Seahawks vs. Washington score: Seattle derails Dwayne Haskins' comeback attempt, NFC East race opens up

Both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Football Team fought to the very end in their Week 15 matchup, but it was Russell Wilson and Co. who came out on top, 20-15. It took two full quarters, but second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins finally found some rhythm in the second half. He led two touchdown drives in a row during a 12-0 Washington run, but couldn't lead a third consecutive scoring drive to keep Washington's four-game win streak alive.

Haskins completed 38 of 55 passes for 295 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Tight end Logan Thomas was his primary target, as he caught a career-high 13 passes for 101 yards. Once again, it was Washington's defense who kept this game close, as they held the Seahawks to just 302 total yards of offense.

Wilson didn't have his typical explosive performance, as he threw for just 121 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Chris Carson led the attack on the ground, as he rushed for 63 yards on 15 carries. The Seahawks just needed to record a win to keep pace with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West, and they took care of business on Sunday. The loss for Washington, meanwhile, opens up the NFC East race if the New York Giants and/or Philadelphia Eagles can record a win later on Sunday. Even the Dallas Cowboys are now just one game out of first place with their win over the San Francisco 49ers!

Why the Seahawks won

The 10-4 Seahawks officially clinched a spot in the postseason with their win on Sunday, but it remains to be seen whether they can clinch the division or just contend as a wild card. A big reason Seattle came out on top in Week 15 was because the offense was able to establish a big lead early on. The Seahawks didn't do anything special on offense this week, but they didn't necessarily have to. Jason Myers converted on a couple of field goals to start things off and then Wilson orchestrated a 10-play, 97-yard drive that resulted in a Jacob Hollister score, the first touchdown of the game. 

Seattle secured a double-digit lead at halftime, but they didn't stop there. Just four plays into the third quarter, Carlos Hyde broke loose for a 50-yard score to extend the lead to 17 points. Washington did mount an impressive fourth-quarter comeback, but just could not overcome the lead that Seattle had already established.

Why Washington lost

While Seattle won because of its fast start, Washington lost because of its slow start. The offense recorded just 33 yards of total offense in the first quarter, while Haskins completed just 5 of 8 passes for eight yards. It really looked like we were about to witness a blowout, but Haskins eventually hit some passes downfield and found a way to keep the chains moving. In fact, Washington actually recorded 10 more first downs than Seattle did on Sunday! The first half was an indictment on how low Haskins' lows can be, but you have to commend him for how he bounced back in the second half. 

Turning point

On second-and-long with Washington 23 yards from the end zone and the game on the line, that's when Seattle's defense stepped up. Haskins was sacked two times in a row to force what was virtually a fourth-and-goal from the 37-yard line. The first sack came from L.J. Collier and the second came from Carlos Dunlap, who made the game-winning sack on Kyler Murray earlier this season. The Seahawks defense as a whole was pretty impressive on Sunday, as they picked off Haskins twice and kept Washington's offense at bay for three full quarters. They could be the X-factor for how deep Seattle could potentially advance in the postseason. 

Play of the game

We saw a few interceptions on Sunday, but that's expected out of defensive backs. It's certainly not expected out of defensive linemen! Seemingly every week, I'm astounded by how Washington's defensive line can carry the defense as a whole. After Washington scored its first touchdown of the game, Montez Sweat batted a Wilson pass up in the air, and Daron Payne came down with it. 

That's a play made by two first-round picks on the defensive line. Once the offense got the ball back, Haskins led an 11-play, 64-yard drive which resulted in Washington's second touchdown of the game and cut the deficit to five points. If Washington does indeed make the playoffs, it's going to be fun to watch this defense try to will this team to victory. 

What's next

The Seahawks return to Seattle next week where they will host the Rams in an important divisional matchup. They then travel to take on the San Francisco 49ers to close out the regular season on Jan. 3. As for Washington, it will host Rivera's former team in the Carolina Panthers next Sunday and then play the Eagles in Philadelphia on Jan. 3 to close out the year.