The Seattle Seahawks’ Jason Myers on Monday kicked a 42-yard field goal as overtime expired to give them a 27-24 victory over the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers in an NFL thriller.
In a wild drama filled with stellar defensive plays and each team missing a chance to win in overtime, the Seahawks improved to 8-2, while dropping the 49ers to 8-1, still a half-game atop Seattle in the National Football Conference West Division.
“I don’t ever remember playing in a game that was so crazy, back and forth and back and forth,” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. “It was an incredible game.”
Photo: AFP
Deadlocked 24-24 after regulation time, the epic matchup needed the full 10 extra minutes to decide a winner.
Wilson completed 24-of-34 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown, but delivered his first interception in 119 throws to nearly doom the Seahawks.
The 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo completed 24-of-46 passes for 248 yards, also with a touchdown and an interception.
The drama intensified in overtime as Wilson drove the Seahawks deep into 49ers territory, but was intercepted to Dre Greenlaw at the 49ers’ four-yard line to thwart the threat.
The 49ers marched to the Seahawks 29-yard line before being stopped, but rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin, signed only four days ago as an injury fill-in, was wide left on a 47-yard field goal attempt with 3:06 remaining.
After an exchange of punts, the Seahawks took over with 85 seconds remaining at their 36-yard line. Wilson scrambled for 21 yards on third down to put the Seahawks in field goal range, setting up the winning kick by Myers.
“We knew this game was going to come down to the wire,” Wilson said. “Any time there’s a chance, we think we’ll find a way.”
It was the Seahawks’ third win this season in games where they trailed by 10 or more points.
“Our defensive unit had a great game,” Wilson said. “That was a team win. That’s what championship teams do.”
Only reigning Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots (8-1) have as many wins as the 49ers and the Seahawks.
Myers hit a 46-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a 24-21 lead with 1:45 remaining, but McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal equalized with one second remaining to force over-time.
McLaughlin had only been signed on Thursday last week after veteran 49er kicker Robbie Gould suffered a quad injury in practice last week.
The Seahawks had a 21-10 lead when the 49ers struck back on a key defensive play.
Wilson was sacked and lost a fumble that 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner returned 12 yards for a touchdown.
Garoppolo flipped a pass to Kendrick Bourne for a two-point conversion that lifted the hosts within 21-18 and McLaughlin lifted them level on a 39-yard field goal with 6:21 remaining in regulation.
Wilson threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Hollister and, after Jadeveon Clowney sacked Garoppolo and recovered a fumble at the 49ers’ 24-yard line, Cris Carson scored on a one-yard run for a 21-10 Seahawks edge.
Clowney returned a Garoppolo fumble 10 yards for a touchdown with 2:51 remaining in the second quarter to pull the Seahawks within 10-7 at halftime.
The 49ers seized a 10-0 lead on Garoppolo’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Bourne late in the first quarter after McLaughlin kicked a 43-yard field goal to cap the opening drive.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was