Walk on the Wild Card Side

No, I will not give Mark Sanchez credit for the Jets' win, because the Colts lost that game. Couldn't get a first down, left too much time on the clock, couldn't stop the Jets from getting a field goal. Whatever. It was a ridiculously boring game. (I suppose I should cut Sanchez some slack; it's not him I hate, it's his coach and his fans. But it all seems to bleed together.)

Instead, let's talk about Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks' running back. For some reason I could never understand, Marshawn, affectionately known in this house as "The Ugliest Man in Football," was traded to Seattle by the Buffalo Bills for two bags of chips earlier this year. I've always admired how hard he works, and how when he's on the field, he always runs at full capacity. It was nice to see him play for a team I really like (sorry, Buffalo. It's not you, it's me).

A little background: The Seahawks won their division with a 7-9 record. It's the first time in history a team has won a division and gone to the playoffs with a losing record. Sort of an ignominious achievement.

But even though they were 11-point underdogs at home (against the 11-5 wild card Saints), the Seahawks not only took the early lead, but took it big. At the end of the third quarter, the Seahawks were up 34 to 20 against the champion Saints. But then the Saints started coming back. The famous 12th Man crowd was silent, all emotion sucked out of them. The Seahawks defense looked exhausted and lax. The Saints looked calm and collected. Mark and I were watching with a mixture of excitement and horror (we like the Saints, and we like the Seahawks...it was very stressful for us). The Saints were one possession away from the lead, and, in all likelihood, the win.

But then, in the last few minutes, just as the Saints had pulled to within four points, Marshawn Lynch ripped off a glorious 67-yard run, breaking 8 tackles, and LEVELING Tracy Porter on his way to the endzone. The crowd went WILD, and didn't shut up until the game was over. We screamed and danced in the kitchen. The Seahawks pulled off one of the biggest upsets in playoffs history. It might not have been the longest touchdown run ever, but for us, it was nothing short of spectacular. Granted, the Seahawks were in the lead, so Marshawn's run was kind of the icing on the cake, but it was some damn sweet, and unexpected, icing.