Brown's miss against Washington firmly in the past

KIRKLAND — The past is the past for Josh Brown, a point the Seahawks kicker wants to make especially clear.

Brown, fans will recall, missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt as regulation time expired when the Seahawks played the Washington Redskins on Oct. 2. The score was tied at 17, and the Seahawks would have won had not Brown, who drilled a 53-yard kick earlier in the game, bounced the ball off the left upright with his last-second try.

Washington went on to win the game in overtime, 20-17, and the Seahawks fell to 2-2. They didn't lose again until Jan. 1.

Brown knew he would have to revisit the missed kick this week, with Washington playing at Seattle Saturday in the NFC divisional playoffs. But he's trying to avoid it.

"It's not something I'm going to think about," he said. "It's irrelevant at this point. It's a long time ago. I know a lot of people are going to think about it and focus on it, but you know, sometimes you have to learn to let go."

Brown has. He reasoned that missing that kick was one of the best things ever to happen in his three-year career, knocking on wood superstitiously at his locker as he spoke at team headquarters Monday.

"Up to that point I had, knock on wood, never missed a game-winner," Brown said. "The way it went down is the way it went down. You can't change history.

"People are going to focus on it and they're going to try to build some big story of revenge and all this, but it's not our revenge. The revenge is with myself. Everyone knows I can make that kick. I just didn't that day."

Teammates reaffirmed their confidence in Brown despite the miss that day, and Brown went on to make game-winning field goals against Dallas and the New York Giants later in the season.

Asked if he would like another shot if the game is close and it comes down to a field goal from him for the win, Brown said that isn't such a big deal.

"I don't hope for it. If it happens, that's fine," he said. "A win's a win. I'll take it any way I can get it now."

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