Epic win

That was exhausting to watch.

Richard Sherman schooled Dez Bryant today.

The Seattle offense gained respectable yardage, but underperformed on the scoreboard against a stout Dallas defense. The Seahawks put together a few solid drives where Darrell Bevell dialed up the right mix of runs and passes and planned rollouts to compensate for limited pass protection. The O-Line acquitted itself reasonably well with regard to run blocking.

Everyone seemed a little off, though.

Marshawn Lynch ran tough throughout the game, but a couple uncharacteristic stumbles led to lost yardage and a clock-stopping out-of-bounds blunder late in the game.

Russell Wilson missed more throws than usual.

Our receivers dropped some balls early on.

Stephen Hauschka never misses, but he had a block kicked.

Ricardo Lockette's concussion disconcerted everyone.

Richard Sherman had a holding penalty nullify a spectacular punt return by Lockett.

Michael Bennett got flagged for a low hit on Matt Cassell.

Luke Willson scores Seattle's only touchdown on the day

Still, a lot of things went right.

DangeRuss generally made good decisions. Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson, Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett each made clutch catches at crucial intervals.

I thought Alvin Bailey had done his duty when I saw Greg Hardy hobbling off the field near the end of the first half. 

However, like a horror movie monster--through some miracle of modern medicine--Hardy returned after halftime, looking no worse for wear, and proceeded to make the play of the game for his team. Late in the third quarter, when DangeRuss tried to throw past him, the defensive end slapped the ball into the air, tracked it, and wrapped his big hands around the pigskin like he was closing his fingers around a woman's neck. It looked like a probable pick six. 

Hardy secured possession on the Seattle 20-yard line with no Seahawk between him and the end zone. 

The only Seahawk who conceivably had a shot at tackling him was Russell Wilson. 

Standing under 6' and barely exceeding 200 lbs., Wilson is supposed to be too small to play his position, and many would assume that a man his size would have trouble tackling a 6' 7" 278-lb. supremely athletic freak of nature like Hardy. 

When QBs try to tackle interceptors, it rarely ends well.

Prototypical quarterbacks rarely make those tackles. More often, they hurt themselves, look silly and/or get blown up by blockers when they try.

But DangeRuss is no normal quarterback. He is fast enough to catch Hardy, brave enough to sell out while attempting the tackle, and skilled enough to execute a textbook ankle tackle to stop Hardy cold and save the game.

As a former high school coach who used to teach that anyone, however small, can tackle anyone, however big, if they just use proper technique, I was moved almost to tears by the Wilson's heart and execution on the play.

As a writer who earlier today juxtaposed Hardy's perfidy against the decency of DangeRuss, I couldn't have asked for a more direct demonstration of the relative athletic and moral merits of the two men.

In the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, with the Seahawks trailing, Wilson became superclutch, repeatedly eluding a fierce pass rush and hitting pass after pass to sustain the drive. 

On third down and seven on the Cowboy 16-yard line, Wilson rolled left, saw no one open and decided to run for the first down. 

It didn't seem possible. Two fleet Dallas defensive backs were in excellent position to stop him, but DangeRuss did what he does--dug down to find an extra gear no one knew existed--and outran and lunged forward for the first down.

Of course, it was the defense that kept us in the game.

Richard Sherman shut down Dez Bryant more totally than I'd dreamed possible. Our cornerback ran the receiver's routes better than Dez did, forcing Bryant to play defense to prevent at least two Sherman interceptions.

Whatever our defense did against the Dallas tight ends was even more impressive--I don't remember All-Pro Jason Witten making a single catch. (It's nice to see ex-Seahawk Ryan Hannam still playing.)

Bruce Irvin celebrated his birthday with a game-sealing sack

Late in the game, the defensive line made its presence felt, with just three or four men rushing the quarterback against one of the best front fives in the NFL. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril's crew effectively took over the game: Batting down balls, jarring Cassell's throwing arm, and effectively concluding the game with Bruce Irvin's triumphant birthday sack.

It was ugly. And glorious. But it was a win, and we'll take that every time.

Jerry Jones and Greg Hardy are both still rich, and they'll continue to menace society in the future, but at least for today, the Seahawks made them the losers they deserve to be.