I never really knew why they called it Wild Card weekend. I think I now know.
- All eight teams played this past weekend led at some point in their single elimination playoff showdowns. The Seahawks and Jaguars had to come from behind in the fourth quarter Saturday while the Giants and Chargers gave up early scores before taking control and advancing.
- The Seahawks were up 13-0 after three quarters of utter dominance. While the banged up Matt Hasselbeck was not his best, the defense was pressuring Todd Collins to the point where he was completely ineffective.
- In the fourth quarter, the Seahawks defense decided to ease back on the blitzes that were so effective, allowing Collins to execute a touchdown drive. Hasselbeck started to press and forced a couple throws, and an interception resulted in another Collins touchdown pass. 14-13, just like that.
- The ensuing kickoff featured the ball getting caught in the wind. Nate Burleson and Josh Wilson both misjudged the kickoff, and the ball sailed over both their heads, where the Redskins recovered and appeared to be well on their way to scoring an unbelievable 21 consecutive points in a mere five minutes. Thankfully, by rule, the ball is dead at the point of recovery. The Seahawks defense made yet another stand, and the Redskins missed the field goal.
- The missed chip shot turned out to be a big swing in momentum, as Hasselbeck stormed down the field and hit DeAndre James Hackett on a play that they had never run before for the go-ahead touchdown. Marcus Pollard catcheds the two-point conversion. 21-14, Seattle.
- Now that he is down with time running out, Collins starts to force passes. Marcus Trufant picks off a pass that sails in the air. Santana Moss could have made the tackle and kept their hopes alive but he gave up on the play and Trufant makes a couple cool jukes and returns it 78 yards for the score to seal the win. Jordan Babineaux adds another pick-six to make it a 21-point victory. Yes, I know the irony is incredible.
- Much of the story before and after the game was the Redskins rallying together after the death of stud starting safety Sean Taylor, number 21.
- But now the story becomes Mike Holgren, Matt Hasselbeck, and the Seattle Seahawks traveling to Lambeau Field in Green Bay to take on Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.
- The first thing Matt Hasselbeck said when he came to the podium at the post game press conference was, "I'll just say it right now. We want the ball, and we're gonna score," cracking a smile. The room burst into laughter.
