SEATTLE — Benjamin Wilson arrived in Seattle near midnight Saturday.

Although Wilson’s nephew Russell is the Seahawks’ starting quarterback, Ben Wilson originally did not plan to attend the N.F.C. championship game on Sunday between Seattle and San Francisco. Then he had an epiphany: This was more than a big game; this was yet another signature moment for the Wilson family tree.

“I woke up Thursday morning and said, ‘Man, you’d better be there, this may never happen again,’ ” Wilson said. “My brother would be there.”

He was right. Russell Wilson wasn’t great but he was clutch, leading the Seahawks past the 49ers, 23-17, and into the Super Bowl.

Ben Wilson’s younger brother Harry, Russell Wilson’s father, died too soon at 55 from complications of diabetes. Since his brother’s death in 2010, Ben has been part of a sprawling familial support network for Russell, Russell’s brother and a sister.