2012 Seattle Seahawks season

2012 Seattle Seahawks season
Head coach	Pete Carroll
General manager	John Schneider
Owner	Paul Allen
Home field	CenturyLink Field
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	2nd NFC West
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Redskins) 24–14 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Falcons) 30–28
Pro Bowlers	6 RB Marshawn Lynch OT Russell Okung FS Earl Thomas C Max Unger KR Leon Washington QB Russell Wilson
AP All-Pros	4 CB Richard Sherman C Max Unger FS Earl Thomas RB Marshawn Lynch

The 2012 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 37th season in the National Football League and the third under head coach Pete Carroll. The Seahawks had a three quarterback competition with Tarvaris Jackson, Matt Flynn, and Russell Wilson. Jackson was traded to the Bills, and Wilson won the job.

The Seahawks improved upon their record of 7–9 from last season and had their first winning season since 2007. The team was 4–0 during the preseason, and during the regular season, their 11 victories was the third best in franchise history. The Seahawks went undefeated at home for the third time in franchise history, after 2003 and 2005. Additionally, with their victory over the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field in the wildcard round, the Seahawks won their first road playoff game in almost 30 years. However, despite holding a lead with just 30 seconds left in regulation, the Seahawks lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round by a score of 30–28.

New logo and uniform

On April 3, 2012, Nike unveiled the new design for the uniforms and logo for the Seahawks. The new designs incorporate a new accent color, "Wolf Grey", and the main colors are "College Navy" and "Action Green". The uniforms incorporate "feather trims", twelve feathers printed on the neckline and down each pant leg to represent the "12th Man", referring to the team's fans.^[1]

2012 draft class

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	15[a]	Bruce Irvin	DE	West Virginia
2	47[b]	Bobby Wagner	LB	Utah State
3	75	Russell Wilson	QB	Wisconsin
4	106	Robert Turbin	RB	Utah State
	114[a]	Jaye Howard	DT	Florida
5[c]	154[b]	Korey Toomer	LB	Idaho
6	172[a]	Jeremy Lane	CB	Northwestern State
	181	Winston Guy	S	Kentucky
7	225[d][e]	J. R. Sweezy	DE	N.C. State
	232[b]	Greg Scruggs	DE	Louisville

Notes

^{^[a]} The team traded its original first-round selection (#12 overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the Eagles' first- (#15 overall), fourth- (#114 overall) and sixth- (#172 overall) selections.

^{^[b]} The team traded its original second-round selection (#43 overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for the Jets' second- (#47 overall), fifth- (#154 overall) and seventh- (#232 overall) round selections.

^{^[c]} The team traded its original fifth-round selection (#147 overall) and a 2011 fourth-round selection to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for running back Marshawn Lynch.

^{^[d]} The team traded its original seventh-round selection (#219 overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for tackle Tyler Polumbus.

^{^[e]} The team acquired this seventh-round selection (#225 overall) as part of a trade that sent linebacker Aaron Curry to the Oakland Raiders.

Staff

2012 Seattle Seahawks staff
	Front office Chairman – Paul Allen President – Peter McLoughlin Executive Vice President/General Manager – John Schneider Vice President of Football Administration – John Idzik Senior Personnel Executive – Scot McCloughan Director of Pro Personnel – Tag Ribary Director of College Scouting – Scott Fitterer Assistant Director of Pro Personnel – Trent Kirchner Head coaches Executive Vice President of Football Operations/Head Coach – Pete Carroll Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Darrell Bevell Quarterbacks – Carl Smith Running Backs – Sherman Smith Wide Receivers – Kippy Brown Tight Ends – Pat McPherson Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Tom Cable Assistant Offensive Line – Pat Ruel Quality Control/Offense – Dave Canales Quality Control/Offense – Keith Carter			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Gus Bradley Defensive Passing Game Coordinator – Rocky Seto Defensive Line – Todd Wash Linebackers – Ken Norton, Jr. Defensive Backs – Kris Richard Quality Control/Defense – Robert Saleh Defensive Assistant – Nate Carroll Special teams coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Brian Schneider Assistant Special Teams – Marquand Manuel Strength and conditioning Head Strength and Conditioning – Chris Carlisle Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Mondray Gee Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jamie Yancher

