Seahawks Finally Get Win Mirer And Warren Lift Seattle Past Offensive-Minded Cincinnati

In recognition of Dennis Erickson’s first win in the National Football League, the Seattle Seahawks presented him with a game ball.

It’s difficult to be sure if it was the ball that Cincinnati Bengal kicker Doug Pelfrey sent about a foot wide of the right upright on a boot that would have sent the game into overtime.

Or whether it was the ball that Erickson’s quarterback, Rick Mirer, fired all over the field Sunday in his best day as a pro.

Or if it was the one that Hawk back Chris Warren toted for 109 yards as the Seahawks controlled the line of scrimmage.

To Erickson, none of that matters, because Sunday’s 24-21 decision over Cincinnati was not only his first, but it was a victory in a game when anything less would have been disastrous.

“It’s better than the alternative,” Erickson said, considering that a loss would have sent the Seahawks into their bye week with an 0-3 record. “It was too long coming, and it’s a great feeling, but it’s only one (win) and we’ve got a lot of games left.”

A small (39,492) but extremely enthusiastic Kingdome crowd got behind the Seahawks and was rewarded with a game that was long on excitement and dramatic plays by both teams.

While Mirer (21 for 30 for 279 yards and two touchdowns was guiding the Hawks with more confidence and efficiency than he’s shown in this season’s two defeats, his Bengals’ counterpart, Jeff Blake, was nearly magical in producing a Cincinnati comeback.

Mirer opened the door for the Bengals a bit early in the fourth quarter when a pass in the flat to Brian Blades was intercepted by Roger Jones and returned 17 yards for a touchdown to trim the Seahawk lead to 17-14.

“We had a flat route called and we threw it a little late and the guy made a good play,” Erickson explained.

The Hawks bounced back, though, with an 11-play, 69-yard drive with Warren sweeping in for a touchdown from 11 yards out.

“As well as that was blocked, it would have been hard NOT to score,” Warren said.

That 24-14 lead with 6:44 left in the game appeared secure, but Blake twice converted fourth-and-10 situations on the next drive and then passed to Carl Pickens for a 22-yard score to bring the Bengals back into contention.

Although the Hawks finished with more offensive yards (406) than in any game since playing the Raiders in December of 1988, they could do nothing on their next try, and the Bengals got it back with 2:37 left.

The elusive Blake went to work, completing a 23-yard, wing- and-a-prayer toss to tight end Tony McGee on third-and-10, and then scrambling for another 23 yards on the next play.

“We knew we had to get the job done to win the game,” Blake said. “I wasn’t going to give up and the guys in the huddle weren’t going to give up.”

But two straight incompletions under heavy Seahawk pass rushes forced the Bengals to send on Pelfry, who made six field goals in the Kingdome in a game last year.

“I don’t know if I could stomach even watching that kick,” Mirer said.

But Pelfry’s 49-yard attempt narrowly missed.

“I get the credit when I make them, I get the blame when I miss,” Pelfry said. “I take full credit for the miss.”

Actually, though, the snap was slightly behind holder Lee Johnson, who also was eager to shoulder blame.

“I take responsibility for that miss, in a sense,” Johnson said. “I had the ball pulled toward me and Doug likes the ball straight up and down.”

Erickson warned this week that the Hawks needed to resume a more conventional approach toward the running game, and that’s how they started the game, with Warren slashing for 12 yards on the first play.

Warren’s excursion over the 100-yard barrier was the 14th of his career.

The threat of the rushing attack opened up the play-action passes, and Mirer completed all four of his passes on the first drive, the final one a 5-yard scoring toss to fullback Steve Smith.

The Bengals showed their quick-strike capacity, though, when Blake connected with Darnay Scott on a first-down, 88-yard pass.

Scott broke from the right side and found a seam in the Seahawk zone defense, dodged two tackles and simply ran away from Hawk pursuers to tie the score with 5:46 left in the first period.

“We were in a three-deep zone and he just broke a couple tackles,” Erickson said.

A hint at how effective the Seahawk offense might become came late in the first half when they took over at their own 10 and went 90 yards in five plays and just two seconds more than a minute.

Mirer actually passed for 92 yards on the possession (Warren lost two on the first play), with a 29-yarder to Brian Blades setting up a 50-yard scoring strike to Robb Thomas.

As Mirer scrambled to buy time against the Bengal pressure, Thomas just continued to drift deep. He was so open that no one could reach him as Mirer’s highly lofted throw fluttered slowly into Thomas’ arms.

Seattle got the ball back once again with 35 seconds left, and moved from their 48 to the Bengal 21, where Peterson booted a 38- yard field goal to make it 17-7 at half.

Cincinnati moved it a long way (63 yards in 16 plays) with nothing to show for it late in the third period, using a fake field goal to get the ball down to the Hawk 7. But there, Hawk safety Robert Blackmon tipped a Blake pass and came up with an interception.

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