
Wilson-Watson a showdown for the ages
Seahawks' Russell Wilson throws for 452 yards and four touchdowns, one-upping Texans' Deshaun Watson, who throws for 402 yards and four TDs.
The situation: National anthem before Seattle-Houston game.
The play: The majority of Houston Texans players kneeled and linked arms during the national anthem. Approximately 10 players stood. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and rookie running back D'Onta Foreman missed Friday's practice after Texans owner Bob McNair compared NFL players to "inmates" during the Oct. 18 meeting where owners talked about business concerns related to the anthem protests. "We're all grown men, and once the ball is getting ready to kick, we go back and play football." -- DeShaun Watson on the pregame controversy AP Photo/Elaine Thompson The situation: On the opening drive of the game, Deshaun Watson and the Texans offense face second-and-11 at their own 41-yard line.
The play: Watson drops back and locates receiver Will Fuller V running free behind the Seahawks "Legion of Boom" defense and connects with Fuller for a 59-yard touchdown pass to give the Texans a 7-0 lead. "Just kind of lackadaisical in the first half, to say the least." -- Richard Sherman on the play of the Seahawks' defense AP Photo/Stephen Brashear The situation: Watson faces a third-and-10 at Seahawks' 29-yard line.
The play: Seahawks safety Earl Thomas gets even with Watson after giving up the long TD play the previous series to Fuller. On Watson's short pass over the middle for Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Thomas jumps in front of Hopkins and races 78 yards untouched for the pick-6 to tie score 7-7. "It's the plays that he doesn't make, the plays where the quarterback goes away from his guy, because he was already there. It was a dead play in the water. That make the biggest difference." -- Richard Sherman on Earl Thomas AP Photo/Elaine Thompson The situation: Tied 7-7 with 10:08 remaining in the first quarter, the Texans take over at their own 18-yard line.
The play: Watson completes 4-of-5 passes and mixes in the run well to put together an eight-play, 82-yard drive. Lamar Miller runs it in from 3 yards out for the touchdown and a 14-7 Texans lead. Seattle entered the day with two points and no touchdowns allowed in the first quarter. This is the second time since 2012 the Seahawks have allowed 14 points in the first quarter of a home game (2016 Week 9 vs Bills), according to ESPN Stats and Information. "Their offense, you gotta give them credit, you know. I'm not trying to take anything away from them, we just also didn't execute." -- Richard Sherman AP Photo/Stephen Brashear The situation: Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense face a second-and-10 from the Houston 20-yard line.
The play: In classic Wilson style, he avoids the rush and spins out to his left. Wilson locates Paul Richardson running from right to left in the end zone and throws a 20-yard dart to Richardson, who makes a diving catch to tie the game at 14-14. "It's a contract year for him, so you're happy to see that guy have this kind of success. Hopefully, he continues to have this level of success." -- Richard Sherman on Paul Richardson Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports The situation: Tied 14-14, the Texans put together another impressive drive against the Seattle defense, facing second-and-8 from the Seahawks' 20-yard line with 9:34 left in the second quarter.
The play: Watson takes the snap out of the shotgun and fakes the handoff to Miller before pump-faking a pass to Bruce Ellington only to turn the other way and fire a strike to a leaping Fuller in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead. It's the second touchdown catch of the game for Fuller and seventh on the season, which leads the NFL, despite the fact that he did not make his season debut until Week 4. He has caught multiple TDs in three of his four games played. "He's a deep threat, he has a lot of speed, and he's very, very smart." -- DeShaun Watson on Will Fuller AP Photo/Elaine Thompson The situation: Trailing 21-14, the Seahawks have a first-and-goal at the Texans' 7-yard line after Wilson connected with Tanner McEvoy for 53 yards on the previous play.
The play: Rolling to his left, Wilson locates Richardson in the end zone for his second touchdown reception of the game to tie the score at 21-21. "Really, he had three touchdowns, you know, if you think about it." -- Russell Wilson on Paul Richardson Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images The situation: The Seahawks have a first-and-goal at the Houston 8-yard line after Richard Sherman picks off Watson at the Houston 35-yard line, his first interception of the season. Sherman returns the ball 19 yards and Houston offensive tackle Duane Brown is called for unnecessary roughness.
The play: Sherman's key interception leads to a Blair Walsh 21-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a 27-24 lead. "It's nice to get your monkey off your back, to get the first two out of the way." -- Richard Sherman on his first interception of the year Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports The situation: The Texans trail Seattle 27-24 with 11:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The play: The Seahawks, who have not allowed a touchdown in the fourth quarter all season, watch Watson connect with DeAndre Hopkins for 34 yards and then Will Fuller for 36 yards to move the ball to the Seattle 2-yard line. Watson drops back to pass and is pressured immediately, spins around to brush off a tackler. He rolls to his right and finds Miller in the end zone for a 2-yard TD pass and a 31-27 lead after the extra point. That's three TD passes in the game for Watson, who has 18 on the season, tying him with Kurt Warner for the most after the first seven games to start a career. "Has there ever been a rookie to do that? ... Maybe Vick, from time to time... he's gonna be a special player in this league." -Richard Sherman on DeShaun Watson Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Sports The situation: Trailing 31-27, the Seahawks move into scoring position after Russell Wilson connects with Tyler Lockett on a 54-yard pass to the Texans' 21-yard line. The Seahawks score on a 7-yard TD to Richardson, but the score is nullified on a chop block by Thomas Rawls. Facing a second-and-goal at Houston's 21, an interference penalty against Jimmy Graham puts the ball at the 1-yard line.
The play: Wilson fakes the ball to Eddie Lacy, rolls right and finds a wide open Jimmy Graham in the back of the end zone to give the Seahawks a 34-31 lead with 5:37 left in the game. "Jimmy's a special player. We expect him to play great because he puts the work in." -- Russell Wilson on Jimmy Graham AP Photo/Elaine Thompson The situation: The Texans try to answer a Seahawks touchdown that puts Seattle up 34-31 with 5:37 remaining in the game.
The play: Watson throws a quick pass to Hopkins, who follows his blocks early and breaks free in the Seattle secondary, racing 72 yards for a touchdown and a 38-34 Texans lead. That gives Watson 19 touchdown passes, the most in NFL history for a player in his first seven career games. It also puts Watson above 400 yards passing for the first time in his young career. The last rookie with 400 yards and four touchdowns in a game was Matthew Stafford in 2009, according to ESPN Stats and Information. "You gotta thank No. 4 for putting the ball in my hands, giving me the chance to make plays." -- DeAndre Hopkins Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports The situation: The Seahawks begin a drive at their own 20 trailing the Texans 38-34. After completions of 48 yards to Richardson and 18 yards to Tyler Lockett, Seattle has a first-and-10 at Houston's 18-yard line.
The play: Wilson drops back and hits wide open Graham down the middle of the defense for a game-winning 18-yard touchdown. "He gets open a lot. That was pretty open. " -- Russell Wilson on Jimmy Graham Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images




