SEATTLE - The final result was the same for Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, wearing NFC West champion hats in the locker room after a Week 17 victory over the St. Louis Rams.The process in getting to that point and clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the second straight season was completely different.So there was a different satisfaction for Carroll and the Seahawks after Sundays 20-6 win over the Rams wrapped up the ninth division title in franchise history, the third under Carroll. This was not the mostly smooth ride Seattle experienced a year ago on its way to a championship.All you guys kept talking about how you cant do this and you cant get to this point again and you cant come back and all this stuff. You can. You can do it. And we did it to this point. And well see how well do in the playoffs, Carroll said. We got back to division champs and thats pretty rare. Im really proud of that.Marshawn Lynch scored on a 9-yard run with 12:07 remaining to take the lead, Bruce Irvin return an interception 49 yards for a TD and Seattle received another stellar defensive effort to close the season with six straight wins.Seattle, Green Bay and Dallas all finished 12-4, but the tiebreakers went to the Seahawks, who next play on Saturday, Jan. 10.Our main goal coming into the season was winning the division, but getting the No. 1 seed is just as big, Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright said.Getting home-field advantage seemed highly unlikely for the Super Bowl champs after losing at Kansas City and falling to 6-4. But Seattles closing run was perhaps more impressive than going 13-3 in the 2013 regular season.The Seahawks bulled through Arizona and San Francisco twice, won at Philadelphia and finally dispatched the pesky Rams.Seattle held five of its final six opponents to less than 10 points. The Seahawks became the first team since the 1969-71 Vikings to lead the NFL in scoring defence in three straight seasons, giving up 15.9 points per game.It just helps our case for a pretty great defence, linebacker Bobby Wagner said.Seattles defence came up with continuous big plays when needed, forcing three turnovers in the fourth quarter. Jordan Hill and Irvin had interceptions and Earl Thomas knocked the ball from Benny Cunningham at the 1-yard line as the Rams looked to score with six minutes left, sending the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.Any other person in the league would have probably slowed down and let him score, Irvin said. Earl being one of our leaders, he leads by example. ... A play like that is all he has to do.Lynch finished with 64 yards on 15 carries. Russell Wilson was 17 of 25 for 239 yards and an interception in the first half. Paul Richardson led Seattle with five receptions for 60 yards.Shaun Hill was 26 of 37 for 243 yards for St. Louis. The Rams (6-10) finished with just 42 yards rushing and no play longer than 20 yards. The turnovers forced by Seattle were massive after St. Louis shut out Seattle in the first half.Those guys made some spectacular plays in the second half, Shaun Hill said.And none was bigger than Jordan Hills interception.St. Louis was in field-goal range when Stedman Bailey was flagged for holding. On the first play of the fourth quarter, St. Louis tried to set up a screen pass to Tre Mason. Shaun Hill attempted to throw the ball away, but Jordan Hill got his hands down quick enough to intercept the pass.Seattle needed just six plays to take the lead. Wilson found Kevin Norwood uncovered for 31 yards to the Rams 9. Lynch then went untouched for his 17th touchdown of the season.The capper came less than three minutes later. St. Louis was driving near midfield and Hill attempted to find Lance Kendricks. Wagner knocked the ball from Kendricks and it ricocheted to Irvin. He ran untouched for his second TD this season.I wasnt even looking at the ball, it just ended up in my hands, Irvin said. Thats a sign of me living right.NOTES: Seattle was bitten by injuries in the fourth quarter. Jordan Hill suffered a sprained knee and Wright dislocated a finger. The most significant injury was backup safety Jeron Johnson dislocating his elbow. Carroll didnt have a timeframe on Johnson. ... St. Louis had three sacks and 39 over the final 11 games. ... Seattle was shut out in the first half for the first time since Oct. 23, 2011 at Cleveland.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Mason Rudolph Jersey . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4). Morgan Burnett Jersey . - Robert Griffin III has a sprained throwing shoulder that limited him in practice Wednesday as the Washington Redskins prepared for their season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. http://www.footballsteelerstore.us/Black...hington-Jersey/. A better question yet may be this: How many times has the same player been involved in both? Morneau hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and helped the Colorado Rockies turn the third triple play in team history as they beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 on Sunday. Joe Haden Steelers Jersey . -- The defending Canadian womens curling champions squandered an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the standings Tuesday at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Terrell