Final roster

2012 Seattle Seahawks final roster
	Quarterbacks 15 Matt Flynn  3 Russell Wilson * Running backs 24 Marshawn Lynch * 26 Michael Robinson FB 22 Robert Turbin 33 Leon Washington * Wide receivers 89 Doug Baldwin 10 Deon Butler 11 Jermaine Kearse 18 Sidney Rice 81 Golden Tate 17 Braylon Edwards Tight ends 85 Anthony McCoy 84 Sean McGrath 86 Zach Miller		Offensive linemen 68 Breno Giacomini T 61 Lemuel Jeanpierre C 63 Rishaw Johnson G 67 Paul McQuistan G 74 John Moffitt G 76 Russell Okung T * 65 Frank Omiyale G 75 Mike Person T 64 J. R. Sweezy G 60 Max Unger C * Defensive linemen 99 Alan Branch DT 79 Red Bryant DE 97 Patrick Chukwurah DE 94 Jaye Howard DT 51 Bruce Irvin DE 69 Clinton McDonald DT 92 Brandon Mebane DT 98 Greg Scruggs DE		Linebackers 52 Allen Bradford OLB 55 Heath Farwell OLB 56 Leroy Hill OLB 57 Mike Morgan MLB 53 Malcolm Smith OLB 54 Bobby Wagner MLB 50 K. J. Wright OLB Defensive backs 39 Brandon Browner CB 31 Kam Chancellor SS 27 Winston Guy SS 32 Jeron Johnson SS 20 Jeremy Lane CB 42 Chris Maragos FS 41 Byron Maxwell CB 35 DeShawn Shead SS 25 Richard Sherman CB 29 Earl Thomas FS * 23 Marcus Trufant CB Special teams 49 Clint Gresham LS  7 Ryan Longwell K  9 Jon Ryan P		Reserve lists 77 James Carpenter G/T (NF-Ill.) 91 Chris Clemons DE (IR) 58 Dexter Davis DE (IR)  4 Steven Hauschka K (IR) 90 Jason Jones DT (IR) 14 Charly Martin WR (IR) 88 Cameron Morrah TE (IR) 87 Ben Obomanu WR (IR) 28 Walter Thurmond CB (IR) Practice squad 13 Phil Bates WR 40 Derrick Coleman RB 30 Chandler Fenner CB/FS -- Cooper Helfet TE 43 Kyle Knox OLB 36 Ron Parker CB 59 Korey Toomer MLB (Injured) -- Myles Wade DT 19 Bryan Walters WR Rookies in italics 53 Active, 9 Inactive, 9 Practice squad

• Starters in bold.
• (*) Denotes players that were selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl.

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Attendance	NFL.com recap
1	August 11	Tennessee Titans	W 27–17	1–0	CenturyLink Field	65,589	Recap
2	August 18	at Denver Broncos	W 30–10	2–0	Sports Authority Field at Mile High	74,012	Recap
3	August 24	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 44–14	3–0	Arrowhead Stadium	63,870	Recap
4	August 30	Oakland Raiders	W 21–3	4–0	CenturyLink Field	66,157	Recap

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Attendance	NFL.com recap
1	September 9	at Arizona Cardinals	L 16–20	0–1	University of Phoenix Stadium	60,032	Recap
2	September 16	Dallas Cowboys	W 27–7	1–1	CenturyLink Field	68,008	Recap
3	September 24	Green Bay Packers	W 14–12	2–1	CenturyLink Field	68,218	Recap
4	September 30	at St. Louis Rams	L 13–19	2–2	Edward Jones Dome	53,193	Recap
5	October 7	at Carolina Panthers	W 16–12	3–2	Bank of America Stadium	72,676	Recap
6	October 14	New England Patriots	W 24–23	4–2	CenturyLink Field	68,137	Recap
7	October 18	at San Francisco 49ers	L 6–13	4–3	Candlestick Park	69,732	Recap
8	October 28	at Detroit Lions	L 24–28	4–4	Ford Field	63,497	Recap
9	November 4	Minnesota Vikings	W 30–20	5–4	CenturyLink Field	67,584	Recap
10	November 11	New York Jets	W 28–7	6–4	CenturyLink Field	67,841	Recap
11	Bye
12	November 25	at Miami Dolphins	L 21–24	6–5	Sun Life Stadium	51,295	Recap
13	December 2	at Chicago Bears	W 23–17 (OT)	7–5	Soldier Field	62,264	Recap
14	December 9	Arizona Cardinals	W 58–0	8–5	CenturyLink Field	67,685	Recap
15	December 16	at Buffalo Bills	W 50–17	9–5	Rogers Centre Toronto	40,770	Recap
16	December 23	San Francisco 49ers	W 42–13	10–5	CenturyLink Field	68,161	Recap
17	December 30	St. Louis Rams	W 20–13	11–5	CenturyLink Field	67,936	Recap

Bold indicates division opponents.

Source: 2012 NFL season results ^[2]

 #  Indicates that the Seahawks were the visiting team in the Bills Toronto Series.

Postseason

Playoff round	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Attendance	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	January 6	at Washington Redskins (4)	W 24–14	1–0	FedEx Field	84,325	Recap
Divisional	January 13	at Atlanta Falcons (1)	L 28–30	1–1	Georgia Dome	70,366	Recap

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(2) San Francisco 49ers	11	4	1	.719	3–2–1	7–4–1	397	273	W1
(5) Seattle Seahawks	11	5	0	.688	3–3	8–4	412	245	W5
St. Louis Rams	7	8	1	.469	4–1–1	6–5–1	299	348	L1
Arizona Cardinals	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3-9	250	357	L2

Game Summaries

Preseason

Week P1: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week P2: at Denver Broncos

Week P3: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week P4: vs. Oakland Raiders

Regular Season

Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals

With the loss, the Seahawks started their season 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Dallas Cowboys

After facing the Cardinals on the road, the Seahawks returned home for a home game against the Cowboys. The game went very well for the Seahawks as the team improved to 1–1. This is also the first win for rookie QB Russell Wilson.

