NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Each NFL team’s out of nowhere season

By Randy Gurzi

15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19.
15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
29 of 32
Next
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Seattle Seahawks: The Russell Wilson era began

Everyone thought Pete Carroll was crazy. After two 7-9 seasons as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Carroll and the front office went out and landed Matt Flynn in free agency. Flynn was given a three-year, $20.5 million deal, which seemed to guarantee the former Green Bay Packers backup would be the starter.

However, Carroll didn’t want to just hand him the ball, so he allowed Tarvaris Jackson and third-round pick Russell Wilson to compete with Flynn. In the end, Wilson came out on top and was named the starter.

This shocked some because Wilson is listed at just 5-foot-11 and quarterbacks under 6-foot have very rarely found success. It was also surprising to see a team give the ball to a day-two pick after agreeing to terms with a free agent such as Flynn, who was considered a legitimate starting option at the time.

Taking advantage of stellar defense and crazy home-field advantage, Wilson led the Seahawks to an unblemished home record of 8-0. Wilson completed 64.1 percent of his passes and had just 10 interceptions on the season while tying Peyton Manning’s mark for the most touchdown passes as a rookie with 26. The record has since been topped by Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.

Wilson was aided by ‘Beast Mode’ Marshawn Lynch, who bowled over defenders to the tune of 1,590 yards and 11 scores. It was also when we started to see names such as Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Earl Thoma, and Kam Chancellor begin to rise to superstardom.

The Seahawks ended up losing in the NFC Divisional round to the Atlanta Falcons on a last-second field goal, but this set up a run of two straight Super Bowl appearances, which included a win after the 2013 NFL season.

Home/All-Time Lists