THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Another dramatic finish with the Pats, this one going the Seahawks' way

The broadcasters called it a chess match.

Yeah, maybe, if…

You played with knives, brickbats and brass knuckles.

If you garroted somebody to take his queen.

Crashed a chair over the other guy’s head in a dispute over what colors you’re going to play.

It was SO fitting that the Seahawks’ 35-30 survival act against the Patriots Sunday night came down to a defensive play that was the equivalent a 260-man quarterback having the stadium pulled out from under him.

Cam Newton’s night ended with a play on which he went over like a man cracked on the knee with a pitching wedge.

This event was football alternating between absolute artistry and sheer violence.

This may sound crazy, but I think Pete Carroll was happier beating New England by stuffing the league’s biggest and most athletic quarterback at the 1-yard line than if the Hawks had just breezed to a 37-10 win.

That’s Pete, who said earlier in the week that the Seahawks’ philosophy was…

“We’re coming to knock the hell out of you.”

OH, BY the way, what is it about these two teams that it’s so hard to score a winning touchdown?

The answer is great defense (even with 65 total points on the board), but think about this a second.

There was the Malcolm Butler pick in the Super Bowl, obviously.

Then two years later, Seattle turned away Tom Brady and the Pats in the shadow of the end zone to win in Foxborough.

And now this…

Newton, who was unstoppable running the ball all night — especially on short-yardage downs — unable to get the final yard.

Safety Lano Hill, who likely wouldn’t have been in the game but for unfortunate circumstances, shot low into the backfield and submarined lead blocker Rex Burkhead.

Newton had to hesitate half a heartbeat, and in that moment he was swallowed up by defensive end L.J. Collier.

Surely you remember Collier, the first-round draft pick deemed a bust by fans and media last year — but not by Carroll.

How sweet that must have been for Collier to knock Newton flat to end the game.

It was sweet for all the Seahawks, who played for the first time without that normal cauldron of noise at Century Link Field — and missed it.

And let’s not kid ourselves…

You don’t want to waste a five-TD performance by Russell Wilson, who managed to spread that passing wealth to five different receivers.

WILSON had issues only at the beginning and end of the night.

His first pass, delivered right into the hands of veteran tight end Greg Olsen, was bobbled into the air — and returned for an easy touchdown by Devin McCourty.

Then on Seattle’s last possession, when a first down or two would have prevented New England from having any chance to win, Danger Russ went for broke deep on third down and missed Tyler Lockett.

But, hey…

That brought us to the usual dramatic conclusion that these two teams provide.

The personnel might change, but the coaches — Carroll and Bill Belichick — have not.

So. you have a war involving very few prisoners and plenty of suspense at the finish.

The Hawks take pride in being physical and relentless, and that summed up the final play, really.

Collier has taken his lumps — he made just three tackles in limited action as a rookie — but he was there to smother Newton when it mattered.

As for Hill…

HE’S STILL involved in a few of the Seahawks’ more exotic coverages, but he’s down the depth chart.

Unfortunately, starting free safety Quandre Diggs long since had been ejected for a helmet-to-helmet blow on Pats receiver N’Keal Harry.

Then second-year defender Marquise Blair was injured, forcing Hill and Ugo Amadi into different but critical roles in the secondary.

Fitting that this game ended with a wicked, blow-up tackle.

It was that way all night, to the point that Hawks receiver DK Metcalf and Pats superstar corner Stephon Gilmore were fairly interested in killing each other.

Sometimes football is as pretty as a Wilson lob to the end zone, or as close to ballet as David Moore’s TD reception.

Sometimes, though…

You have to knock the hell out of a guy.

Ask Cam Newton.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “Moments, Memories and Madness,” his reminiscences from several decades as a sports journalist, runs each Sunday.

Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball, once per month during the offseason.