive, Smith led Seattle on an effortless five play, 57 yard touchdown drive, capped off with a screen pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba – the second touchdown of his career, coming one week after his first.
Cleveland looked in complete control on both sides of the ball, especially in the second half. But ultimately, they were unable to protect their three-point lead with under two minutes to play. Their two-game win streak went to sleep in Seattle.
As for the Seahawks, they claim a crucial win, made even more important thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals who took down the San Francisco 49ers. With San Francisco’s loss, Seattle moves into sole possession of first place in the NFC West, as the 49ers have now lost three-straight games.
The Seahawks will travel to Baltimore in Week 9 to take on the Ravens, who are similarly in first place in their division.
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