Home » Sports » American Football
Seahawks, Jets pull off stunning upsets
Source: Agencies |
January 10, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE two top teams of last season, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts, were both bundled out of the NFL playoffs in dramatic style on the first day of the postseason on Saturday.
The Seattle Seahawks, written off by everyone but the most ardent fan, pulled off one of the bigger upsets of NFL playoff history by beating the defending champion Saints 41-36.
Then a field goal as time expired gave the New York Jets a 17-16 win over the Colts.
Coach Pete Carroll, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and a Seattle team that no one believed deserved to be in the postseason pulled off a win that proved they belonged in the playoffs. Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes and Marshawn Lynch scored on an electrifying 67-yard run with 3:22 left.
The Seahawks (8-9) held a 34-20 early in the fourth quarter but quarterback Drew Brees looked ready to lead the Saints (11-6) on one of their patented comebacks. However Lynch broke several tackles for his TD to finish off the Saints.
The Seahawks, the first division winner with a losing record, will play next weekend, either at top-seeded Atlanta or No. 2 Chicago.
The game wasn't clinched until Lynch provided a run that'll be replayed in the Pacific Northwest for years. He took a second-down carry with less than four minutes to go and then the highlights began. He broke six tackles on the 67-yard run, tossing in a stiff arm that sent cornerback Tracy Porter to the turf and completed the longest scoring run of his career. Lynch finished with 131 yards on 19 carries, the first Seattle back to top 100 yards all season.
In Indianapolis, coach Rex Ryan and New York finally got the made-for-TV ending they wanted. The bombastic Ryan got his victory over Manning when Nick Folk made a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
All week, Ryan turned this into a coach vs quarterback matchup, referring to his 1-5 record against Manning as Jets coach and Ravens defensive coordinator.
Instead, it came down to Folk becoming a hero.
With his main tormentor out of the way, Ryan and the Jets next head to New England seeking to avenge the Patriots' 3-45 demolition job earlier this season.
The Colts beat the Jets for the AFC title a year ago and thought they had done so again on Saturday when Adam Vinatieri made a 50-yard field goal with 53 seconds to go. But Antonio Cromartie returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards and Mark Sanchez needed five plays to get the Jets into position for the winner.
The Seattle Seahawks, written off by everyone but the most ardent fan, pulled off one of the bigger upsets of NFL playoff history by beating the defending champion Saints 41-36.
Then a field goal as time expired gave the New York Jets a 17-16 win over the Colts.
Coach Pete Carroll, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and a Seattle team that no one believed deserved to be in the postseason pulled off a win that proved they belonged in the playoffs. Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes and Marshawn Lynch scored on an electrifying 67-yard run with 3:22 left.
The Seahawks (8-9) held a 34-20 early in the fourth quarter but quarterback Drew Brees looked ready to lead the Saints (11-6) on one of their patented comebacks. However Lynch broke several tackles for his TD to finish off the Saints.
The Seahawks, the first division winner with a losing record, will play next weekend, either at top-seeded Atlanta or No. 2 Chicago.
The game wasn't clinched until Lynch provided a run that'll be replayed in the Pacific Northwest for years. He took a second-down carry with less than four minutes to go and then the highlights began. He broke six tackles on the 67-yard run, tossing in a stiff arm that sent cornerback Tracy Porter to the turf and completed the longest scoring run of his career. Lynch finished with 131 yards on 19 carries, the first Seattle back to top 100 yards all season.
In Indianapolis, coach Rex Ryan and New York finally got the made-for-TV ending they wanted. The bombastic Ryan got his victory over Manning when Nick Folk made a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
All week, Ryan turned this into a coach vs quarterback matchup, referring to his 1-5 record against Manning as Jets coach and Ravens defensive coordinator.
Instead, it came down to Folk becoming a hero.
With his main tormentor out of the way, Ryan and the Jets next head to New England seeking to avenge the Patriots' 3-45 demolition job earlier this season.
The Colts beat the Jets for the AFC title a year ago and thought they had done so again on Saturday when Adam Vinatieri made a 50-yard field goal with 53 seconds to go. But Antonio Cromartie returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards and Mark Sanchez needed five plays to get the Jets into position for the winner.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
