Washington 14, Seattle 35

1 2 3 4 T
WAS (9-7) 0 0 0 14 14
SEA (10-6) 7 3 3 22 35

Final

4:30 PM ET
January 5, 2008
Qwest Field,
Seattle, WA

Redskins give valiant effort, but Seahawks advance to face Packers

Scouts Buzz
If you haven’t paid much attention in the Northwest, Seattle has a pretty impressive defensive team led by LDE Patrick Kerney, MLB Lofa Tatupu, OLB Julian Peterson and shutdown corner Marcus Trufant. Defensive coordinator John Marshall's game plan was to shut down the Washington running game while overloading the right side with single zone pressure schemes in passing situations that placed a lot of pressure on rookie RT Stephon Heyer. The Redskins countered by sliding their protection schemes toward Heyer, which forced LT Chris Samuels on an island in one-on-one situations on the backside with either Darryl Tapp or Peterson. The Seahawks also did a good job in rotating their defensive linemen while aligning at different spots in sub to create mismatches that they exploited with four-man rush schemes. On top of that, this is a fast and aggressive defense that played at very high level in attacking QB Todd Collins in the pocket while controlling the Washington running game.
-- Keith Kidd, Scouts Inc.

· Complete Week 1 Scouts Buzz
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Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2114
3rd down efficiency
4-182-11
4th down efficiency
1-30-0
Total Yards319304
Passing244227
Comp-Att
29-5020-32
Yards per pass
4.97.1
Rushing7577
Rushing Attempts
2921
Yards per rush
2.63.7
Penalties5-393-30
Turnovers22
Fumbles lost
00
Interceptions thrown
22
Possession34:1525:45
Air/Ground Leaders
Washington Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Collins29/5026622
Seattle Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Hasselbeck20/3222912
Washington Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Portis2052013
Betts31509
Seattle Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Alexander1546013
Weaver117117
Washington Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Randle El1094119
Moss668130
Seattle Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Hackett6101135
Burleson664025
Washington Fumbles
 FUMLOSTREC
Collins100
Seattle Fumbles
 FUMLOSTREC
Hasselbeck100
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERWASSEA
TD03:45Leonard Weaver 17 Yd Run (Josh Brown Kick) 07
SECOND QUARTERWASSEA
FG08:58Josh Brown 50 Yd 010
THIRD QUARTERWASSEA
FG04:30Josh Brown 33 Yd 013
FOURTH QUARTERWASSEA
TD14:53Antwaan Randle El 7 Yd Pass From Todd Collins (Shaun Suisham Kick) 713
TD12:38Santana Moss 30 Yd Pass From Todd Collins (Shaun Suisham Kick) 1413
TD06:06D.J. Hackett 20 Yd Pass From Matt Hasselbeck (Matt Hasselbeck Pass To Marcus Pollard For Two-Point Conversion) 1421
TD05:38Marcus Trufant 78 Yd Interception Return (Josh Brown Kick) 1428
TD00:27Jordan Babineaux 57 Yd Interception Return (Josh Brown Kick) 1435
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) -- In less than 2½ fourth-quarter minutes, the Seattle Seahawks watched a 13-point lead turn into a one-point deficit. Nothing was going right -- they couldn't even catch a simple kickoff.

"I was looking at the scoreboard, like, 'What just happened?'" defensive end Darryl Tapp said. "But you just have to continue to play all the game through."

Not In Seattle
Seahawks
The Seahawks kicked off their fifth straight postseason appearance where they have been most effective -- on their home field. Since the start of the 2005 season, the Seahawks have the second-best regular-season home record.
Team
Record
Pct.
Colts21-3.875
Seahawks20-4.833*
Chargers19-5.792
Jaguars18-6.750
Patriots18-6.750
* -- 4-0 home playoff mark since '05

And so they did, reversing the tide, stopping a team that had been playing with unbeatable passion for four weeks. So what if the other team scored two touchdowns early in the final period? The Seahawks responded with three of their own in Saturday's 35-14 victory over the Washington Redskins in the NFC wild-card playoffs.

"It's amazing how the tables turn so fast," left tackle Walter Jones said.

Seattle, 8-1 at home, set aside concerns about a cream-puff schedule by beating a team that finished with a winning record for the first time since Week 1. The Seahawks will travel to Green Bay next Saturday, a rematch of a 2004 wild-card game remembered for Matt Hasselbeck's proclamation of "We want the ball and we're going to score!" after the Seahawks won the overtime coin flip.

