Seahawks
Hawks sent Packing by Green Bay

By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

	ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Packers receiver Antonio Freeman, left, consoles Hawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after Green Bay’s win.
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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Matt Hasselbeck had reason to be confident, and that confidence echoed from the referee's microphone.

At midfield for the overtime coin toss, Hasselbeck, having led the Seahawks on a tying touchdown drive minutes earlier, blurted the following as the Seahawks won the toss:

"We'll take the ball, and we're gonna score!"

Unfortunately, Hasselbeck's bold prediction never came true, even if it wasn't meant to be heard by all.

In overtime, cornerback Al Harris stepped in front of Hasselbeck's sideline pass to Alex Bannister and returned the interception 52 yards to give the Packers a 33-27 wild-card playoff victory yesterday at Lambeau Field.

As fast as it took the speedy Harris to run down the sideline toward the celebrating mass of humanity behind the south end zone, the Seahawks' season was over. Most of Seattle's players hung their heads and trudged toward the visitors' tunnel while almost all of the 71,457 fans in attendance celebrated.

Football can be as cruel a game as it is rewarding, and a valiant effort by the Seahawks on the road in frigid temperatures against a team with plenty of playoff experience came up short. The Seahawks' hopes and dreams were dashed despite taking the Packers to overtime and what the Seahawks felt was some questionable officiating.

"We really felt like we'd get to this game and shock them (Packers), go to Philadelphia and shock them, go to St. Louis and shock them," running back Shaun Alexander said. "That was our plan, and to lose in overtime is just tough, because we realize how good we were. We know this team was something special. We just didn't finish."

The Seahawks took a 3-0 lead on their opening drive of the game but trailed 13-6 at halftime. They tied the score on their first possession of the third quarter, a 1-yard touchdown run by Alexander.

After taking a 20-13 lead late in the third on another Alexander 1-yard score, the Seahawks gave up two touchdowns on consecutive Packers possessions in the fourth.

On the second TD drive of the fourth quarter, Seattle appeared to stop running back Ahman Green on fourth-and-inches. Green also lost the ball while in the pile. But officials ruled that Green had already achieved forward progress to get the first down and that the ball was fumbled after he was pushed backward.

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren felt sure then and after the game that Green fumbled and asked for an explanation from referee Bernie Kukar. The fumble could not be challenged, only the spot of the ball for the first down.

"Yeah, he fumbled the ball," Holmgren said. "I thought that on the play, he went in there, kept his legs going, came back up and fumbled the ball. I know where the fumble was was not a first down."

Green went on to give the Packers what looked to be the points they needed to win in regulation. The Packers' offensive line dominated the Seahawks' defensive line on the drive, and Green's short run gave the Packers a 27-20 lead with 2:44 left in the fourth quarter.

But Hasselbeck and the Seahawks refused to quit.

"We got in the huddle, and I just said, 'Nobody thinks this game is over, do they?' " center Robbie Tobeck said. "You just know you're going to get down there and get it done."

Hasselbeck completed back-to-back passes to Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson, moving Seattle to the Green Bay 42. With 1:47 left, he hit Bobby Engram for 34 yards to get the Seahawks within striking distance. Alexander punched it in from a yard out after a pass-interference penalty against the Packers.

The Packers had one more drive in regulation, but Ryan Longwell's 47-yard field goal came up just short. Then came the overtime, starting with Hasselbeck's called shot.

"That's a bold statement," Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said. "But what the hell, we hadn't really stopped them yet."

The Seahawks' first overtime drive produced nothing more than a punt, but it wasn't without controversy. A pass to Bannister was ruled a fumble, but officials reversed the call after Holmgren's challenge.

Bannister was sure he was down and that the ball had popped out by contact with the grass. He also felt slighted by the spot the officials gave him, as he was given eight yards on third-and-nine.

"I know it was a first down," said Bannister, although replays showed the spot was correct.

Still, the Packers punted after their possession, and the Seahawks got the ball on their 34.

Six plays later, Harris made the play that won the game.

"He just broke on it," Bannister said of Harris. "We ran a hitch and he didn't move and he read Matt Hasselbeck and just made a great play. He gambled on it and guessed right."

The Seahawks limited Green, a Pro Bowler, to just 66 rushing yards and kept pace with the Packers despite the loss of linebacker Chad Brown for all but the first quarter. Seattle also overcame at least eight dropped passes, at least one of which might have been a touchdown.

"Give Green Bay credit, they made the play they had to make to win the football game," Holmgren said. "And I would also like to credit our football team for battling like crazy.

"No one gave us a chance in this game."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com.

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