The Dallas Cowboys had lost four straight playoff games –
their last win coming a decade earlier in 1996 - as they faced the Seattle
Seahawks in a Wild Card Playoff game on January 6, 2007. In their fourth season
under Head Coach Bill Parcells, the Cowboys were off to a 3-3 start when they
replaced veteran QB Drew Bledsoe with unheralded backup Tony Romo. They went
6-4 the rest of the way to finish second in the NFC East at 9-7 and claim a
Wild Card spot. Romo tailed off late in the season but still earned selection
to the Pro Bowl. Both wide receivers Terrell Owens, in his first year with the
Cowboys, and Terry Glenn gained over a thousand yards, Pro Bowl TE Jason Witten
was solid, and the running back tandem of Julius Jones and Marion Barber was
productive.
The Seahawks, coached by Mike Holmgren, had won the NFC
title in 2005 and, while they struggled at times in ’06, they also went 9-7 to
top the NFC West for the third consecutive year. Injuries were an issue as QB
Matt Hasselbeck missed four games and RB Shaun Alexander, who set a record for
touchdowns scored in ’05, also missed time with a foot injury. Both had subpar
years. The defensive secondary was prone to giving up big plays and the pass
rush tailed off as the season progressed.
There was a crowd of 68,058 at Seattle’s Qwest Field. The
Seahawks had the game’s first possession and drove 55 yards in nine plays.
Hasselbeck completed four passes, including one to WR Bobby Engram that gained
36 yards. Josh Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the home team the
early lead.
Following a Dallas punt, Hasselbeck was intercepted by CB
Anthony Henry to give the Cowboys good field position at the Seattle 43. They
made the most of the opportunity as Martin Gramatica booted a 50-yard field
goal to tie the score five plays later.
That was the tally heading into the second quarter until
the Seahawks put together a 13-play series that covered 54 yards. With
Hasselbeck completing short passes and Shaun Alexander running the ball,
Seattle reached the Dallas 12 from where Brown kicked his second field goal,
from 30 yards.
Both teams had three-and-out possessions before the
Cowboys went 76 yards in ten plays. A third-and-six pass by Tony Romo to WR
Patrick Crayton for 18 yards kept the drive alive, as did a throw to Jason
Witten for 32 yards to the Seattle three in a fourth-and-two situation. An
offensive holding penalty moved the ball back ten yards, but Romo connected
with Crayton from there for a touchdown and Dallas took a 10-6 lead into
halftime.
In the third quarter, and following a short Dallas
possession that ended with a punt, the Seahawks briefly regained the lead with
a 12-play, 62-yard drive. Five runs by Alexander gained 32 yards, including one
for three yards that converted a fourth-and-one situation, and Hasselbeck
completed three passes, the last to TE Jerramy Stevens for a 15-yard touchdown.
With the successful extra point, it was 13-10 in favor of Seattle – but the
lead didn’t last long. The ensuing kickoff was returned 93 yards for a TD by WR
Miles Austin and the Cowboys were back in front at 17-13. It was the first
touchdown on a kickoff return in Dallas postseason history.
That was the score early in the fourth quarter when
Hasselbeck went long for WR D.J. Hackett but was picked off by SS Roy Williams
after the ball was tipped by CB Terence Newman. Taking over at their own 43,
the Cowboys made the most of the turnover by advancing 46 yards in eight plays.
Along the way, Romo completed a pass to Terry Glenn for 16 yards and Julius
Jones (pictured at right) had an 18-yard run. Gramatica kicked a 29-yard field goal and Dallas extended
its lead to 20-13.
In the ensuing possession, the Seahawks drove from their
27 yard line to the Dallas two, but an incomplete pass on fourth down forced
them to give the ball up. However, on the next play Glenn fumbled after
catching a short pass from Romo and, initially, the play was ruled a touchdown
on a recovery in the end zone by SS Michael Boulware. Upon review, the call was
reversed and ruled a safety with the ball having rolled out of bounds in the
end zone.
Now down by five points, the Seahawks started off
following the free kick with good field position at midfield. Four plays later,
Hasselbeck connected with Stevens for a 37-yard touchdown. The try for a
two-point conversion failed, but Seattle was now in front by a point.
There were still over four minutes remaining on the
clock, however – plenty of time for the Cowboys to respond. After Romo
completed two passes, with a short run in between, Jones took off for a 35-yard
gain to the Seattle 11. They got it down to the two (narrowly missing another
first down) and lined up for a potentially game-winning field goal attempt by
Gramatica. However, Romo, who had been the holder for placekicks far longer
than he had been the starting quarterback, fumbled the snap (pictured at top) and had to pick up the
loose ball and run with it. He came up short of either a score or a first down
as he was tackled by CB Jordan Babineaux at the line of scrimmage. With the stunning reprieve, the Seahawks held
on for a 21-20 win.
Seattle led in total yards (332 to 284) and first downs
(19 to 14). The Seahawks also turned the ball over twice, to one by Dallas. The
Cowboys hurt themselves with 8 penalties, at a cost of 74 yards, while Seattle
was flagged just three times.
Matt Hasselbeck completed 18 of 36 passes for 240 yards
and two touchdowns with two intercepted. Shaun Alexander ran for 69 yards on 24
carries. Jerramy Stevens caught 5 passes for 77 yards and two TDs while Bobby
Engram (pictured below) gained 88 yards on his four receptions.
For the Cowboys, Tony Romo was successful on 17 of 29
throws for 189 yards and a touchdown without giving up an interception. Julius
Jones had a fine performance running the ball as he gained 112 yards on 22 attempts.
Terry Glenn paced the receivers with four pass receptions for 41 yards while
Jason Witten contributed 57 yards on three catches.
Of the failed field goal attempt by the Cowboys, Mike
Holmgren said, “You coach long enough, you end up seeing just about everything.
One more thing for the journal.”
“It’s just one of those things,” said Bill Parcells. “It
looked like a good snap. I can’t tell you what happened after that.”
The Seahawks lost another close game, this time in overtime,
to the Bears at the Divisional Playoff level. They again topped the NFC West in
2007 while the Cowboys finished first in the NFC East, but both clubs fell in
the Divisional round of the postseason.
Bill Parcells was not at the helm for Dallas in ’07 – he
stepped down as head coach and the loss to Seattle thus marked his finale. His
four-year record with the Cowboys was 34-30 with two playoff losses as well. It
was the final stop in a head coaching career with four teams that yielded a
172-130-1 regular season record and 11-8 playoff tally that included three
conference titles and two Super Bowl victories.
