THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Broncos didn't let Russ cook, either

So, you want thrills and drama with your sports experiences?

Fine.

How about THAT long weekend?

Seriously, it couldn’t get more ironic on Monday night than Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett, with whom Russell Wilson has had an outright lovefest for the past few months, deciding to try a 64-yard field goal in the final seconds — rather than trust Wilson to convert a fourth-and-5 at midfield with about a minute left, three timeouts in his pocket and the Broncos down 17-16.

Not only that, but Brandon McManus tried one and missed badly, only for everyone to realize that he’d get a second chance because Pete Carroll had called timeout.

Seahawks fans, who had screamed themselves hoarse all night, surely feared that Hackett would change his mind and let Wilson steer his team into sensible field-goal range.

But …

No.

Wilson, who has authored more winning fourth-quarter drives than any NFL quarterback over the past decade, had to stand and watch as McManus was short and left with his second try — handing the Hawks an utterly delicious one-point win.

And to tell the truth, if Wilson had gotten one or two more first downs, letting McManus win it, justice would NOT have been served.

Russ wasn’t really very good.

Maybe he forgot how loud Lumen Field could be, because he got called for delay of game twice, and basically caused a lost fumble at the goal line by rushing a play with one second left.

Wilson’s single moment of glory, a 67-yard TD pass to Jerry Jeudy, actually was underthrown by about 10 yards.

Overall, Russ didn’t make a single “Wow!” delivery — his completions were all to wide-open receivers — and he should have been intercepted twice, but Jamal Adams and then Quandre Diggs couldn’t hang on to a couple of awful passes.

Meanwhile, Geno Smith had a great first half with two touchdown passes, but then started dropping too deep (a longtime fault) down the stretch — and probably was thrilled to see that last long field goal land harmlessly.

“We didn’t finish like we wanted to (on offense),” Geno said, “but the defense won the game for us.”

Yep.

It’s just one game, and in the big picture, it meant nothing to the legacies of Carroll or Wilson, the protagonists in what has been built into a feud.

For a single loud, joyous night in Seattle, though, Russ not only couldn’t cook when it mattered …

He wasn’t allowed to touch the stove.

NOW IF you were paying attention …

You may have gotten a hint that wild things were coming — all the way back on Saturday — when Washington State took bruising Wisconsin’s best shot.

Make that several best shots.

The stubborn Cougs finished battered but victorious with a well-earned 17-14 upset.

Remember that old saying that statistics are for losers?

Well, Wisconsin got its home crowd of 75,822 revved up with its usual smashmouth football — running up 22 first downs to just 10 for Wazzu, gaining 401 yards to 253, and holding the ball for an astounding 38 minutes.

But …

The Badgers did not have the rock at the end.

This incredibly tough gang of Cougs just refused to let it happen.

First, the final minutes felt unlikely; then, they became amazing.

I recall thinking: “They can’t finish this, can they?”

Wisconsin hadn’t scored in the second half, but the Badgers seemed destined for the end zone in the waning minutes when edge rusher Quinn Roff hit tight end Clay Cundiff and punched the ball free.

Safety Sam Lockett III gratefully collected the fumble.

There was still tension, though, because the whole afternoon had been bizarre — I mean, each team already had made an interception and fumbled the ball back on the same play.

Fortunately, Lockett didn’t try for an 88-yard return, bless him.

Even that play didn’t seal things, though, because the Coug offense had made a few big plays — mostly by ex-Badger running back Nakia Watson, who scored both touchdowns — but hadn’t been able to put any kind of drive together.

You had to hold your breath with five minutes still remaining and Wazzu on its own 12-yard line.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Cougs punched back.

Hard.

“We brought in this offense to do what we did at the end of the game,” coach Jake Dickert said.

Wazzu actually ran out the clock (43 yards on 10 plays over the final 5:14) with Cam Ward hitting his only three passes — the big one an 18-yard sideline shot to Lincoln Victor.

Ward ran for 3 yards on a third-and-two, and Watson bulled his way for 17 yards on four carries.

That doesn’t sound like much, but it might as well have been miles.

Dickert clearly has these Cougs both believing in themselves and playing a new brand of take-no-prisoners football.

Wazzu’s season suddenly seems like it could be an awful lot of fun.

SO, THAT takes us to Sunday.

I hate to sound old and all of that, but the Mariners-Braves game reminded me of Jack Buck’s call when the crippled Kirk Gibson homered to give the Dodgers a ninth-inning victory over Oakland to open the 1988 World Series.

“I don’t believe what I just saw,” Buck said.

Neither did I during that insane final inning in Seattle.

You’ll recall that the Mariners, having split the first two games against the defending World Series champs, led 6-1 after a magnificent performance by starter Marco Gonzales.

(And I’ll confess I thought Marco might get lit up by Atlanta, which has hammered lefties all year.)

Anyhow, we get to the ninth, it’s 6-2 and the Seattle bullpen has been nails all season.

Until it wasn’t.

Diego Castillo gave up two walks and a three-run home to Michael Harris II, then Paul Sewald — Seattle’s closest thing to a lock — surrendered a hit and another homer, this one by Robbie Grossman.

In a heartbeat, Atlanta led 7-6 and T-Mobile Park had the air sucked totally out of it.

Apparently, the magical Julio Rodriguez (who had homered in the first inning) didn’t feel the gloom, exhorting his teammates that they were NOT done, no sir.

“I think Julio can do anything,” announced third baseman Eugenio Suarez. “I knew if he could get on, we’d score.”

Get on?

GET ON??

J-Rod had more than that in mind, pouncing on a rare hanging slider from star closer Kenley Jansen and absolutely blistering it off the scoreboard in left at 117.2 miles per hour.

One out later, with the crowd still roaring, Suarez (who had ALSO gone deep earlier) turning on a low cutter and lifted a high drive to left-center.

I’ll confess I shouted out loud, which is a bit unprofessional, but hell …

The Mariners mobbed Suarez, the stadium rocked until it may have measured on the Richter scale, and doggone it, Seattle now MUST believe the drought is close to being history.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

What a weekend.

And I still don’t believe what I just saw.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published weekly during the season, beginning in October.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”