Moon Goes In Orbit Ageless Quarterback Passes Seahawks Past Raiders 45-34

It wasn’t so much an NFL game as it was a four-hour carnival ride.

All aboard the shuttle to the Moon.

Seattle’s ageless Warren Moon rewound the clock - his own and the franchise’s - by passing for five touchdowns Sunday as the Seahawks rallied past the rival Oakland Raiders 45-34 before a rowdy, near-capacity Kingdome crowd.

“Warren Moon… he’s a hero,” Seahawks receiver James McKnight said. “It’s a privilege to play with him.”

The Seahawks, displaying backbone despite some peculiar and potentially deflating bad breaks, improved to 5-3 at the midpoint for the first time since 1987, a strike-plagued season. The Seahawks visit Denver this weekend for the first of three straight road games.

Sunday, Seattle won in entertaining fashion with Moon’s 409 passing yards and a defense that yielded two big plays but little else, never mind what the scoreboard read.

“I’m just flat worn out,” said coach Dennis Erickson, his shirt soaked with sweat.

“I’ve never cheered that much in my life,” defensive end Michael Sinclair said. “I was one of the Seagals.”

Moon, 40, was so spectacular, he had fans on both sidelines.

“We’re not going to (have to) play Warren Moon every week,” Raiders coach Joe Bugel said.

Moon threw passes that couldn’t have been more perfect if they were dropped from the Kingdome ceiling. Even his two interceptions were well-thrown balls.

The first, which deflected off receiver Mike Pritchard’s shoulder pads, led to Oakland’s second touchdown. Former Washington Husky Napoleon Kaufman had previously put Oakland on top with a 55-yard burst on a sweep.

Down 14-3, Moon fired TD passes of 7 and 42 yards to Brian Blades and McKnight, respectively, to move Seattle on top 18-14.

Enter the bizarre. Late in the second quarter, Moon zipped a low pass just as Joey Galloway broke toward the sideline. The ball bounded off Galloway’s heel to cornerback Lionel Washington. He returned it 44 yards for a score and Oakland led 25-18. Since this wasn’t hockey or soccer, Galloway wasn’t credited with an assist.

“They got a gift,” said Galloway, who exacted revenge with three second-half TD catches. “The past couple years that was the kind of play that would have made this team lose a game.”

Especially after Jeff George lasered a 49-yard TD pass to James Jett, who was open after Seahawks’ safety Darryl Williams bit on a fake reverse, on Oakland’s first play of the third quarter.

But then the defensive front began pestering George, who was sacked five times. Meanwhile, Moon had plenty of time and the hot hand as Seattle scored on five straight possessions and the crowd turned up the decibels.

“I looked up at the (new Hustle scoreboards in the Dome) and I saw we threw for something like 400 yards and gave up no sacks,” center Kevin Mawae said. “You can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Moon directed a 90-yard scoring drive, hitting Galloway on a 17-yard slant in which a defender was draped on the receiver’s shoulders. Next came a 75-yard march capped by Moon’s 28-yard lob that landed gently in Galloway’s arms.

Oakland led 34-32, but few doubted that Moon would complete the comeback.

Two Todd Peterson field goals pushed Seattle up 38-34 midway through the fourth. And with the dangerous Kaufman now slowed by a leg injury, Seattle’s front zeroed in on George.

Sinclair chased down George from behind and ripped the ball loose. Linebacker Dean Wells pounced on the recovery just before Oakland lineman Barret Robbins.

“Their style is to dink and then go downtown,” Sinclair said. “For the most part, we stopped the big plays… At the end, (George) started to get some twinkle toes.”

Moon completed three straight passes and Chris Warren added 23 rushing yards as Seattle reached Oakland’s 2. Moon, naturally, delivered the clincher with a nervy pass that traveled from the right hashmark to Galloway in the left corner of the end zone. Defensive back Perry Carter quickly stripped the ball from Galloway, but the officials conferenced and ruled Galloway had established possession.

“Right on the money,” Galloway said.

Just like everything else Moon threw.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: These 2 sidebars appeared with the story:

1. 400-YARD STARS Most games with more than 400 yards passing: Dan Marino 13 Warren Moon 7 Joe Montana 7

2. Seahawks 45 Raiders 34 Key stats: With Warren Moon passing for 409 yards, the Seahawks amass 554 yards against the NFL’s 30th-ranked defense. Where Seattle stands: The Seahawks are 5-3, two games behind first-place Denver in the AFC West. Next for Seattle: at Denver, 1 p.m. Sunday.