A trip to remember.
As a Seattle fan for many years, I was delighted to discover my planned trip to visit family in New Jersey would coincide with the Seahawks’ road game against the New York Jets.
My ticket to last weekend’s match-up at MetLife Stadium was bought well in advance.
It provided one of a number of terrific experiences in my fortnight in the US.
However, in typical Seattle fashion, they made it hard to love them for much of the game.
I am a veteran of many game-winning drives and last-minute field goal misses while sitting bleary-eyed in the living room at 4am.
Now, I was finally present to be put through the wringer in person.
I visited New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC during my two weeks on the other side of the Atlantic. I also spent a couple of days exploring beautiful parts of New Hampshire.
But finally standing outside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, ahead of my first ever NFL match, I was as excited as I have been in recent times.
The view from the second-tier concourse, of hundreds of fans tailgating outside with families and friends, made for a spectacular sight.
Perhaps it is something we should explore in the UK for sporting occasions.
Slow start, fast finish
I have sat through football matches which have not gone the way I wanted them to in the past.
However, when the Seahawks looked set to go 28-7 down to the hapless New York Jets amid an all-time terrible special teams performance, it was a new low point.
It seemed I had travelled halfway around the world and sat through the coldest wind I have ever experienced, just to watch my team hand a key match to a struggling opponent.
Then up stepped Leonard Williams.
The man they call ‘Big Cat’ saved the day and possibly Seattle’s season by picking off future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and rampaging 92 yards for a vital score.
With momentum on their side, the Seahawks rallied and took the lead.
A few belligerent Jets fans nearby who had been revelling in Seattle’s earlier blunders in the return game, were now rather more subdued.
However, the match had been so chaotic in nature that when the Jets marched down the field late on, I still feared the worst.
Thankfully, the ‘Hawks stood firm and secured a vital win, sending the thousands of 12s in attendance home happy.
One of them, at least, was smiling all the way back to Scotland.
