The Seattle Seahawks rallied in the fourth quarter to get the better of Washington Redskins 24-14 in the NFL wildcard game.
The Seahawks tasted their first playoff victory on the road since 1983, when they had defeated the Miami Dolphins. In their next game of the divisional round, they will face NFC South champions Atlanta Falcons on January 13.
"What was really exciting for us is that we weathered the storm, and the crowd and the situation and the setting, and our guys stayed focus and started to put the game in order," Reuters quoted Seattle coach Pete Carroll as saying. "Incredible effort by the guys."
The Redskins management would be worried for quarterback Robert Griffin III, who injured his knee in the fourth quarter when he was trying to field a bad snap and could not play any further.
The Redskins started off well in the first quarter taking a 14-0 lead off two touchdowns. Griffin affected the first score, throwing to Evan Royster down the middle for 4-yard TD pass.
Griffin threw for another TD with 2.26 left in the first quarter, passing to Logan Paulsen down the middle for a 4-yard gain.
Seattle came back in the second quarter behind Russell Wilson and Steven Hauschka.
Hauschka hit a 32-yard field goal to cut the Redskins' lead to 14-3 in the beginning of the second quarter. Wilson threw a four-yard pass to Michael Robinson for the team's first touchdown of the day.
Hauschkam then made the game close with a 29-yard field goal in the final minute of the half, bringing the score to 14-13.
No team could score in the third quarter, meaning the Redskins entered the fourth quarter with a narrow one-point lead.
Marshawn Lynch ran for a 27-yard touchdown, with Wilson finding Zach Miller for the two-point conversion, and with it taking the score to 21-14, with 7.08 remaining in the final quarter, in Seahawks' favor.
Hauschka converted a 22-yard field goal to give Seattle a 24-14 lead with 5.32 remaining. The Redskins tried to get back in the game, but after losing Griffin, found it difficult to force their way through Seattle's tough defense.
"It was only two touchdowns, but it's still a big comeback and, in this setting and the crowd, it's a marvelous statement about the guys' resolve and what is going on," Carroll added. "It's not about how you start but how you finish."
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