INDIANAPOLIS—Through the first 11 weeks of the 2013 season, only one team was able to defeat both the Broncos and Seahawks.
The Indianapolis Colts were that team to deliver two of the six total losses the two teams have going into Sunday's Super Bowl.
Both wins came at Lucas Oil Stadium and offered thrilling drama with the Colts relying on every unit to knock off the league's two best teams.
Today, Colts.com looks back on the Colts 34-28 win in Week 5 over the Seahawks.
Coming into the Oct. 6 meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Seahawks had run through their first four opponents without much of a struggle.
Seattle won its first four games by an average of 15 points per game and allowed less than 12 points per game.
The Colts came into the game with their own winning streak, after back-to-back road victories by a combined 54 points.
Despite a 1:00 p.m. kick, the game certainly had the feel of primetime football that Lucas Oil would host later in the season.
The Seahawks got off to one of their hottest starts of the season in taking a 12-0 lead following a blocked punt that resulted in a safety.
Seattle had a chance to go up 19-0 before the first quarter ended but things began to change with the Colts defense finally forcing a three-and-out.
It took four drives before the Colts recorded their initial first down against the vaunted the Seahawks defense.
Once that happened, the floodgates opened.
T.Y. Hilton got behind the best secondary in the NFL for a 73-yard touchdown late in the first quarter to cut the Seattle lead to 12-7.
Momentum was beginning to churn towards the home sideline.
Now, it was time for a Colts special teams play to continue that change.
Reserve defensive lineman Lawrence Guy blocked a Seattle field goal attempt and safety Delano Howell trudged down the far sideline for a 61-yard touchdown return.
Seattle would then go on to score 13 of the next 16 points to take a 25-17 lead midway through the third quarter.
It was time for Hilton to strike again and he blew past the Seahawks secondary for a 25-yard touchdown.
The Seahawks would answer with a fourth Steven Hauschka field goal but settling for three points too frequently would be a problem on this October afternoon.
Down 28-23, the Colts embarked on a 14-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that eventually ended with a Donald Brown three-yard rushing score.
A Reggie Wayne two-point conversion gave the Colts a 31-28 lead with 8:55 remaining.
From there, the Colts defense forced a three-and-out and a Darius Butler interception came after an Adam Vinatieri 49-yard field goal to seal the game.
The 34-28 victory for the Colts gave Seattle their first loss of the 2013 season.
So how were the Colts able to knockoff the Seahawks?
-The Colts passing attack did something to the Seahawks that no one else did in 2013. Andrew Luck was 16-of-29 for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Luck's 104 quarterback rating was more than 40 points higher than the average quarterback rating for Seattle opponents this year.
-Russell Wilson rushed for over 100 yards in Week 5 but the Colts made several key stops in the open field on the elusive Seahawks quarterback. Robert Mathis added two sacks. The Colts held Seattle to just 2-of-12 on third-down, which was by far their worst percentage of the season.
-The 34 points allowed by the Seahawks were 20 points more than their season average. In the final quarter, the Colts held the ball for 12:11 with Seattle gaining just 25 yards of total offense in eight plays.
-T.Y. Hilton's 140 receiving yards was the second most given up by the Seattle secondary all year. In case you were wondering, Hilton's 73-yard touchdown began with coverage from Seattle's All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman. Hilton also drew a 16-yard pass interference penalty against Sherman and caught a 12-yard third-down reception on Sherman during the Colts game-winning touchdown drive.
-At the end of the day, the inability of Seattle to convert drives in Colts territory into touchdowns kept Indianapolis within striking distance. Of note, the Seahawks did play without the electric Percy Harvin and the dual-threat playmaker is expected to be back for Sunday's Super Bowl.
