NFL-Rawls delighted, and surprised, to set Seahawks rushing mark

Jan 7 (Reuters) - Seattle running back Thomas Rawls had no idea he had set a franchise postseason record after the Seahawks charged to a 26-6 victory over the Detroit Lions in their National Football Conference wild card game on Saturday. Rawls, who rushed for a season-high 161 yards on 27 carries with a four-yard touchdown, became the first Seahawks running back to post 100 or more rushing yards in the first half of a postseason game. "I didn't know," the 23-year-old told NBC Sports when informed about his achievement before erupting in celebratory laughter. Looking ahead to Seattle's divisional round matchup with the second-seeded Falcons in Atlanta next Saturday, Rawls said the Seahawks would continue to pound the football. "We want to end (the season) on a great mark, running the football which is our identity  playing tough football and that's exactly what we did. "We worked so hard to get to this point and the big boys up front, we had a great week of preparation and we got the chance to do it on the ground," said Rawls. Rawls broke the game open with a 4-yard touchdown run with 8:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the third-seeded Seahawks a 19-6 lead. The Lions were stifled by a Seattle defense that did not allow a touchdown. Quarterback Russell Wilson, playing without a knee brace for the first time since Week 3, completed 23 of 30 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns as the Seahawks won their 10th consecutive postseason game at home. For Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, excellent preparation also paved the way for the team's gritty defensive display. "We know they (the Lions) have got some great players on the other end but we were just lucky. The whole week, we prepared really well and we knew we were going to play well," he said. Facing league MVP candidate Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who earned a bye into the divisional round, will be a very different matter. "We are expecting a fight," said Wagner. "They are going to come in rested and they are going to be hungry but we are hungry too. We're going to come out and give it everything we've got." (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in St. Augustine, Florida; Editing by Peter Rutherford)