Jamal Adams was ready to hurdle the line if necessary, Bobby Wagner knew what was coming and made sure everyone knew what to do, and L.J. Collier and Lano Hill teamed up to make the biggest play of their careers.
For three quarters, 14 minutes and 58 seconds, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was nearly unstoppable in short-yardage situations, including two 1-yard touchdown runs and a 1-yard touchdown pass when just about everyone not in a Patriots uniform was expecting another run.
But with the game on the line and two seconds left on the clock, and with Newton looking for his third touchdown run of the night, the Seahawks defense made the huge play it needed to preserve a thrilling 35-30 win over New England thanks to a perfect call from Wagner, and perfect execution from Hill and Collier, among others.
The 2019 season was a difficult one for L.J. Collier, who arrived in Seattle as a first-round pick out of TCU, but whose rookie campaign was knocked off track by a serious ankle injury early in camp. He made it back from the injury in time for the regular season, but was a non-factor for most of the year, never really recovering from all of that missed time. Collier returned to camp healthy and in better shape this year, won a starting defensive end job, then on Sunday made the biggest play of his young NFL career.
After Newton took the snap and went to his left, Hill shot into the backfield and took out fullback Jakob Johnson. Hill winning that matchup meant Newton couldn't bounce the run outside, leaving a run up the middle as his only real choice, and when he did that, Collier was already in the backfield to upend Newton and end the game.
Collier said that play can be a confidence booster that gives him "the jump I needed. I feel like it's only up from here really. It shows a little bit of my offseason work, how hard I worked in the offseason. From getting up early, killing myself every day. It just shows how hard I really worked this offseason."
Before the snap, the Seahawks recognized the look they were getting, and Wagner got the defense into the right play to stop it.
"They were running the same thing all game," Collier said. "Bobby came to us before that and said they were going to run the same play. We were going to slant on it and go with it, and I really just followed my captain, went with him, and you see we came up with a big-time play. Credit goes to coach (defensive coordinator Ken) Norton, Bobby, and the rest of the defense."
Adams is new to the Seahawks, but could already appreciate what that play meant to the team and to Collier in particular.
"That was crazy man, a lot of emotions," said Adams, who for the second week in row led the team in tackles, this time with 10, and who recorded a sack for the second straight week. "I'll tell you what, I'm so proud of L.J. I just met him, but I have heard so much about him due to my boy back home (Daniel Wise) who is really good friends with him. Obviously, he went to TCU, but I'm so proud of him because he has worked his tail off just to get to this moment, to have his moment. I thought we finished strong. As a defense we like to be in those moments, but we don't like to be in those moments. It's just so fun and so exciting to get that win and pull it off like that."
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LJ Collier & Seahawks Defense Come Up Big On Final Play Of Seahawks' Win Over Patriots - Seahawks.com
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