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Just when it looked as if Russell Wilson had led another magical game-winning drive for the Seattle Seahawks, the defense collapsed in the span of four plays, allowing the Washington Redskins to snatch a season-saving 17-14 win at CenturyLink Field. Seattle no longer is in first-place in the NFC West and is in fact currently out of the playoffs as things stand at the halfway point of the season.
There is something about Washington that just makes them win in Seattle. They are now 4-2 all-time at CenturyLink Field, with both defeats coming in postseason play, when they were starting such great quarterbacks like 2005 Mark Brunell and 2007 Todd Collins. Yes, incredibly, Washington has never lost a regular season game at CenturyLink.
On November 3rd, 2002, Washington won 14-3 at what was then known as “Seahawks Stadium,” as Shane Matthews threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, and then held Seattle scoreless after halftime. This was one of the low points in the 2002 Seahawks season, as they fell to 2-6, but they rallied to finish with the same 7-9 record as Washington.
November 27th, 2008, the Seahawks were down 20-17 and looking for an upset over Jim Zorn’s side. They were given a lifeline with a Ladell Betts fumble when Washington was trying to run the clock out, but Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception on the very next play to end hopes of a comeback. Washington’s QB that day was Jason Campbell.
November 23rd, 2011, with potential to turn a 3-6 season into a possible wild card run, the Seahawks held a 17-7 fourth quarter lead against an eventual 5-11 dumpster fire of a Washington team, but Roy Helu Jr. famously hurdled over Roy Lewis on his way to a touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-14, and then Rex Grossman threw the go-ahead 50-yard score to Anthony Armstrong. Seattle would lose 23-17.
Fast forward to November 5th, 2017, and the Seahawks once again stumble against the same team, and this was by far the worst one. It’s a small sample size and noting more than a goofy fun fact, but it’s incredible nevertheless.
Only the Arizona Cardinals (6) have more road wins at CenturyLink Field than Washington, who are level with the San Francisco 49ers. Even including the playoffs, Washington is the only road team with a winning record at Seattle since 2002, and they’ve just revived their season.
This was a disgraceful loss against a banged up team, and it might cost the Seahawks the NFC West down the road, and if they’re not careful, the consequences could be much much worse when you look at who Seattle faces in December.