The Seattle Seahawks didn't need a touchdown to beat the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. Instead, they needed six field goals. The game should have never been this close. Indy was too banged-up to be overly competitive. As it turns out, they could have won.
They dominated field position and time of possession in the first half with a series of don't-do-too-much series. Unretired quarterback Philip Rivers was mostly brilliant, if statistically underwhelming. He almost did enough to get Indianapolis the victory. A miracle one.
The Colts even took the lead with 47 seconds left, 16-15 on a 60-yard field goal by another redemption story, kicker Blake Grupe. But the Seahawks had the better kicker, one who won Special Teams Player of the Month for November. He might win it again in December.
Jason Myers just saved the Seattle Seahawks season in Week 15
Myers left no doubt on any of his field goal attempts, when even a miss would have cost Seattle much more than a game. Instead, Seattle's hopes for winning the NFC West would likely have been dashed, and potentially, maybe the playoffs would have been slipping away.
Yet, every time the Seahawks had to have a score, Jason Myers was true. He was so good, in fact, that head coach Mike Macdonald kept calling a timeout when the Colts were driving for their last-minute field goal because Macdonald knew that if his kicker had a chance to win the game, he would.
Thankfully, Jason Myers was true on a 56-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the game, one that would have been good from 65 yards. With that, Seattle took an 18-16 lead, the second time Seattle has won a game without scoring a touchdown in franchise history.
Seattle also ended any immediate Disney-type story for Colts quarterback Rivers. Had he left his high school football coaching gig, returned after not playing for five seasons, and defeated the Seahawks in Seattle, stories would have been written about it for years in Indianapolis. That now will have to wait at least a week.
The Seattle Seahawks are now 11-3, in a firm position to make the postseason, and with a win on Thursday Night Football in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams, in a position to win the division. The team can thank Jason Myers for that.