Pelissero: Russell Wilson perseveres to play hero again

Tom Pelissero | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Seahawks rally to punch Super Bowl ticket USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero breaks down Seattle Seahawks' stunning overtime comeback to defeat the Green Bay Packers.

SEATTLE – Russell Wilson had every reason to crack.

The Seattle Seahawks' dynamic quarterback threw his fourth interception with about 5 minutes to go in Sunday's NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers, who led by 12 as safety Morgan Burnett slid to the turf, a trip to Super Bowl XLIX seemingly sealed.

All Wilson did from there was complete six of his last seven passes for 134 yards, including the 35-yard winner to Jermaine Kearse in overtime as the Seahawks pulled off a rally for the ages and added another line to their 26-year-old QB's résumé as a miracle worker.

"Down the stretch, you want Russell Wilson," Seahawks tight end Luke Willson said after the 28-22 triumph. "I think everybody in America knows that. If they didn't, they know it now."

Wilson also scored on a 1-yard zone-read keeper to pull the Seahawks within 19-14 with 2:09 left, scrambled 15 yards to help set up Marshawn Lynch's go-ahead touchdown and floated a two-point conversion to Willson that ensured the Packers' ensuing field goal could only force OT.

If Packers tight end Brandon Bostick hadn't mishandled an onside kick after Wilson's TD, the lasting memory of this day may well have been Wilson's mistakes and the Seahawks' general offensive ineptitude over the first 55 minutes.

But the Seahawks got the break they needed, and Wilson took it from there, capping the rebound with 35-yard strikes to Doug Baldwin and Kearse – the latter off a check Wilson said he told offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would produce the TD right after Seattle won the coin toss.

"He was believing the whole time," Bevell told USA TODAY Sports. "You throw that pick right there at the end that bounces off Jermaine and you're looking at the clock with the time. But you've got to keep believing. As long as there's time left, you keep playing."

Only after the win was complete did Wilson break down, tears streaming down his face in an unusual show of emotion as he conducted a TV interview with FOX.

In a media conference later, Wilson said he was "just thinking about that game and … going through the ups and downs of life in the past year, but also more so of just winning the Super Bowl last year and people doubting what we could do. It's just an emotional time for me."

Since helping the Seahawks to their first title last February in a blowout of the Denver Broncos, Wilson has gone through a divorce and parted ways with his agent. He also mentioned his father, Harrison, who died in 2010 but had "the best seat in the house" for his son's heroics Sunday.

"He's really, really mentally tough," Bevell said. "The visualization that he does and seeing positive things happen to himself – he had been there before. He'd been in that situation. He was even-keeled. Never got down on himself. Just, 'Hey, what do we got to do? Let's go. Let's go.' "

Wilson's early struggles Sunday – 0-for-6 passing with two picks over the first 26 minutes as the Packers built a 16-0 halftime lead – were reminiscent of some rocky moments in the playoffs last year, including a fumble on the first play of the NFC title game against San Francisco.

Bevell made another comparison: the second half of the rematch with the Broncos in Week 3 this season. Wilson threw a key interception in the fourth quarter of that game as a 14-point lead slipped away, only to march the Seahawks down the field for the win on the first drive of OT.

Wilson's receivers did him few favors for much of Sunday's game, with Kearse – who was targeted on all four interceptions – at fault on at least one of them and Baldwin dropping a pass that could've gone for a big play after fumbling early on a kick return.

The Seahawks' only points before the furious final minutes of regulation came on a fake field goal that punter Jon Ryan threw for a 19-yard touchdown to backup tackle Garry Gilliam.

"That's the thing, what's great about Russ, is good play, bad play, it's the next play that matters," Luke Willson said. "Again, just what you see with Russell, you get. His demeanor – he wasn't frustrated, he wasn't pressing, he was just being himself and when we needed him the most, he performed unbelievably. It was pretty spectacular to watch."

Now Wilson gets a chance in just his third season to do something many of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks have never done: win Super Bowls in consecutive seasons.

As they prepare to head to Arizona, the Seahawks remain a team defined by Lynch's legs and one of the NFL's dominating defenses. But Wilson showed again Sunday he has a knack for somehow, some way making enough plays to help keep Seattle on top.

"I've never thrown four interceptions in a game," Wilson said. "But I'd rather do it that way. If we were going to go down, I was going to go down swinging."

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.