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5 Key Moments That Led to Seahawks' Comeback Win Over 49ers

Stifled offensively for three quarters, the Seahawks closed out the game with a torrid 20-7 scoring run to escape Arizona with their 12th win of the season. Which plays proved most critical to Seattle's Week 17 victory?

Nick Lee

The Seahawks finished the 2020 regular season with a bang with a comeback win over the 49ers on Sunday afternoon in Glendale, Arizona by the score of 26-23. The win clinched a 12-4 season and Seattle will head into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the NFC and host the Los Angeles Rams. 

Here are five key moments in Sunday's game that led to Seattle's fourth straight victory and 12th overall heading into postseason play:

1. Russell Wilson 26-yard pass to Tyler Lockett

With the offense sputtering in the second quarter, the Seahawks needed a big play to spark the offense. Up just 3-0, Wilson completed a pass down the right sideline to Tyler Lockett, who reeled in the catch for a 26-yard play. This help set up another Seahawks field goal, extending their lead to 6-0. This loomed large since Seattle scrambled to mount a comeback in the final quarter and needed every point they could get. It was a key play when big plays were hard to come by. Seattle struggled to get explosive plays during the first three quarters, but this was a key one that put the team in a position to get points. 

2. Russell Wilson 6-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett

Seattle trailed 16-6 early in the fourth quarter. If they had any hopes of a comeback, they needed a touchdown on their opening drive of the final quarter, period. Facing 3rd and Goal, Wilson got pressured and rolled right and fired a bullet in the middle of the end zone, right into the clutches of Lockett. This drew the Seahawks within one score at 16-12, but they still needed another touchdown due to Jason Myers missing the extra point. This was the beginning of the furious comeback as the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns.

3. Russell Wilson 4-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett

Following the first Lockett touchdown in the fourth quarter, the defense held San Francisco and got the ball back to Seattle's offense trailing by four. Wilson drove the Seahawks down inside the five-yard line but the 49ers' defense stiffened. They forced the Seahawks to go for it on 4th and Goal from the four-yard line with the game on the line. Wilson threw a floater off of his back foot that fell into the hands of Lockett in the left corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score. Wilson-to-Lockett has been a special connection for multiple years and this was yet another dramatic moment between the two, giving Seattle the 19-16 lead. This also marked Lockett's 100th catch of the season, making him the first receiver in franchise history to do so.

4. Benson Mayowa strip-sack, recovered by Rasheem Green

After the Seahawks took the lead, there was still plenty of time for the 49ers to respond. It was up to Seattle's defense to hold strong with just two minutes left. San Francisco quarterback C.J. Beathard dropped back and Mayowa beat his man off the edge,  stretching out just far enough to slap the ball out of Beathard's hand and causing a game-changing fumble. Rasheem Green picked up the ball and gave Seattle's offense the ball. This gave the Seahawks a chance to seal the game with another score. This was yet another instance where the defense came through when it was needed most to win the game.

5. Alex Collins 8-yard touchdown run

Seattle needed to milk the clock to secure the victory, still clinging to a 19-16 lead. But Collins had loftier goals in mind. He ran the ball three times on the final drive and sealed the victory with an emphatic eight-yard touchdown, extending Seattle's lead to 10. This loomed large as the 49ers responded with a quick touchdown to cut the lead back to three inside a minute to play. Thanks to Collins' efforts, Seattle was able to improve to 12-4 for the first time since 2014 and head into the playoffs with some momentum. Things truly came full circle for Collins, who was drafted in the fifth round in 2016 by Seattle and then later cut prior to the 2017 season.

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Nick Lee
NICK LEE

Nick Lee grew in San Diego, California and graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2017. He married a Washington native and moved to the Pacific Northwest after 2014. He began his writing career for Bolt Beat on Fansided in 2015 while also coaching high school football locally in Olympia, Washington. A husband and father of a two-year old son, he writes for East Village Times covering the San Diego Padres as well as Vanquish the Foe of SB Nation, covering the BYU Cougars. He joined Seahawk Maven in August 2018 and is a cohost of the Locked on Seahawks podcast. 

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