Week 13 Game Recap: Seattle Seahawks 23, Denver Broncos 20

What you need to know

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle took advantage of Denver’s mistake filled game to pull out a last minute victory. 13 of the Seahawks’ 23 points came off turnovers, and Josh Brown made his fourth last minute, game winning field goal of the season. Despite being thoroughly outplayed in the first half, the Seahawks found a way to claw back in the second half and take the game from Denver.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck didn’t have a good game, as he was bothered by his broken left hand and sore right knee. He favored targets were Darrell Jackson and Jerramy Stevens, but he didn’t connect for any scores and was frequently off-target. Jackson had the best game of any receiver, although he suffered some drops early on.

Shaun Alexander started the game poorly, as he couldn’t find any rushing lanes and went into halftime with 15 yards on nine carries. He had a much better second half, as the Denver rush defense wore down. He finished with 90 yards on 26 carries and a fourth quarter touchdown.

The defense was the real story for the Seahawks, as they pressured Denver’s rookie quarter Jay Cutler all night, forcing three turnovers from him. They tightened as the game went along, and their ability to take the ball away from Denver proved the difference in the game.

Kicker Josh Brown missed two kicks early in the game, but more than redeemed himself with three fourth quarter makes, including the 50 yarder with less than ten seconds left that won the game.

Denver Broncos

The Jay Cutler era began in Denver, but it wasn’t a successful beginning. Cutler showed good arm strength and the ability to make tough throws, but he mostly showed poor decision making and a tendency to turn the ball over. His three turnovers (part of a five turnover game by Denver) led directly to 13 Seattle points, and ultimately made the difference in the game.

His favorite targets were Javon Walker and rookie tight end Tony Scheffler. He threw two touchdowns, one each to tight end Stephen Alexander and rookie wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall’s touchdown was particularly impressive as he turned a short pass into a long gain thanks to his speed, some nice moves, and several broken tackles.

Tatum Bell had an excellent game running the ball, particularly in the first half. He finished with 133 yards on 23 carries, his best rushing output of the season. Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell also contributed on the ground for a 181 yard rushing game by the Broncos. The running game was mostly non-existent in the second-half though, as Denver struggled with turnovers and the Seahawks’ took the lead.

The defense played very well but suffered another late game collapse. They continue to play admirably despite being put into tough situations by their offense. Their first half play was extremely stout, but they were clearly playing tired at the end of the game. They lost one of their leaders in the second half when middle linebacker Al Wilson had to be carted off the field with an apparent neck injury. In-game reporter Andrea Kramer indicated that the Broncos thought he was ok, and was being taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.

Kicker Jason Elam was also injured, as he tweaked his left (non-kicking leg) hamstring on a fake field goal. He took a toss from his holder, Jake Plummer, and ran for a first down, but hurt his leg during the run. He proceeded to make a field goal on the next play as well as a fourth quarter PAT, but he was clearly in pain.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 16 - 28 - 168 - 0 TD / 1 INT

Hasselbeck was affected by his injured left (non-throwing) hand and still-sore knee, contributing to an off game. He managed to complete 57% of his passes, but was regularly off target. Hasselbeck threw no touchdowns, and one interception. The interception came on a play when he targeted Darrell Jackson deep down the right sideline, but Champ Bailey picked it off in the endzone. Hasselbeck was only sacked once. His favorite targets were Jackson and tight end Jerramy Stevens.

RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 26 - 90 - 1, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets)

Alexander started slowly in this one, earning 15 yards on nine first-half carries. He got things going in the second half, though, finishing the game with 90 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and 26 carries.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 3 - 7 - 0

Morris had a few carriers to spell starter Shaun Alexander.

RB Mack Strong, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets)

Strong had two early targets but dropped them both and didn’t see any more the rest of the game.

WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 6 - 91 - 0 (10 targets)

Jackson was Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite target, earning double digit looks. He led Seattle in receptions and receiving yards. Jackson dropped several of his initial looks in the game, and was the target on Hasselbeck’s lone interception. He had a couple of big gains (27 and 33) on Seattle’s second-half touchdown drive.

WR Deion Branch, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (3 targets)

Branch caught all three balls thrown his way. He was third on the team in targets.

WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (2 targets)

In addition to return duties, Burleson caught both passes thrown his way. Both targets came in the second half of the game.

WR D.J. Hackett, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets)

Hackett made one catch for a first down on Seattle’s game winning drive.

TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (6 targets)

Stevens was second on the team in targets, but had a hard time holding on to the ball.

TE Will Heller, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets)

Heller’s only look came in the second quarter.

