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 That is when the tears swelled up and began gushing out. Wilson
had no way to stop them.
After one of the most emotional conference championship games in
recent memory, the emotionless quarterback finally lost control.
Wilson's 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse on
the fifth play of overtime gave the Seahawks to a 28-22 victory over
the Green Bay Packers, and the emotions that had built up on the way
to the improbable victory came pouring out.
"I'm usually pretty calm," Wilson said. "As soon as I threw that
touchdown pass, I thought of my dad (who died a few years ago)."
The Seahawks overcame five turnovers, a 16-point deficit and the
fourth overtime in eight NFC Championship games before getting a
rare shot at the repeat. Seattle put aside a horrific first half and
scored 15 points in a span of 44 seconds late in the fourth quarter
to stay alive before outlasting Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in
overtime.
 "It was a hard game," said Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, whose
team will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1
in Glendale, Ariz. "There was a time in the fourth quarter when I
thought I'd be packing my locker up in the morning. But we kept
fighting, and we got it done."
Just getting to overtime wasn't easy, though. Seattle trailed 16-0
at halftime and 19-7 with 2 1/2 minutes to go before one of the most
unlikely finishes in NFC Championship history.
First, Wilson ran for a 1-yard score, pulling the Seahawks within
19-14 with 2:09 left.
Seahawks receiver Chris Matthews then recovered an onside kick after
Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick failed to corral the high kick.
Seattle went on to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 24-yard
touchdown run by running back Marshawn Lynch with 1:25 remaining --
giving the home team its first lead of the game.
Wilson hit tight end Luke Willson on an improbable two-point
conversion, a sky-high pass following a scramble, to put the
Seahawks ahead 22-19.
Rodgers, the Green Bay quarterback who was playing with a torn calf
muscle for the second week in a row, put on a show of his own while
leading the Packers down the field for the tying field goal. He
guided a seven-play, 48-yard drive that began with back-to-back
15-yard receptions. Kicker Mason Crosby's fifth field goal of the
day, from 48 yards out, tied the score at 22 with 14 seconds left in
regulation.
Wilson completed all three of his overtime passes, including
back-to-back 35-yarders to win the game. He connected with wide
receiver Doug Baldwin on the sideline before hitting Kearse over the
middle for the game-winner on near-perfect throws.
"There ain't nothing more beautiful than that last play," Seahawks
coach Pete Carroll said. "That was exquisite football."
It was Kearse's first catch of the game.
"Even though I had a rough start, a rough game early on, (Wilson)
stuck with me and gave me another opportunity to win the game for my
team," Kearse said.
Wilson overcame a horrific first half to complete 14 of 29 passes
for 209 yards and the touchdown. He threw four interceptions.
Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes for 178 yards with two
interceptions and a touchdown, which came as the Packers were
building up a 16-0 halftime lead.
"It's going to be a missed opportunity that we'll probably think
about for the rest of my career," Rodgers said of the loss. "We were
the better team today and we played well enough to win and we can't
blame anybody but ourselves."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy unveiled very little of his
disappointment afterward, calling it one of the best games he ever
was a part of.
When pressed, McCarthy offered: "This is a hard one to swallow."
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In the opening half, Wilson went 2-for-9 for 12 yards with three
interceptions and a 0.0 passer rating -- the worst half of his
career. He rebounded after halftime, but it was a punter who may
have made the most important throw of the day.
Seattle's Jon Ryan, who was holding for what turned out to be a fake
field goal, hit eligible lineman Garry Gilliam on a 19-yard
touchdown pass with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter to put the
Seahawks on the board for the first time.
Green Bay responded with a field goal to open up a 19-7 lead, and it
looked for most of the afternoon as if that would hold up.
Rodgers threw two first-half interceptions, but Green Bay was able
to come away with a 16-0 halftime lead.
Seattle turned the ball over four times during the first half. The
Seahawks were also penalized seven times.
After Green Bay's first drive resulted in an end-zone interception,
the Packers drove to the Seattle 1-yard line on back-to-back
possessions but had to settle for a pair of Crosby field goals and a
6-0 lead. One field goal came after a Wilson interception, while a
Baldwin fumble on a kickoff return set the Packers up for the
second.
Green Bay finally got into the end zone on the final play of the
first quarter, with Rodgers hitting wide receiver Randall Cobb for a
13-yard touchdown and a 13-0 lead.
Crosby added a third field goal 5 1/2 minutes into the second
quarter to put the Packers ahead 16-0.
Green Bay outgained Seattle 178-59 in total yardage during the first
half. The Seahawks didn't get a first down until seven minutes into
the second quarter, and Wilson's first completion came with 3:30
remaining in the half.
Seattle's defense played most of the second half with obvious
injuries. Star safety Earl Thomas appeared to get his left shoulder
popped back into place during the second quarter, while cornerback
Richard Sherman appeared to hurt his left elbow on the opening play
of the fourth quarter. Both played through the injuries.
The win put Seattle in position to be the NFL's first repeat
champion since the 2004-05 Patriots.
NOTES: Fox Television reported just before kickoff that Packers WR
Randall Cobb spent three hours in a hospital Saturday night. Cobb
reportedly was complaining of abdominal pain that the team thought
might be appendicitis. Cobb played Sunday and scored a touchdown on
the final play of the first quarter. ... Seahawks RT Justin Britt
(knee) was ruled inactive for the game. Veteran Alvin Bailey started
in his place. ... During the opening 10 minutes of the game, Seattle
had possession for less than a minute. An interception on the third
play of the opening drive and a fumbled kickoff return resulted in
two quick turnovers as Green Bay opened up a 6-0 lead. After one
quarter, the Packers held a time-of-possession advantage of
12:38-to-2:22 while leading 13-0.
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