Twitter Reacts to Seattle Seahawks' Big MNF Victory over Washington Redskins

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Washington Redskins 27-17 on Monday Night Football. Washington produced a valiant effort, but Russell Wilson was too much in the end, announcing himself as a legitimate MVP candidate on a national stage. 

The former Wisconsin Badger was the best player on the field Monday night, starting the Seahawks off on the right foot with his creative running ability. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports mentioned how frustrating Wilson must be to defend:

His 15-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse put Seattle up 7-0. It also improved his gaudy red-zone statistics, as shown by ESPN Stats and Info:

The Washington offense did not help its cause by beginning sluggishly. 

Redskins right tackle Tyler Polumbus left the game due to an injury, leading to the "Legion of Boom" shaming Morgan Moses into becoming a trending topic in the U.S. SB Nation NFL said it best:

Yet the Seahawks failed to pull away from their opposition, mostly due to penalties.

Percy Harvin was the main victim of these infractions, having not one, not two but three touchdowns called back throughout the course of the game. Matthew Berry of ESPN discussed the fantasy implications of Harvin's bad luck:

The defending Super Bowl champs were able to eventually move past the penalties, as Wilson found the end zone before the half to extend the lead to 17-0. At this point, Twitter personalities were showering the Seattle QB with praise. Here is an example from the NFL Network's Jamie Dukes: 

Washington did make a slight comeback to ensure that the NFL would avoid yet another blowout on prime-time television, cutting the lead to 17-10 early in the third quarter behind a DeSean Jackson 60-yard touchdown reception and a Kai Forbath field goal.

From there, both defenses traded stops into the final period.

That was until Pete Carroll chose to roll the dice in the fourth quarter with a fake field goal run with his punter. Minutes later, Wilson found Marshawn Lynch for another touchdown to seemingly put the game out of reach at 24-10. ESPN's Skip Bayless was a fan of Carroll's gutsy play call:

But the game was not finished yet, as Kirk Cousins led a late drive to pull the Redskins within a touchdown at 24-17.

That score set the stage for the most memorable moment of Wilson's incredible night.

The quarterback escaped the Washington defense with his most flattering Houdini impression to find Lynch for a pivotal first down to seal the victory. The play produced quite the Twitter explosion in the process:

"

Unfreaking real play by RW… Unreal. #MNF

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) October 7, 2014"

Wilson finished the game with more than 300 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns. In a game marred with ugly penalties for the Seahawks, their quarterback was able to deliver an MVP-caliber performance to lead his team to victory.

Wilson's MVP candidacy often is diminished due to the dominance of the Seattle defense and the offense's reliance on Lynch. But his immense value to the Seahawks was on full display tonight. His ability to play through adversity, extend plays with his athleticism and make timely throws in the biggest moments help make him a bonafide contender for the MVP.