Welcome back, Seahawks! Seattle roars back to life with victory over Colts



SEATTLE – And in the eighth half, the Seattle Seahawks came to life.

After yet another sputtering start, the Seahawks roared to life in the second half Sunday night, putting points on the board seemingly at will as they rolled to a much-needed 46-18 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a primetime game at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle’s offense went from geek to chic in a hurry in the third quarter, as the Seahawks shrugged off Russell Wilson’s first two interceptions of the year and a painful first half to score 22 points in a little more than five minutes – with a little help from the defense, of course.

The explosion began with the first drive of the second half, as the Seahawks drove 84 yards and scored on a 23-yard Wilson scramble, capped by a beautiful 2-point conversion pass to Doug Baldwin. Two series later, they erupted again as J.D. McKissic’s 30-yard touchdown run capped a 75-yard drive that put the Seahawks up 25-18.

Then, on the ensuing Colts series, Bobby Wagner scooped up a Jacoby Brissett fumble and ran it back 21 yards to put the Seahawks up 32-18, breaking the game open, igniting the crowd and introducing hope that the team’s 1-2 record out of the gate was just another in a run of slow starts.

"I felt like everybody had the ability to turn it up a notch, and that's what we did," Wagner said.

Wagner wasn't the only Seahawks defender with a score; Justin Coleman's 28-yard pick-6 in the second quarter put the Seahawks up 10-2.

It was one of those games where it was hard to pick out a star because so many Seahawks played so well. McKissic, however, had a breakout game, carrying the ball four times for 38 yards and a touchdown, and hauling in an incredible 27-yard catch for another score.

"It's a blessing to prepare the way I did all season, come in ready and take every opportunity," McKissic said.



Tyler Lockett had four catches for 67 yards, Paul Richardson had three for 65 yards, and Graham did have four catches for 61 yards.

Wilson had an efficient game, completing 21 of 26 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns after a slow start, and rushing four times for 38 yards.

"He was hitting people on the move, he was throwing dimes," Richard Sherman said after the game.

Eddie Lacy had 11 carries for 52 yards, and Chris Carson had 12 carries for 42 yards before leaving with an ugly injury.

That injury, in fact, was the headline in the “bad news" column. Carson went down in the second half and left the game with an air cast after what appeared to be a brutal injury to his left leg. Carroll later said it was a "significant ankle injury," and said the team was waiting on an MRI to determine a prognosis.

Cliff Avril also left the game, with a neck injury in the first half, and didn’t return.

"I'm talking about a guy in Chris Carson - nobody works harder than him," Wilson said after the game. "Unfortunately on that play, you could hear something, and that's never good."

Other bad news? Jimmy Graham continued to have some ugly moments, as both of Wilson’s interceptions came on Graham targets. The second, in the third quarter, was particularly egregious as Wilson hit an open Graham in the hands, only to watch the ball skip out and into the waiting arms of Malik Hooker, who returned it 29 yards as Rees Odhiambo writhed on the ground hurt. Odhiambo got back up and returned, but it was a brutal turn of events with the Seahawks up 18-15. Carroll said after the game that Odhiambo suffered a chest injury and had difficulty breathing, and would spend the night in the hospital.

There was also a worrisome moment from kicker Blair Walsh. The Seahawks had a chance to close a 15-10 gap at the end of the first half, driving 56 yards in four plays highlighted by Wilson’s 37-yard pass to Paul Richardson. But Blair Walsh shanked a 37-yard field goal attempt that bounced off the right post as time expired, killing what promised to be a momentum-building turn of events.

The Seahawks will visit what looks to be their top rival in the NFC West next Sunday, the 3-1 Los Angeles Rams, in a 1:05 p.m. game. It will be their final matchup before the bye week.