The NFC Championship tested the mettle of the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, who despite their vaunted 12th man being in a frenzy needed heroics and luck to get past the Green Bay Packers. In the end, two Seahawks who struggled all day long left the field as heroes.
Russell Wilson, who threw four interceptions, two of which bounced off the hands of wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, connected on a 35-yard score in overtime that helped the champs reach their second straight Super Bowl.
"Just making the plays at the end and keep believing," Wilson said through tears after the game. "There was no doubt ... we had no doubt as a team."
Certainly plenty were doubting they’d get an opportunity to repeat during the game. They were behind 19-7 and Wilson had thrown his fourth interception of the day when the tide turned. Green Bay became conservative after the fourth interception, running and punting the ball away. Seattle’s running game awoke; the Seahawks quickly scored, then miraculously recovered an onside kick that bounced through the hands of Packers tight end Brandon Bostick.
Seattle scored again, then got a two-point conversion from a scrambling Wilson. The vaunted Seattle D let Aaron Rodgers march the Packers back down the field and Mason Crosby tied it with a field goal. In overtime Seattle won the coin toss.
And Rodgers never got the ball back. Seattle will be moving on to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX after they thrashed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7.
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