Seahawks rout Saints, 34-7

SEATTLE - Russell Wilson threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns, Michael Bennett returned Drew Brees' fumble 22 yards for a touchdown, and the Seattle Seahawks humbled the New Orleans Saints, 34-7, on Monday night.

Seattle (11-1) wrapped up a playoff berth with the victory, and the matchup between the top two teams in the NFC was anything but competitive. With the win, Seattle has a two-game lead over both the Saints (9-3) and Carolina Panthers for home-field advantage in the NFC. The Seahawks also hold the tiebreakers with head-to-head victories over both teams.

The Seahawks had 315 yards of offense at halftime, the second time in three games they have had at least 300 in the first half. They had a season-high 316 yards against Atlanta in Week 10. Wilson threw for 226 yards in the first half, with touchdowns to Zach Miller and Doug Baldwin.

On the second play of the Saints' second possession, Cliff Avril knocked the ball from Brees' hand as the quarterback prepared to throw. Bennett caught the ball and raced into the end zone.

Playing without two of its top three cornerbacks, the Seattle defense held the Saints' high-powered offense to 188 yards. Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane stepped in for Seattle, with Walter Thurmond serving a four-game suspension and Brandon Browner out with a groin injury.

Wilson picked up his third touchdown strike of the night in unusual fashion. Facing second and goal from the Saints 8, Wilson threw a pass intended for reserve tight end Kellen Davis. The ball went through Davis' hands before fullback Derrick Coleman grabbed it and fell into the end zone for a score. Coleman had stepped out of bounds on the play but had re-established himself inbounds before making the catch.