SEATTLE – The fans at CenturyLink Field erupted when Seahawks coach Pete Carroll challenged Terrance Williams' fourth quarter circus catch – so certain were they it was incomplete.
How could it not be? Tony Romo's 23-yard connection with Williams looked like it was heading for the Cowboys' bench, it was thrown so far to the outside. The second-year receiver's toes just tip-toed the artificial turf before he fell out of bounds.
"I saw him rolling right to the sideline, so I rolled with him," Williams said. "He threw it, and, it's just one of those things where -- if he throws it up, I'm trying to gain all his trust -- so I'm going to catch it regardless."
After a brief review, officials crushed those fans' hopes. It was a catch – not just a catch the Cowboys had to have, but the best catch of Williams' 22-game career.
"It was a remarkable play, obviously. I had a pretty good vantage point on that," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "I don't know who the heck he was throwing it to. Tony did a great job of buying time on that play."
Indeed, Romo could have been gunning for either Williams or nearby Jason Witten on the play. Romo said it was intended for Williams, but Williams didn't know for sure.
"I didn't know, because I was too busy tracking it. So when he threw it up, I just got it," he said.
Considering Williams' recent run this season – he has five touchdowns through six games this season – Sunday might have been the quietest of his season. He finished with just two catches, but they were both enormous. The first went for 47 yards, setting up a Dallas field goal that would tie the game, 20-20.
The second one – the reviewed one – bailed Dallas out of a potential fourth down on its own 31 with five minutes remaining. The Cowboys went from possibly punting to crossing into Seahawks territory, and they'd score the go-ahead touchdown just three plays later.
"It's just one of those things, man," Williams said. "Whenever you see Tony rolling – and Dez will tell you – when he throws the ball, it has to be ours."
Just like last week's miracle touchdown to Williams, the pass almost never happened at all. Despite the scrutiny on his surgically-repaired back, Romo needed to duck a pass rusher and get moving out of the pocket before he could find his receiver.
"You don't just find Terrance, you find defensive backs – find out where they are," Romo said. "You find out which guy is going to get a first down, which one is not – on your team."
For anyone that's been watching, it's developing into a trend. When a play breaks down, and Romo gets loose, Williams typically gets yardage.
"He works hard. He stays moving as I move around and stuff, and he's just got a great knack for that," Romo said.
Going back to those fans, [embedded_ad]
Williams' grab had consequences he couldn't have possibly foreseen. In losing the challenge, Seattle lost its second timeout of the half – severely limiting the Seahawks' ability to stop the clock in the moments to come.
"It was certainly a big play in the game, certainly as big of a play that we had," Garrett said.
