Hawks Notes: Alexander likely to play

Running back Shaun Alexander was administered tests on Sunday to determine the severity of his concussion, and team doctors indicated to him that he will be healthy and lucid enough to play this Sunday in the Seahawks' NFC Championship Game with Carolina.

Alexander suffered the concussion when he went down hard on the turf at Qwest Field on a first-quarter run in the Seahawks' 20-10 win over Washington on Saturday.

A source close to the situation said Alexander didn't know exactly where he was for only a short time. The confusion lasted from the time he fell to the ground to when he sat down on the bench on the sideline. In the interim, Alexander was helped off the field by team trainers.

He was at home Sunday watching the NFL playoffs on television.

After Saturday's game, coach Mike Holmgren said Alexander's was the only Seahawks injury that needed to be further evaluated. Holmgren also said he thought Alexander was going to be fine, and got that impression from team doctors on Saturday.

"If I showed him [Alexander] a picture of a truck, he would say it was a truck, and not a butterfly," Holmgren said in his postgame remarks.

As Alexander was being attended to, at least one Washington player was seen praying for him. Others patted Alexander on the back and wished him well as he was being helped off the field.

Backup Maurice Morris came on to replace Alexander for the rest of the game. Morris had 49 yards on 18 carries.

Brown boots away bad luck

Josh Brown made both of his field goals to contribute to the Seahawks' win, both in the fourth quarter.

Brown's miss three months ago cost the Seahawks a chance to win at Washington during the regular season. It was on his mind.

"At certain points of the game it was, 'OK, let's all get ready, let's stay in the game, let's prepare and if the opportunity comes let's just make sure we're good,' " Brown said. "Opportunity came at certain points for big kicks, but no game-winners."

Brown also did his part to help his Washington counterpart, John Hall, miss wide left on a 36-yard try in the fourth quarter that could have cut the Seahawks' lead to 17-13.

"We gave him the hex. The whole sideline," Brown said. "We gave him the kicker hex, the circle of death. There's just something about that end and going left."

Hall's miss came at the same north goal posts where New York Giants kicker Jay Feely missed three field goals on Nov. 27 that would have defeated the Seahawks.

Notes

• Seahawks punter Tom Rouen was the game's MVP for at least a quarter. With both team's offenses stuck in neutral, Rouen pinned Washington's offense back inside its own 15-yard line four times in the first quarter and helped preserve a 0-0 tie.

• Alexander has been named the Pro Football Writers of America's and Pro Football Weekly's Most Valuable Player for 2005. He joins LT Walter Jones and LG Steve Hutchinson as members of the PFWA/PFW All-NFL team.