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

The game had a controversial ending when Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass to the endzone on the final play that appeared to have been intercepted by Green Bay. However, while one official signaled the interception, the other official signaled a touchdown for Seattle by receiver Golden Tate, based on the rule that a catch with simultaneous possession is ruled a completion for the offense. The play was reviewed and the officials awarded the touchdown to Seattle. The call by the officials, who were replacements for the customary and more experienced officials, was met with outrage by other NFL players and fans around the country who believed Green Bay should have been awarded the interception and thus the game. Many also claimed the officials had missed an offensive pass interference call committed by Tate on Packers cornerback Sam Shields that also would have won the game for Green Bay. The NFL released an official statement the next day that, while acknowledging that pass interference should have been called on Tate, supported the decision to uphold the play as simultaneous possession.^[3]

With the win, the Seahawks improved to 2–1. With the 49ers' loss to the Vikings the previous day, Seattle and San Francisco were now tied for 2nd in the NFC West behind the 3-0 Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks' defense accomplished a noteworthy achievement, sacking Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers 8 times, a career high; this was even more impressive because all eight sacks occurred in the first half of the game.

The game's final play, dubbed the "Fail Mary" or the "Inaccurate Reception", is still viewed as the catalyst for the return of the NFL's customary officials due to the ineptitude of the replacement officials.

^[4][5]

Week 4: at St. Louis Rams

With the loss, the Seahawks fell to 2–2. QB Russell Wilson also had his first career game with no passing touchdown.

Week 5: at Carolina Panthers

With the win, Seattle's first of three road wins during the regular season, the Seahawks improved to 3–2.

Week 6: vs. New England Patriots

With the win, the Seahawks improved to 4–2 and also with losses by the 49ers and Cardinals, the team now moves into a first place tie in the NFC West.

Week 7: at San Francisco 49ers

With the loss, the Seahawks fell to 4–3 moving into a 2nd-place tie with the Cardinals in the NFC West.

Week 8: at Detroit Lions

With the surprising loss, the Seahawks dropped to 4–4.

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

With the win, the Seahawks improved to 5–4.

Week 10: vs. New York Jets

Another win, and the Seahawks improve to 6–4.

Week 12: at Miami Dolphins

The Seahawks engaged in a back-and-forth affair as the game lead tied or changed six times in total. Russell Wilson touchdowns to Anthony McCoy and Golden Tate and a 98-yard Leon Washington kick return score were answered by rushing scores from Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas. With the Seahawks up 21–14 rookie Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill found Charles Clay from 29 yards out. Tied 21–21, the Seahawks had to punt with 1:39 to go, and Tannehill drove the Dolphins in range for the winning Dan Carpenter field goal.

The game was interrupted briefly with 1:40 to go in the third quarter following a 19-yard Tannehill run; the sprinklers at Sun Life Stadium suddenly switched on, soaking the field for roughly one minute.

Week 13: at Chicago Bears

With their second road win, the Seahawks improve to 7–5.

Week 14: vs. Arizona Cardinals

• Biggest margin of victory in Seahawks franchise history
• Biggest margin of defeat in Cardinals franchise history
• Russell Wilson threw one touchdown pass before being pulled from the game
• Matt Flynn gets his first playing time for Seattle
• Eight turnovers committed by Arizona, including four interceptions
• Wilson became the first rookie quarterback to start and win his first six games at home since the 1970 merger.

Week 15: at Buffalo Bills

Bills Toronto Series

With the third and last regular season road victory, Seattle goes to 9–5

Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers

The Seahawks win improved them to 10–5 and clinches at least a playoff spot. In order to win the NFC West, the Seahawks need to beat the St. Louis Rams at home next week along with the 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals to wrap up the NFC West. Also a Packers loss to the Vikings for Seattle to get a first Round Bye as well. However a loss or a 49ers win, the Seahawks will be the #5 seed heading on the road to play in the Wild Card Round in January.

Week 17: vs. St. Louis Rams

With the NFC West title still up for grabs the Seahawks finished their season at home against the Rams. Trying to avoid being swept by the team, they finished the season with a record of 11–5. 8–0 at home. However, with the Niners' win over the Cardinals the team would end up finishing in 2nd place with the NFC's #5 seed.

Postseason

Seattle entered the postseason as the #5 seed in the NFC.

NFC Wild Card Playoff: at #4 Washington Redskins

After Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III went down with a knee injury in the second half, Seattle outscored Washington 11-0 to win 24-14. Seattle would move on to take on the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons.

NFC Divisional Playoff: at #1 Atlanta Falcons

The Seahawks fell behind Atlanta by 20 points, trailing 20–0 at halftime and 27–7 with just over 17 minutes remaining in the game. Seattle scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead 28–27 with 31 seconds left to play. But Matt Ryan quickly completed two long passes and Matt Bryant kicked a 49-yard field goal to give Atlanta the final margin of victory. Russell Wilson's Hail Mary pass on the final play was intercepted by Julio Jones in the end zone (Wilson's only interception in the game), ending Seattle's season.^[7]

References

External links

• Official website
• 2012 Seattle Seahawks season at ESPN