Seahawks prove to be masters at the art of survival

By Scott Garbarini Jan 9, 2007, 21:55 GMT

- The most thrilling game of this season's Wild Card playoff weekend will forever be remembered for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's mishandled snap on a seemingly automatic game-winning field goal try in the final minutes.

What was quickly forgotten, however, were the multitude of big plays made by the Seattle Seahawks down the stretch that enabled the defending NFC champions to come through with an improbable 21-20 victory on Saturday.

The Cowboys looked to have had the contest firmly in hand early in the fourth quarter, as Dallas held a 17-13 lead and had the ball deep in Seattle territory. However, the Seahawk defense came up with a key stop of running back Marion Barber on a 3rd-and-1 situation, forcing the Cowboys to kick a field goal to extend the margin to seven points.

That play appeared relatively insignificant at the time, but its importance grew as the story began to unfold a few short minutes later.

The plot twist was provided by cornerback Kelly Jennings. After Seattle marched down to the Dallas one-yard line only to come away empty-handed, the rookie stripped the football loose from Cowboys wideout Terry Glenn on a quick screen, resulting in a momentum-changing safety that gave the Seahawks new life.

Seattle took full advantage of the resulting great field position, as it took just four plays for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to hit a wide-open Jerramy Stevens for a 37-yard touchdown to give the home team a one-point edge with under 4 1/2 minutes to go.

It turned out to be more than enough time for the Cowboys to move right back into scoring range. The Seahawks were in dire need of another huge play. They wound up getting two more.

The first came with the Cowboys facing 3rd-and-7 from the Seattle eight-yard line. Romo delivered a strike to Jason Witten, but the big tight end was held up just short of the first down -- with the aid of a video review -- by linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson.

That set up the ill-fated field goal attempt. Romo had the presence of mind to try to run for the first down immediately following his bobble, and it appeared the young signal-caller would have made the mark if not for a heads- up shoestring tackle by cornerback Jordan Babineaux.

Seattle then managed to make a crucial first down and close out a win that turned out to be as bizarre as it was unlikely.

'Some unusual things happened in the game, and that's the playoffs for you,' said Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren. 'The last three times we have played against the Cowboys, the game has come down to something right at the end. And this was no different.'

Were the Seahawks fortunate to win? Absolutely. Not only did the team need to dodge a bullet in the form of Romo's blunder, but it overcame two Hasselbeck interceptions and an off-target performance by the quarterback for much of the night, a sputtering ground attack and a kick-return touchdown by Dallas rookie Miles Austin in the third quarter.

It takes more than just luck to win in the playoffs, however. It also takes determination and resiliency, qualities that the Seahawks have displayed throughout this topsy-turvy campaign.

'I call this team the greatest persevering team I've ever been on,' remarked running back Shaun Alexander. 'The injuries that we've had, the windstorms. I think I didn't have power in my house for a week. Over and over, just stuff you wouldn't imagine that one team would go through. Yet we still win the West, we still play our home playoff game, we win to get in there, and now we are officially in the hunt for this thing. I'm just proud of our guys.'

STEVENS STEPS UP

The Seahawks started the game with their full allotment of receivers, but two of them were forced to exit before its conclusion. Darrell Jackson returned to the lineup after missing the final two regular-season contests with a hyperextended big toe, but aggravated the injury on Saturday and was held without a catch. D.J. Hackett was forced to the sidelines after spraining his right ankle in the fourth quarter.

Seattle was able to compensate for the losses of both key receivers because of big games out of Stevens and savvy slot receiver Bobby Engram. Stevens caught five Hasselbeck passes for 77 yards and scored both Seahawk touchdowns. Engram, finally back to full strength after battling a thyroid condition for much of this season, had a game-best 88 yards on four receptions.

'I thought Jerramy Stevens showed up big in this game,' said Holmgren afterward.

Holmgren said on Monday that he expects Jackson, who led Seattle with 63 catches and 956 yards during the regular season, to be available for this Sunday's Divisional Round matchup at Chicago. Hackett, however, is less likely to play.

Because Jackson and Hackett, who had a hip flexor injury coming into the contest, were both questionable to play, the Seahawks moved rookie wide receiver Ben Obomanu from the practice squad to the active roster prior to the game. Itula Mili was the casualty of the move, as the veteran tight end was released to make room for Obomanu.

LENDING A HELPING HAND

Seattle also played Saturday's game without the services of both of their starting cornerbacks, as Kelly Herndon is out for the season after breaking his ankle in the regular-season finale and Marcus Trufant is still hobbled by a high ankle sprain. However, the makeshift unit of Jennings, Babineaux (a converted safety) and Pete Hunter, the ex-Cowboy who was signed off the street in the days leading up to the playoffs, more than held their own against Dallas' star-laden corps of receivers.

The group limited Terrell Owens to a mere two catches totaling 26 yards, while Glenn managed just 41 yards on four grabs.

'Our defense, I am so proud of those guys,' said Holmgren. 'Given who they had to play against and given our state of affairs in the secondary, I don't think I can say enough about the heart and the courage they showed in a game like this.'

Trufant is unlikely to play again this week.

SHUT OUT

The Seahawks did not have a representative on the Associated Press All-Pro first team for the first time since the 2002 season, although left tackle Walter Jones was named to the second team squad.

During their Super Bowl campaign of 2005, four Seattle players -- Alexander, fullback Mack Strong, Jones and former guard Steve Hutchinson -- all received first-team recognition.

CHICAGO HOPE

Seattle will re-visit the site of the lowest point of its season when the club travels to Chicago's Soldier Field this Sunday to take on the top-seeded Bears. The Seahawks were handed a humiliating 37-6 defeat by Chicago back in Week 4, although the team played without the services of Alexander. The Bears will be minus two defensive stars who played a key role in that victory, as tackle Tommie Harris and strong safety Mike Brown are both out with season- ending injuries.

The Seahawks are 3-2 in five all-time visits to Soldier Field. This will be the first meeting between the teams in the postseason.

© 2007 The Sports Network