The Seahawks went into this game having not lost a playoff game since 2012 (by 2 points) and not having lost a playoff game at home since 2004! They were the talk of the football fan world, unlike the last year's march to the Superbowl when they were undisputed underdogs. They were healthy, they were sharp, the stadium that day as they ran in was like a garden of Eden in a sense. Now, Adam and Eve WERE living in a true paradise - all was beauty, all was good, no sickness, no problems whatsoever, but wait - Adam caught a glimpse of some snake off in the distance. Nevertheless, what could go wrong?
Are you kidding? Within the first quarter the Seahawks had their confidence handed back to them in the form of Green Bay's 147 offensive yards to Seattle's THREE yards! Intercepted twice, scored on three times and all in the first quarter. Adam idly stands by as Eve falls for the deceptions of Satan, and everything changes. Now humanity is in for the fight of their very lives, earthly AND eternal.
Hang on now, there is still hope. Even now, the miracle is starting to happen. Twice the Packers have the ball in the first quarter and are driving down the field confidently against the confused Seahawks - three times in fact! And yet two times, including once when it was 4th and goal on the 2 yard line, the Packers settled for a field goal. If they had scored a touchdown either of those times, Seattle would have lost the game. And even while Eve was saying yes to the enemy, God had a plan to redeem mankind already set into place. Didn't look like much at first, didn't really look good at all actually. Quite a list of interesting characters in Jesus' genealogy for sure! But nevertheless, the miracle was starting.
But then, it gets worse. By the end of the first half Seattle had been intercepted again, had been completely shut down on offense and was behind 16 - ZERO. Watching the game on TV, you could see the countenance of the Packers players and coaches become more relaxed, more confident, maybe a little swagger. And the Seahawk fans? Some of them were starting to leave the stadium! (Obviously not true "12th man" fans). It got kind of quiet in the stadium, this was not good. So, Jesus came preaching and teaching, and some listened, a course in miracles
even followed, but many sneered, even jeered! Many people were looking for something else, for freedom from the Romans. They didn't realize the itinerant preacher from Galilee was promising them freedom from something so much more. They didn't understand that a miracle was unfolding before their very eyes. Sometimes it is easy to miss. But just wait, it was about to explode into history to where even the naysayers would have to admit something profound had happened.
And that first glimpse of a miracle started in the 3rd quarter with an incredibly risky faked field goal attempt for 3 points which instead became a touchdown for 7 points! If that hadn't happened, the Seahawks would have lost. But then, the Packers scored again, and then intercepted Seattle again, and the Seahawks are behind 7 to 19 with only 3:52 to go in the game! Rare indeed are comebacks in NFL playoff games being down that far and that little time left. Jesus turned the water into wine. Jesus raised the dead back to life. Jesus turned scarcity into plenty and fed the multitude. And then, as thanks for all of that, he was betrayed and sentenced to death by fearful and confused people, not realizing they were playing right into the hands of God almighty.