Instead, Hasselbeck threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

"I'm just saying it right now: We want the ball and we're going to score," Hasselbeck said with a laugh as he opened his postgame news conference Saturday. "OK, I said it."

The Redskins had been on a mission since the death of safety Sean Taylor, who was shot in Miami on Nov. 26 and died a day later. Determined to win for their fallen friend, they went 4-0 after his funeral to claim the NFC's final playoff berth and appeared to have unstoppable momentum when two quick touchdowns gave them a 14-13 lead with 12:38 to play.

"I can't believe it's over with for us," Washington linebacker London Fletcher said. "It just seemed our story was going to be written all the way to the Super Bowl for us."

The Redskins' offense had come alive with a no-huddle drive capped by Todd Collins' 7-yard touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El. Then came an interception by LaRon Landry, who took over at free safety after Taylor's death, to set up a 30-yard pass to Santana Moss that gave the Redskins the lead. In the end zone, Moss held up his fingers to signify the No. 21, Taylor's jersey number.

Then came a bizarre play that made the Redskins really look charmed. Seattle returner Nate Burleson couldn't field a wind-blown kickoff. The Redskins recovered and were primed to score again. A pass to Chris Cooley just missed, and kicker Shaun Suisham had his shortest miss of his young career -- wide left from 30 yards.

On To Holmgren Bowl II
Mike Holmgren
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren moves on to battle his former team, the Green Bay Packers, for the second time in the postseason. Al Harris intercepted Matt Hasselbeck's pass in OT for a touchdown in a 33-27 victory in the 2003 wild-card round.
With Packers
With Seahawks
Seasons1992-981999-2007
Wins7582
Postseason App.66
Postseason Wins94

"We have the perfect opportunity, getting that turnover, deep in their territory," defensive end Phillip Daniels said. "Not to score on that turnover, that changed the momentum of the game."

Landry intercepted another pass on Seattle's next drive, but a 33-yard punt by Derrick Frost gave Seattle good field position to set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Taking over at Washington's 42, the Seahawks scored five plays later. Hasselbeck pumped right and threw left to D.J. Hackett, who had safety Pierson Prioleau beaten by 5 yards. A pass to tight end Marcus Pollard gave Seattle a 2-point conversion and a 21-14 lead with 6:06 to play.

Then Collins, who engineered all four victories in the winning streak despite not having started a game since 1997, finally had a pass land in the other team's hands. When receiver Moss gave up on a route deep down the right sideline, Marcus Trufant easily hauled in the ball and returned it 78 yards for a score.

"I thought it was a dead play," Moss said. "Then, all of a sudden I look up and the guy is catching it like a punt. You hate to be in a situation where the ball is coming and you don't even know it."

With the Redskins desperately trying to catch up, Jordan Babineaux intercepted and returned it 57 yards for a score with 27 seconds left. Those were the first two interceptions for Collins since Nov. 30, 1997, when he played for Buffalo against the New York Jets. The score sealed Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs' first playoff loss when leading in the second half -- he had been 17-0 with a lead after halftime.

Collins finished 29-for-50 for 266 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he was pressured all game. Partick Kerney and Julian Peterson each had four of Seattle's 13 quarterback hurries. Clinton Portis, who had at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each game of the winning streak, ran 20 times for 52 yards and caught four passes for 28 yards.

As they have over the second half of the season, the Seahawks preferred the pass over the run. Hasselbeck finished 20-for-32 for 229 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Hackett caught six passes for 101 yards.

The Redskins put together their four-game winning streak by starting fast: leads of 14-0, 22-3, 25-0 and 27-3. But they punted on their first six possessions against the Seahawks and were stopped on fourth-and-1 on the seventh. Seattle took a 10-0 halftime lead on fullback Leonard Weaver's 17-yard run and Josh Brown's 50-yard field goal, which tied a Seahawks franchise playoff record.

"I think two teams that cared a lot slugged it out," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "And we won it."

Game notes
Weaver's touchdown was his first in the playoffs. He had only one TD on 33 carries during the regular season. ... Portis sprained his left ankle late in the game and spent the final minutes on the sideline. ... The Seahawks reported no significant injuries.


NFL Scores

Saturday, January 5th 2007
Washington 14 Final
Seattle 35
Jacksonville 31 Final
Pittsburgh 29
Sunday, January 6th 2007
NY Giants 24 Final
Tampa Bay 14
Tennessee 6 Final
San Diego 17