Edmunds Steelers Jersey . A player confirmed to TSN on the condition of anonymity that he received his ballot yesterday. Another confirms hes been told to expect his shortly. "The unions executive committee insists a strike vote does not mean were pushing away from the table," the player said. "But we want the league to know were serious about our position.SPOKANE, Wash. - For 18 seconds on Saturday, it was happening. Harvard owned basketball, too. The school that churns out U.S. presidents, Supreme Court justices, billionaire CEOs and Nobel Peace Prizes was taking a serious run at altering the discourse on this years NCAA tournament, as well. Harvard guard Laurent Rivard of Saint Bruno, Que., made a 3-pointer from the corner, looped his thumb and finger together around his eye — the "3-point goggles" — and flashed a determined glare toward a group of Crimson fans in the stands who were coming unhinged with 7:12 left in the game. Someone in the Harvard nation tweeted: "rooting for the 1 per cent." The Ivy Leaguers had overcome a 16-point deficit to take a two-point lead over Michigan State, a team that always comes up big on college basketballs biggest stage. The next time down the floor, Spartans guard Travis Trice came back with a 3 to put his team back in the lead. A few minutes later, Michigan State was out of danger — not by much, though — on the way to an 80-73 victory that sent Harvard back home, but not without making a statement. "We showed everybody that we can come all year and play with the best," sophomore guard Siyani Chambers said. Led by a career-high 26 points from Branden Dawson, the fourth-seeded Spartans (28-8) moved onto the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in the last 17 seasons. Theyll play Virginia or Memphis next Friday at Madison Square Garden. A lot of fans thought Harvard could win its first game against Cincinnati. But even President Obama had picked Michigan State to eliminate his law school on the way to the national title. Yet even in a loss, Harvard hoops proved it is here to stay. "I thought our kids competed," coach Tommy Amaker said. "We knew we would." The program Amaker took over seven years ago was in its third straight NCAA tournament and two nights removed from only the second March Madness win in school history. Last year, the encore was a disheartening 23-point loss to Arizona. This time, it was something much different against an opponent that may have been even better. "Thats one thing Coach Amaker talks about, that were not just built for the Ivy League, were built to go past that," junior forward Jonah Travis said. "Thats one of our main goals, to match up with teams like that and beat teams like that." Over a comeback that lasted 7 minutes, 31 seconds, 12th-seeded Harvard (28-5) pounded on Michigan State, plain and simplee.dddddddddddd The rally started with a pair of 3-pointers by Brandyn Curry and continued relentlessly. The Crimson grabbed almost every loose ball, kept hands in Michigan States flustered faces. Steve Moundou-Missi, the 6-foot-7 forward who was supposed to contain Michigan States 6-10 power player, Adreian Payne, simply outplayed him. When Moundou-Missi tipped in a missed shot with 10:22 left, Harvard trailed only 55-53. At that point, both the chant ringing from the Harvard stands — "I believe that we will win" — and the sign one of the fans was holding — "We always bring our A+ Game" — was more than just good PR. Michigan State called a timeout but Tom Izzos play produced an offensive foul. Moundou-Missi missed a layup, but Wesley Saunders, who led the Crimson with 22 points, scrambled for a loose ball and dunked to tie it. About 90 seconds later, Rivard hit his 3 to put Harvard ahead 62-60. "You look down the other end, and Ive got a good friend thats down there," said Izzo, who goes back more than 20 years with Amaker. "I kept saying, Theyre going to come back. You better realize that." They did. Yet somehow, once the Spartans lost the lead, they started playing better. Harvards lead lasted just 18 seconds. After Trice put the Spartans in the lead, Rivard missed a 25-footer — part of a 2-for-5, seven-point night in which he was shut down by Gary Harris. Payne came back with two free throws and Harris made a 3 of his own, part of an 18-point, five-assist night that complemented his great defence. "It was a scare and we need to give credit to Harvard," Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine said. Payne followed his career-high, 41-point night in the opener against Delaware with a modest 12 points, but the final lesson in this one was all the ways Michigan State can beat you. Dawson had matched his previous career best of 20 by halftime. When he took a pass from Trice for a layup with 1:54 left, he gave the Spartans a 73-67 lead. Harvard pulled within four and Moundou-Missi blocked Keith Applings shot on the other end. But the Spartans won a scramble for the ball and Amaker stomped his foot and shouted "Dammit." The game was pretty much over by then and both teams had proven a point: Harvard can play with anyone and Michigan State can handle a legit challenge. "A wonderful effort by our team," Amaker said. "But you have to play perfect basketball to pull a game out like that." Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '