NFL: Defending champions the Seattle Seahawks edge out the Denver Broncos

The Seattle Seahawks needed overtime to finally overcome the Denver Broncos in a heavyweight rematch of last season's Super Bowl.

Seattle had blitzed the Broncos 43-8 to win the title in impressive fashion, however the regular season showdown this time was a much tighter affair with the Broncos pushing the defending champions all the way.

However running back Marshawn Lynch smashed his way over from six yards out for the game-winning touchdown in overtime to seal a 26-20 victory for the Seahawks.

"Great teams play until the end and find ways to win," said quarterback Russell Wilson, who led the Seahawks on the crucial 13-play, 80-yard drive in overtime. "And we were able to do that today.

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"We look forward to these kinds of moments... where we have to make a play."

Seattle had got off to an impressive start with a 20-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka, although Brandon McManus responded with a 24-yard effort of his own for the Broncos.

The Seahawks took control, though, as Wilson threw a 39-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette and then connected with Lynch from five yards.

Unlike the Super Bowl clash, the Broncos refused to be blown away and they were able to cut the deficit on a safety after Lynch was tackled in the end zone.

Pressure

The visitors made it 17-12 when Peyton Manning found tight end Julius Thomas with a three-yard scoring pass.

The Broncos cranked up the pressure but a brilliant interception from safety Kam Chancellor, which he returned 52 yards, denied Denver a scoring chance.

And when Hauschka landed a 28-yard field goal with little over a minute left, Seattle must have thought they had done enough.

However a six-play drive culminated in Manning finding tight end Jacob Tamme with a 26-yard scoring pass. And Manning then found Demaryius Thomas in the end zone for the two-point conversion to tie the scores and force overtime.

"Obviously the game didn't start out the way we wanted it to," said Manning, who completed 31-of-49 passes for 303 yards. "Being down two scores, it became somewhat one-dimensional, which is not what you want versus these guys.

"The running game just wasn't working for us, especially being down two scores. We were forced to throw it a lot, and that kind of put us in a one-dimensional phase.

"It was a good last drive, a two-point conversion, to tie it and send it into overtime and then their offense had a good drive in that first series of overtime."