Seahawks get bailed out by defense

The club was ahead 13-0 at the close of the third quarter in Saturday's NFC Wild Card matchup against the Washington Redskins. The Seahawks had held the Redskins to just 116 net yards in the first half, including 52 on the ground, and Josh Brown's 33-yard field goal that put Seattle up by 13 points came after the defense held Washington in check yet again on its first offensive possession of the second half.

Washington quarterback Todd Collins opened up the fourth quarter with a touchdown pass to make it 13-7. Two plays later, the Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck was picked off by Washington rookie safety LaRon Landry. That led to a 30-yard touchdown pass by Collins to Santana Moss.

Just like that, Washington was up 14-13, and everybody's sympathy pick for postseason glory had all the momentum.

"I think everyone was right, it was a very emotional football game for both teams," said Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren.

A strange sequence gave the Redskins the ball right back, as Shaun Suisham's kickoff got caught up in the wind and bounced over the head of Seahawks return man Nate Burleson. Washington recovered at the Seattle 14.

But while the Redskins may have been a team of fate, the Seahawks were one of talent. Two incomplete passes and a two-yard run for Washington had it settling for a field goal attempt. Suisham hooked it wide.

Given new life, Seattle -- and specifically Hasselbeck -- choked again, as the signal-caller was picked off a second time by Landry. However, the defense was up to the task, forcing Washington to punt.

Then Seattle showed its true colors. While the Redskins were riding a wave of sympathy, pride and heart, the Seahawks displayed what got them to the postseason: pure talent.

Hasselbeck put the Seahawks back in front with 20-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Hackett, and a successful two-point try put the club up by seven with just over six minutes left.

Collins couldn't do what Hasselbeck did. He overthrew Moss and was picked off by Marcus Trufant, who raced 78 yards to the end zone just 28 seconds after Hackett's score.

"You can't say enough about Trufant's interception return," Holmgren said. "That was really the nail, I think, and our defense all day played pretty well."

Trufant credited his big play to the pressure applied by the defense that made Collins uncomfortable.

"(The Redskins) got a double move kind of set up and he (Moss) just kind of lost the ball up there," said Trufant. "It was just one of those plays you're just kind of waiting on it, waiting on it and it finally came down. I was able to get the interception, guys were blocking for me all over the place and man, it was just a good play."

For good measure, Jordan Babineaux also intercepted a Collins pass and took it 57 yards for a score with just 27 seconds left in the game, a fitting end for a Seattle defense that bailed out its offense.

It was a good showing for a defense that was just a week removed from getting torched by the lowly Atlanta Falcons. The Seahawks held Redskins running back Clinton Portis to 52 yards on 20 carries and was in the face of Collins all game.

"We did some of the things that I hoped we could do. I wanted to do a good job versus their running game and our defense did a really fine job that way," said Holmgren.

Linebacker Leroy Hill led the Seahawks with 13 total tackles and was one of three Seattle players to post a sack. However, it was Julian Peterson who was all over the field. The play-making linebacker had 10 tackles, a sack and four quarterback hits.

"I think (it was) two teams that cared a lot, slugged it out and we won it," Holmgren said.

Linebacker Lofa Tatupu added 12 tackles for Seattle, while defensive end Patrick Kerney had seven tackles and four quarterback hits.

In all, Seattle totaled 13 quarterback hits and 10 passes defensed.

HASSELBECK, ALEXANDER STRUGGLE

It wasn't the game Hasselbeck envisioned, as he completed 20-of-32 pass attempts for 229 yards and a score. His two interceptions were nearly back- breakers if not for the play of the defense.

However, he was good when he needed to be. On the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter, Hasselbeck found Burleson for 15 yards on 3rd-and-6 to move the chains two plays before hitting Hackett for the score.

"It feels good, I mean we're excited about it," said Hasselbeck of the win. "I don't think...we're not jubilant in there, dancing around and celebrating. There is no champagne in there, obviously. We wanted to win this game, this was an important game to win."

Hasselbeck has been struggling with turnovers in Seattle's last two postseason appearances. In playoff loses in 2003 and 2004, he threw a total of two touchdown passes and had two interceptions, but had four scoring throws to only one INT in the club's march to the Super Bowl during the 2005 season.

However, in two postseason games last year, Hasselbeck was picked off three times while throwing three touchdown strikes.

Also on Sunday, running back Shaun Alexander had only 46 yards on 15 carries to continue his season-long struggles.

Alexander had just two 100-yard rushing games this year and found the end zone only four times on the ground. Battling wrist and knee ailments this season, it was thought the rest he got over the late part of the season would help him in the playoffs.

However, after his performance in the Wild Card game, it appears as if the pressure will stay on Hasselbeck's shoulder, or more importantly, his arm. Hasselbeck suffered a bruised thigh against Washington, but should be fine for this week.

BRANCH OUT, HACKETT STEPS UP

The Seahawks got a former Super Bowl MVP when they traded for Deion Branch prior to the 2006 season. Branch made his postseason debut with Seattle last year and made eight catches for 96 yards over two games.

A calf injury, though, kept Branch off the field for Saturday's win over Washington.

Seattle began the game with three wide receivers, with Bobby Engram replacing Branch, but it was Hackett who shined in his absence.

Much was hoped out of Hackett this year after the Seahawks traded Darrell Jackson to the 49ers this past offseason, but his season got off to a slow start thanks to an ankle injury. However, against the Redskins, Hackett hauled in six throws for 101 yards with a score.

Branch matched an Super Bowl record with 11 catches for New England in its win over Philadelphia at the end of the 2004 season, earning the game's MVP award.

UP NEXT: HOMECOMING FOR HOLMGREN

Seattle now has a date with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau field on Saturday.

The Packers and Seahawks have faced off once in the playoffs, with Green Bay winning a 33-27 overtime decision in a 2003 NFC First Round Playoff. A 52-yard interception return for a score by Packers cornerback Al Harris ended that contest.

That game was a forgettable one for Hasselbeck, as the INT came after Seattle won the coin toss to begin overtime. Upon winning the flip, Hasselbeck said, 'We want the ball, and we're going to score.' The comment was picked up by microphoned referee, so the statement was heard by the Lambeau Field crowd in addition to the entire television audience.

Green Bay owns a 6-5 lead in its all-time regular-season series with Seattle, but was a 34-24 road loser when it last faced the Seahawks, back in Week 12 of the 2006 regular season. The Packers were home winners in the previous two regular-season matchups, in 2003 and 2005. Including playoffs, the Seahawks are 0-3 at Lambeau Field since last winning there in 1999.

Holmgren, of course, had a very successful run as Green Bay's head coach from 1992-98. He never finished the regular season with a losing record, going 75-37, and guided Green Bay to consecutive 13-3 records and Super Bowl appearances during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Holmgren's Packers defeated New England in the first of those matchups before losing to Denver the following year.

Holmgren is 2-3 against his former team, including the '03 playoff loss. The Packers' Mike McCarthy is 0-1 against both Holmgren and the Seahawks as a head coach.