The Seahawks’ ground-shaking 34-7 win over the Saints Monday night clinched a playoff berth, extended Seattle’s winning streak at CenturyLink Field to 14 games and improved Seattle to a franchise-best 11-1.
New Orleans pulled out every stop, even ordering custom ear plugs to filter out the crowd noise after a suggestion from Brett Favre, yet it made no difference. This team appears unbeatable at home.
If there was doubt lingering in the national media about Seattle’s prowess, quarterback Russell Wilson and the NFL’s cockiest defense squashed it.
- The Seahawks held on to the top spot in the weekly ESPN NFL Power Rankings. The Broncos are No. 2.
- USA Today sportswriter Jarrett Bell called Seattle’s win “another day at the raucous home office.”
- After Wilson went 22 of 30 for 310 passing yards and three touchdowns, improving his career record to 22-6 and home record to 14-0, ESPN.com Seahawks reporter Terry Blount wrote that Wilson is making a strong case for NFL MVP. Blount also added this sidebar full of insightful quotes from Wilson, Jeremy Lane, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Michael Bennett.
- Was it hard for anyone else to hear what Monday Night Football announcer Mike Tirico and analyst Jon Gruden were saying during the game? Seattlepi.com has a story about the CenturyLink crowd reclaiming the noise record.
- Sports Illustrated’s Seattle-based writer Doug Farrar noted that the Seahawks repeatedly stacked the box with defenders during passing situations, creating an effective rush that dismantled Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
- Claire Farnsworth of Seahawks.com provided his Game at A Glance.
- Saints fans are close to panic after watching their team sustain an utter beat-down in front of a national audience. New Orleans hadn’t lost by a margin that wide since a 41-10 drubbing in 2007 against Peyton Manning’s Colts.
- Brees hadn’t played so poorly (23 of 38 for 147 yards, one touchdown, one lost fumble) since 2006. He came into Monday averaging 8.31 yards per completion, but managed just 3.7 against Seattle. Also, student (Wilson) outmatched sensei (Brees).
- The Saints had a really bad day. They had to spend the night in Seattle after their team plane broke down.