PK Josh Brown 3 - 5 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points

Brown missed his first two field goals, but more than made up for them with makes from 44, 23, and 50 yards, all in the fourth quarter. His 50 yarder gave the Seahawks the lead with less than ten seconds left. Brown also made both of his PATs.

SEA Rush Defense

The Seattle rush defense was abused by Tatum Bell, but most of the damage was done in the first half. Bell finished with 133 yards, while the entire Denver squad earned 181. 134 of these yards came in the first half, while only 47 came in the second. They gave up no scores.

SEA Pass Defense

Seattle’s pass defense harassed rookie quarterback Jay Cutler all night. They sacked him three times, forced two fumbles (one of which they recovered), and intercepted him twice. Darryl Tapp returned the first interception for a touchdown. The second interception was tipped at the line by Grant Wistrom and caught by Jordan Babineaux, which led directly to Josh Brown’s second field goal of the fourth quarter. The pass defense, specifically the pass rush, did an excellent job of making Cutler uncomfortable and forcing him into mistakes.

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 10 - 21 - 143 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 10 - 0

Cutler’s first NFL start was an inauspicious one. He turned the ball over three times, giving Seattle points and excellent field position, and ultimately was the difference in the game. Cutler’s first career interception was one he’d like to forget. He attempted to avoid a sack by throwing a ball up for grabs, but it was caught by Darryl Tapp and returned for a touchdown. It was a classic example of a rookie trying to do too much---he should have taken the sack. His second interception was tipped at the line; it was intended for Rod Smith.

Cutler most often targeted Javon Walker and fellow rookie, tight end Tony Scheffler. He did throw two touchdowns, to Stephen Alexander and rookie wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Cutler made some nice throws during the game, but for the most part showed poor decision-making and ultimately made too many mistakes for his team to overcome. It was a mixed first outing for the rookie quarterback.

RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 23 - 133 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets)

Bell had an excellent first half, and it was good enough to make him have a good game. He consistently ripped off big runs early in the game, including gains of 25, 31, and 17 yards. Tatum Bell only gained 22 yards in the second-half though, and wasn’t much of a factor during the critical part of the game.

RB Mike Bell, Rush: 4 - 12 - 0

Bell had a few carries to spell starter Tatum Bell. He wasn’t much of a factor in the game.

RB Cedric Cobbs (1 targets)

Sapp caught Cutler’s first ever NFL completion, for a one yard gain. He had a nice run in a short yardage situation that went for a 20 yard gain.

WR Javon Walker, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (7 targets)

Walker was Cutler’s favorite target, but the passes weren’t always on target, and he only managed to snag two of them. Cutler threw deep to Walker several times, but they were either off-target or thrown into tight coverage.

WR Rod Smith, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets)

Smith only caught one of the balls thrown his way, and fumbled it when he was tackled, the ball was recovered by Seattle. It was not a very good game for Smith.

WR Nate Jackson, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets)

Jackson had one catch in the first half.

WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 1 - 71 - 1 (1 targets)

Marshall’s only target in the game was a big one. He caught a short pass on the right side of the field that he turned up field, broke several Seattle tackles, and sprinted past the last line of defense for a 71 yard score. The touchdown pulled Denver to a 20-all tie late in the fourth quarter.

TE Stephen Alexander, Rec: 2 - 16 - 1 (2 targets)

Alexander caught both of his second quarter targets, the latter of which went for a seven yard touchdown—the first of Cutler’s career.

TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (4 targets)

Scheffler was Cutler’s second favorite target, but he only caught one ball.

PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points

Elam made both of his first half field goals, from 37 and 41 yards each. He also made both of his PATs. Elam hurt his leg on an odd fake field goal late in the first half. Holder Jake Plummer flipped him the ball and he ran for the first down, but it appeared he tweaked his left hamstring (plant leg) on the play. It was late in the first half, so the first goal only gave Elam a shorter field goal attempt, which he made, but he was in obvious pain after making it. He made his only attempt in the second half, a point after touchdown, but it was clear his hamstring was bothering him.

DEN Rush Defense

The Denver rush defense was solid in the first half, but ended up giving up 108 total yards and a Shaun Alexander touchdown. They seemed to grow tired as the game went on, and gave up more and more yards the later the game went. They forced no turnovers.

DEN Pass Defense

The Denver pass defense was solid, only allowing 168 yards from Matt Hasselbeck and giving up no scores. Champ Bailey intercepted Hasselbeck in the end zone, preventing a potential Seattle score. Hasselbeck hooked up with Jackson late in the game for a couple of big gains that led to Seattle’s second touchdown. The pass rush got to Hasselbeck once—an Elvis Dumervil sack.