January 7, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Photo Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
SEATTLE — Thomas Rawls ran for 161 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown as the Seattle Seahawks continued their home playoff success with a 26-6 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.
Seattle advanced to an NFC Divisional Playoff game at Atlanta after winning its 10th consecutive home postseason contest. The Seahawks haven’t lost a postseason game at home since 2005.
The winner of Sunday’s Green Bay-New York Giants game travels to Dallas to face the top-seeded Cowboys in the other NFC Divisional game.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, playing without a knee brace for the first time since Week 3, completed 22 of 30 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Rawls had 107 of his 161 rushing yards before halftime and broke the game open with a 4-yard touchdown run with 8:49 remaining. That score, which was followed by a failed point-after kick, put Seattle up 19-6. Rawls had 27 carries Saturday after an injury-plagued regular season that saw him accumulate just 349 rushing yards.
The Lions failed to get across midfield on their next possession, and Seattle ate up almost four minutes of clock before Wilson threw his second touchdown pass of the night to put the game away with 3:36 remaining.
Detroit held Seattle to one touchdown over the first three quarters and pulled within 10-6 on Matt Prater’s 53-yard field goal with 4:08 left in the third quarter. Seattle’s Steven Hauschka kicked a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Prater, who booted a 51-yarder just before halftime, became the first kicker in NFL history to make two field goals of at least 50 yards in a playoff game.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 18 of 32 passes for 205 yards for the Lions, who have lost their last nine playoff games — an NFL record — and are 1-11 in postseason play since 1957. Detroit’s only playoff win in a span of nearly 60 years came in 1992 over Dallas.
The Lions had only 231 yards of offense. Detroit scored only one second-half touchdown during its season-ending four-game losing streak.
Wilson threw a pair of highlight-worthy touchdown passes to Paul Richardson and Doug Baldwin. Richardson’s one-handed catch of a 4-yard touchdown was one of two receptions the wide receiver made with one hand while a defender was called for pass interference.
Wilson finished off his day by throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin, who reached out to take the ball away from intended target Jermaine Kearse with 3:36 remaining.
Baldwin caught 11 passes for 104 yards, while Richardson added three receptions for 48 yards and the touchdown.
Seattle advanced to the divisional round for the fifth year in a row and play a playoff game in Atlanta for the second time since the 2012 postseason. The Falcons beat the Seahawks 30-28 at the Georgia Dome in a 2012 divisional game.
Richardson’s touchdown catch gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Richardson reached across Detroit safety Tavon Wilson with his left hand while Wilson, who was flagged for pass interference, pinned down Richardson’s right arm. The acrobatic catch resulted in a touchdown with 7:07 left in the first half.
The Seahawks added a 43-yardHauschka field goal with 1:55 left in the half to open a 10-0 lead.
Detroit used a 30-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Anquan Boldin to set up Prater’s first field goal with 20 seconds left in the half, pulling the Lions within 10-3.
Detroit receivers dropped four passes in the first half, which played a part in Stafford completing 9 of 17 attempts for 97 yards in the opening 30 minutes.
NOTES: The last time the Seahawks lost a home playoff game was after the 2004 season, when the St. Louis Rams won at the University of Washington. … Seattle TE Jimmy Graham came out of the game temporarily in the first quarter after taking a big hit from Detroit S Tavon Wilson. Graham had to be helped off the field but was back in action by the middle of the second quarter. … Veteran KR/PR Devin Hester and LS Tyler Ott made their debuts for the Seahawks after signing earlier in the week. … The previous Seattle record for rushing yards in a playoff game was 157 by Marshawn Lynch.
