SEATTLE – For Josh Brown, Sunday’s 13-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t just about a key victory over an NFC contender; it was also about retribution.
Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Not just for last year’s 43-39 loss to the Cowboys, but for a kick three weeks ago that Brown didn’t make.
The only time the Seahawks’ kicker had been in the spotlight this season, he missed a 47-yard attempt at the end of regulation three weeks ago, when Seattle went on to lose 20-17 to the Washington Redskins in overtime. He was faced with almost the exact same situation again Sunday and hit a 50-yarder to beat the Cowboys.
“I needed it for myself,” Brown said afterward of a kick that sailed through the uprights as time expired. “I wanted it just to prove my point. The kick in Washington I wouldn’t have changed. I hit everything the same way I wanted to. (Sunday) was just a really special day.”
Brown’s miss at Washington weighed on him that night, but his confidence never wavered. His teammates also had faith in him despite the miss.
And yet, until Sunday, there was always that feeling that he needed to somehow atone for the loss to Washington.
“In the back of his mind, it might have still been there,” long snapper Jean-Philippe Darche said. ” (Sunday’s game-winner) is going to give him a lot of confidence. He’s probably not going to miss the rest of the year – knock on wood.”
Brown has now hit all three of his attempts from 50 yards or longer this season. He made two Sunday, including a Qwest Field-record 55-yarder just before halftime.
But his biggest kick came at the end.
After cornerback Jordan Babineaux intercepted a Drew Bledsoe pass and returned it to the Dallas 32-yard line, Brown took the field with just five seconds left on the clock. He nailed the kick with a couple feet to spare, then immediately tore off his helmet and fired it across the field. His teammates swarmed him in celebration.
“The moment I hit it, I knew,” he said. “I knew I was about to get bombarded by my teammates; that way they couldn’t throw me to the ground. There’s a little planning in there. That happened to me in college, and I got trampled.”
Youth is served: Every team in the NFL would have done the same thing.
With Seattle’s Shaun Alexander leading the league in rushing and starting wide receivers Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram out with injuries, the Dallas defense packed the line of scrimmage and dared Seattle to win the game through the air.
When Joe Jurevicius left the game with a stinger, that put the onus on Jerheme Urban and D.J. Hackett to get the job done at the wide receiver position.
Between them, they entered the game with 11 games of NFL experience and 14 career receptions, and they looked like it at times. But they also came through when they had to on Seattle’s final offensive possession.
With Seattle trailing 10-3 and starting from its own 19-yard line, Urban made a 22-yard reception on the first play of the series. Hackett drew a 22-yard pass interference penalty and later made a leaping catch at the sideline to put the ball at the Dallas 1-yard line. Two plays later, the Seahawks scored a touchdown to tie with score with 40 seconds left in the game.
Urban, who was cut at the end of training camp but re-signed after four weeks when the injury bug hit, finished with three catches for 57 yards. Hackett had four receptions for 36, almost doubling his career totals.
“It was a big challenge for us, and we stepped up,” Hackett said.
Urban said he figured he would have to play well for the Seahawks to win.
“The coaches were putting us in position to make plays all game. It feels good to go out there at the end and finally put one together,” he said. “A lot of it is taking what the defense gives us.”
Relaxing rewards: Before the Houston game, Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren told his players they would get the bye week off if they won back-to-back games.
Following the Texas two-step of Houston and Dallas, the Seahawks are on their way to some free time.
“I am going to ask them to be very responsible this week,” Holmgren said. “There is a trust factor that is going to be in play this week. We have to be every bit as motivated and every bit as intense in the second half of the season.”
The Seahawks have a history of falling off after the bye week. They are now 7-0 in games leading up to the bye week in the Holmgren era and 0-6 in the games immediately after.
“We have to come back from the break and keep the momentum going,” linebacker Jamie Sharper said. “The thing I know is that you’ve got to win games in December. That’s when it counts.”
For starters: While the Seahawks feature the No. 2 rusher in the NFL in Shaun Alexander, they haven’t gone away from their passing roots.
Every one of Seattle’s seven opening drives this season has started with a passing play. Matt Hasselbeck has thrown completions on each of them, four of which have gone for first downs.
Hasselbeck has opened games with passes to four different receivers, with tight end Jerramy Stevens (three receptions) being his favorite target. Stevens caught a 10-yard pass on the opening play of Sunday’s game.
The Seahawks have averaged 43.7 yards per drive on their opening possessions, with two touchdowns and a field goal.
Herndon starts: While cornerback Andre Dyson was available, he did not play in Sunday’s game. Dyson has been nursing a sore hamstring that also forced him to miss the Houston game last Sunday.
Kelly Herndon started in Dyson’s place for the second week in a row but struggled at times. The Cowboys picked on Herndon a lot, completing five passes for 80 yards to receivers he was covering. Herndon gave up one touchdown, but he also broke up two passes, one of which was intercepted by teammate Michael Boulware.
Dyson’s injury also led to more playing time for Babineaux, who made the interception that set up the game-winning field goal.
Deja vu: While the scoreboard and winning team looked nothing like last year’s meeting, at least one play Sunday might have left the Seahawks with some bad memories.
Keyshawn Johnson’s first-half touchdown looked a lot like the one he scored in the fourth quarter of last season’s meeting. This time, however, Johnson appeared to get both feet in the end zone before his arm landed out of bounds.
Back off! The fourth quarter of Sunday’s game included a bizarre incident of dueling coaches on the same sideline.
As Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells argued with officials over a penalty flag that was waved off, Dallas receivers coach Todd Haley tried to get in his two cents. Parcells eventually got tired of Haley trying to help the argument, so he turned and shoved his assistant in the chest.
Parcells did not comment on the incident after the game.
Quick slants: The Cowboys’ injury woes helped Seattle. Backup lineman Rob Petitti struggled in his first start of the season, allowing Seahawks defensive end Bryce Fisher to get two sacks. Petitti started at right tackle, a position that became vacant when starter Torrin Tucker moved over to left tackle to fill in for injured Pro Bowler Flozell Adams. … The Cowboys also played without running back Julius Jones (ankle) and middle linebacker Dat Nguyen (neck). … Seattle’s inactives included tight end Itula Mili. … The Seahawks preferred to stick with an extra linebacker for special teams purposes. … The normally-sure-handed Seattle receiving corps dropped three passes Sunday. Joe Jurevicius, Peter Warrick and D.J. Hackett all dropped passes for the first time this season. … The announced attendance of 67,046 marked the second-biggest crowd in Qwest Field history. The only other game that was played in front of more people was last season’s Dallas game, which drew 68,093 fans.
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