1 of 5 | New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount (29) is wrapped up by Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Tony McDaniel (93) on a carry in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on November 13, 2016. Photo by Matthew Healey/ UPI |
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Seattle Seahawks, getting a small measure of revenge for losing Super Bowl XLIX to New England in the final seconds, staged a valiant goal-line stand in the closing seconds and the stunned the Patriots 31-24 Sunday night.
New England (7-2) had a first-and-goal at the 2 and failed on four tries -- Tom Brady sneaking for 1 yard, LeGarrette Blount failing to gain a yard, Brady losing a yard on a third-down sneak and fumble. Then -- after Seattle had 12 men on the field, moving the ball back to the 1 -- Brady lobbed a pass in the direction of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who stumbled over safety Kam Chancellor as the ball fell incomplete.
The stand came at the end of what would have been a 75-yard scoring drive in the final 4:24.
The Seahawks (6-2-1) earned their second win in a row.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson finished 25 of 37 for 348 yards, and he tossed three touchdown passes to Doug Baldwin. Steven Hauschka kicked four field goals, and C.J. Prosise gained a combined 153 yards on the ground and through the air.
Brady, who threw the team's first interception of the season, was 23 of 32 for 316 yards. It was the 75th 300-yard passing game of Brady's career.
Blount ran for three touchdowns.
Hauschka, who had an extra point blocked, kicked field goals of 27, 31, 41 and 23 yards, allowing him to pass Norm Johnson and set the club record of 161 career field goals.
It was the 97th straight game, including playoffs, in which the Seahawks haven't trailed by more than 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks scored on four of their five first-half possessions, with Wilson throwing for 197 yards. And it was a series of drops and missed open receivers that kept the visitors from more than a 19-14 halftime lead.
Brady was bidding to give the Patriots, who have used three quarterbacks, their ninth straight game (his fifth) without an interception, which would have tied the record set by Milt Plum of the Cleveland Browns in 1961. But after Brady scrambled right he heaved one downfield into double coverage that was intercepted by DeShawn Snead.
NOTES: Patriots RB Dion Lewis, added to the roster for the first time this season Saturday, was inactive. He missed an entire year because of a knee injury that required two surgeries. ... New England rookie CB/R Cyrus Jones, inactive the past three games, dressed, with CB Eric Rowe inactive after a rough game last time out. ... The Seahawks were missing starting OT Bradley Sowell (knee) for the second straight game, but RB Christine Michael passed his pregame test and was active. ... New England RB LeGarrette Blount is well on his way to breaking the team's season mark for rushing touchdowns. Curtis Martin scored on 14 runs in both 1995 and '96; Blount has 12 this year. ... The Seahawks, who led the league in scoring defense the past four years, came into Sunday's game third, while the Patriots were second. ... Over 100 active military members were on the field pregame.
