Five Plays from the Fourth Quarter

Seattle put together a couple nice clock-killing drives to put this game away. It was a good quarter for Seahawks fans but not a terribly entertaining quarter. As a bit of a departure, here are five plays that I think everyone should take note of and remember.

5. 2-10-ARI 10 (:58) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson pass short right to 18-M.Komar to ARZ 13 for 3 yards (29-E.Thomas).

Seahawks have the game wrapped up but for the improbable to the point of being incredible. So letting Max Komar pad his stats can't hurt, right? Don't say that kind of ninny crap to Earl Thomas.

Arizona sets up a wide receiver screen out of a three wide receiver right formation. Komar receives and begins to set up his blockers, but screaming down from the third level is Thomas. He wraps and wrestles with Komar well after the whistle, and eventually forces a fumble. This play had no impact on the outcome of the game, and I loved every second of it.

4. 3-1-ARI 28 (10:02) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass deep right to 17-M.Williams to ARZ 12 for 16 yards (29-D.Rodgers-Cromartie).

Seattle's grind and pass strategy only worked because following the first and second down hand-offs to Marshawn Lynch was a third and whatever pass to Mike Williams. Williams was, in the competent and ever precise words of Brian Billick, "unstoppable." You won't hear a receiver catching five yard curls get that kind of recognition very often, but every third down converted was another significant step closer to victory for the Seahawks.

Williams starts on the right, opposite Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He runs a 15-yard curl down the field and as with almost every Williams reception, the window is his reach. He turns and shields Cromartie and plucks the pass from the air and tumbles down for 16 and the first.

3. 3-12-SEA 35 (4:57) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short middle to 17-M.Williams to SEA 42 for 7 yards (55-J.Porter). PENALTY on ARZ-90-D.Dockett, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at SEA 42.

The pass is nothing special, but you got to love Chris Spencer running over towards his downed receiver, seeing Darnell Dockett do his Darnell Dockett thing, something dirty, and turning towards the ref and pantomiming "Flag! Flag!" Spencer gets his wish, and a dead drive is reborn.

2. 2-8-ARI 41 (4:12) 8-M.Hasselbeck left end to ARZ 29 for 12 yards (25-K.Rhodes). Bootleg run.

I do not know how many chances we have left to truly cheer Matt Hasselbeck, but Qwest roared after this perfectly executed play action right, boot left for 12 and the first. This was play call gold.

1. 3-11-ARI 30 (3:03) 20-J.Forsett left tackle to ARZ 16 for 14 yards (58-D.Washington; 25-K.Rhodes).

Justin Forsett is the lightning in the Beast Force backfield, but he's no goddamn scatback. Force zips off left tackle, rips through an ankle tackle in the open field, breaks towards the left sideline, and right when everyone thinks he's cutting in, cutting out of bounds or lowering the shoulder to brace for Kerry Rhodes, Force drops and low-bridges Rhodes in bounds, keeping the clock running and Seahawks punching.