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Surging Seahawks dominate Bills behind Wilson

Dec 17, 2012 - 5:16 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Russell Wilson became the first Seattle quarterback to run for three touchdowns in one game in the Seahawks' 50-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

All three of Wilson's rushing touchdowns came in the first half for the Seahawks (9-5), who sit second in the NFC West behind 10-3-1 San Francisco, which defeated New England later Sunday.

Wilson, who ended with nine carries for 92 yards, also set the franchise record for rushing yards in a season by a QB that was set in 1993 by Rick Mirer (343). Wilson now has 402 rushing yards.

Wilson also completed 14-of-22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown for Seattle, which has scored 131 points during a three-game winning streak. The Seahawks were coming off a 58-0 rout of the Arizona Cardinals last week, a franchise record for most points scored in a game.

It's the third time in NFL history that a team has put up 50 points in back- to-back games.

"I'm just thrilled that he's been able to continue to grow," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of Wilson. "For a long time, we were just trying to get the offense going and not screw it up and make sure he could keep growing."

Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 10 times for 113 yards and a score for Seattle, which welcomes San Francisco to town next Sunday night.

Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 21-of-38 passes for 217 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Bills (5-9), who played a regular-season game in Toronto for a fifth straight season.

C.J. Spiller carried the ball 17 times for 103 yards and a score for Buffalo, which was mathematically knocked out of playoff contention for a 13th consecutive season -- the NFL's longest active drought. Stevie Johnson caught eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle's offense quickly picked up where it left off last week, as Wilson led the Seahawks on a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive to start the game.

Sidney Rice and Zach Miller caught passes of 17 and eight yards, respectively, to convert a pair of third downs, and Michael Robinson added a 20-yard catch before Wilson used his legs to find the end zone. On 1st-and-10 from the Buffalo 14, the rookie faked a handoff and found an opening on the right side for an easy touchdown.

Wilson added another rushing score on Seattle's next possession, which began when Lynch caught a 14-yard pass to move the ball past midfield. Faced with a 3rd-and-10 from the 25 of the Bills, Wilson scrambled to his left and went untouched for a touchdown.

Buffalo responded with a score of its own. Fitzpatrick completed three passes of at least 10 yards on the 8-play, 72-yard march, including a 17-yard strike to Johnson. Spiller's 14-yard touchdown run capped the drive and made it 14-7 with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.

Seattle tacked on three more points early in the second stanza. Golden Tate caught a 44-yard pass off a flea-flicker play, but the Seahawks would settle for a 19-yard Steven Hauschka field goal which made it 17-7.

The Seahawks started their next drive near midfield, and Lynch's 54-yard run set up Miller's 4-yard TD catch, making it a 24-7 contest with 10:10 to go before halftime.

Another Buffalo punt led to more points for Seattle. Rice hauled in a 41-yard pass to move the ball to the 10-yard line, and following an offensive holding penalty and a short run by Lynch, Wilson found the end zone on an identical play to his first touchdown. It was a 13-yard score this time around.

The Bills managed to close the gap some by scoring the final 10 points of the half. Scott Chandler's 21-yard catch led to Johnson's 20-yard TD catch to bring Buffalo closer, and Rian Lindell added a 41-yard field goal as time expired to make it 31-17.

However, the momentum quickly shifted back to the Seahawks. On the first possession of the second half, K.J. Wright picked off Fitzpatrick and returned the ball 24 yards to the Buffalo 20. Lynch scored from 13 yards out on the second play, though the extra point was blocked.

"The turnover right after halftime really hurt," Bills coach Chan Gailey said. "It killed the momentum we created at the end of the first half."

Seattle's defense came up with another turnover on the ensuing possession. Chris Clemons stripped the ball from Fitzpatrick and Bruce Irvin recovered the ball before returning it 35 yards before being brought down at the Buffalo 10. Hauschka then made a 33-yard field goal to make it 40-17 with 7:29 remaining in the third period.

Earl Thomas followed with a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown to extend Seattle's lead.

Hauschka added a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The field goal was made possible due to Robinson's 29-yard run on a fake punt.

Game Notes

The Seahawks made their first international appearance in the regular season ... Seattle racked up 270 yards on the ground, compared to 118 for Buffalo ... With his 2 1/2 sacks Sunday, Clemons became the first Seattle player since Michael Sinclair (1996-98) with three straight double-digit sack seasons ... The Seahawks finished the road portion of the regular season with a 3-5 record for the second year in a row ... The Seahawks currently hold the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoff picture.