History of the Seattle Seahawks

Two weeks later the season highlight happened on October 30 when quarterback Jim Zorn came back from missing four games with an injury to throw four touchdown passes in a 56–17 win over the Buffalo Bills at the Kingdome.

A fake field goal pass from Zorn to kicker Efren Herrera led Howard Cosell to exclaim "the Seahawks are giving the nation a lesson in entertaining football!"

The good vibe was short-lived, as the next week the Seahawks set an NFL record for the lowest total offense in one game (minus 7 yards) in a 24–0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at the Kingdome.

A final game loss at home to Denver was a microcosm of the season, as the Seahawks squandered an early lead and an attempt at a game-tying field goal hit the upright as time expired.

In January 1996, Seahawks owner Ken Behring announced that he was moving the franchise to Los Angeles, where the team would play at Anaheim Stadium (the same venue that the Rams had abandoned for St. Louis, Missouri the previous year).

Under the new ownership, Bob Whitsitt was installed as president of the club and big-name players such as Chad Brown, Warren Moon, and Ricky Watters were brought in raising hopes in Seattle that a page had been turned.

This period was not without its memorable moments, specifically Vinny Testaverde's "Phantom Touchdown" in a regular season game, an officiating error that became a primary factor in the NFL's reinstatement of instant replay.

That year included a memorable 27–7 win over Holmgren's former team, the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football but despite a strong 8–2 start, the Seahawks lost 5 of their last 6 to close out the regular season 9–7.

Hasselbeck was replaced by former Super Bowl winner Trent Dilfer who steadied the ship and led the Seahawks to a 9–7 finish and a narrow playoff miss in the team's final season in the AFC.

The Seahawks repeated as NFC West champions with a 9–7 record; their season included a 34–24 pounding of the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football and a pair of two-point wins over the St. Louis Rams.

The Seattle Seahawks made little noise in free agency, although they did address their need for change at running back, by cutting oft-injured former league MVP Shaun Alexander and signing both speedster Julius Jones from the Dallas Cowboys and the more powerful T. J. Duckett from the Detroit Lions.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was also hounded by a back injury, which forced him off the field for a total of nine games, contributing to a six-game losing streak during the second half of the season.

A big splash was made in the free agency market when the Seahawks managed to land talented wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh from the Cincinnati Bengals and All-Pro running back Edgerrin James from division rival Arizona.

Down 14–10 late in the fourth quarter, Wilson orchestrated a 97-yard touchdown drive to take the lead, and when the Bears tied the game at the end of regulation, the Seahawks drove the ball another 80 yards in the first possession of overtime to seal a 23–17 win.

Wilson received an invitation to the 2013 Pro Bowl, along with running back Marshawn Lynch, offensive tackle Russell Okung, center Max Unger, free safety Earl Thomas, and kick returner Leon Washington.

In the offseason, the Seahawks looked to bolster their pass rush through free agency, signing defensive lineman Michael Bennett from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cliff Avril of the Detroit Lions.

Departures included running back Leon Washington who was released in the offseason, and fullback Michael Robinson who was cut during training camp, but returned to the team after injuries to Derrick Coleman and Spencer Ware.

Injuries to many of the starting offensive line players caused difficulties in the middle of the season, with left tackle Russell Okung and right tackle Breno Giacomini both missing long stretches of time, and although Percy Harvin dazzled the crowd with an acrobatic catch and a long punt return in the game against his former team in Week 11, a nagging hip injury kept him off the field for the rest of the season.

After Kam Chancellor intercepted a pass by Manning on the following drive, the Seahawks drove the ball 37 yards capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch to make the score 15–0.

On the very next drive, Manning was picked off yet again by Malcolm Smith, who returned the interception 69 yards for a touchdown, blowing the game wide open with a 22–0 lead that the Seahawks eventually took into the locker room for halftime.

After their first-round bye, they defeated the Carolina Panthers, the second team in NFL history to qualify for the postseason (and win a playoff game) in a full season with a losing (sub-.500) record, in the Divisional round by a score of 31–17.

After a successful Mason Crosby field goal, Seattle's defense then managed to force Green Bay to punt at 5:00 left in regulation, giving them the ball on their own 31-yard line.

After the ensuing kickoff, Green Bay managed to quickly drive downfield and kick a field goal with 14 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.

The Seahawks made it a game in the second half, bringing the score all the way back to 31–24, but failed to recover an onside kick in the final two minutes of play to seal their fate.

Tight ends Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson, wide receiver Paul Richardson, and running back Thomas Rawls all departed in free agency.

[56] The Seahawks managed to rally past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40–34 in overtime, with Russell Wilson throwing a season high 5 touchdowns, with Jacob Hollister, picked up off waivers from the New England Patriots and Tyler Lockett caught two apiece.

The Seahawks played a thriller on the road against the 8-0 San Francisco 49ers, prevailing in a consecutive overtime game, 27–24, with Jason Myers making the game-winning field goal as time expired.

[57] The Seahawks rebounded against the Carolina Panthers 30–24, clinching a playoff spot, but lost their final two consecutive home divisional games, including a nail-biting week 17 rematch with the 49ers in which Jacob Hollister fell just inches from the goalline on 4th and goal.

[82] The Seahawks started off the season 2–2, including a week two matchup with the Titans in which they surrendered 183 yards and three rushing touchdowns to Derrick Henry and lost in overtime despite a 14-point fourth quarter lead.

[83] During the third quarter of the team's week five matchup against the Rams, quarterback Russell Wilson dislocated his right middle finger when hit defender Aaron Donald while attempting a pass.