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Seahawks Beat Cowboys 21-20 in Stunner
Romo _ who has been holding on kicks since last season, long before he ever threw a pass in the NFL _ caught the snap cleanly but fumbled the ball as he tried to place it down.
Gramatica never swung his leg, instead forced to get out of the way as Romo picked up the ball and darted left to try to make up for his mistake.
  Dallas Cowboys' Terence Newman (41) tackles Seattle Seahawks' Bobby Engram in the first quarter of their NFC wild card playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, in Seattle.(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) (Rick Bowmer - AP)   The Indianapolis Colts overcome the rain and a sloppy start to beat the Chicago Bears, 29-17. The Colts' victory ignites a wild celebration among the white-and-blue attired fans in the sea of colorful vinyl rainwear that populated the soggy stands. Peyton Manning fills the final hole in his legend as the greatest quarterback never to win the biggest game. Leonard Shapiro: Tony Dungy and Manning seal their place in history by winning the Super Bowl. Manning adds a Super Bowl MVP award to his long list of achievements. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes plow forward for the Colts go-ahead touchdown and never look back. There was a collective failure by the Bears' offense, but Rex Grossman provides the most vivid images. Notebook: Two assistant coaches who participated in the Super Bowl likely will interview for Dallas' head coaching job. On Our Site Wilbon and Kornheiser share their thoughts live during Sunday's big game. Photos: Relive all of the action from the NFL playoffs. Audio: Manning on the Win. Audio: Grossman on the Loss. Audio: Dungy Praises Smith. Quarterly Report (PDF) A Slew of Errors (PDF) Graphic: Play of the Game. MARK MASKE'S NFL INSIDER • Jaguars Tackle in Critical Condition • Lions Bolster Backfield With R. Johnson |
He never reached the end zone _ or even the first-down marker. Romo was stopped at the 2 on a shoestring tackle by Jordan Babineaux, whose last-minute interception set up Seattle's game-winning kick the last time Dallas played here.
"I just tried to walk him down," Babineaux said. "I grabbed him by the ankles, saved the tackle. It was very huge."
Holmgren already was thinking about what plays the Seahawks would try on their last drive. Shaun Alexander was talking to receiver Deion Branch about only needing to get within kicker Josh Brown's range.
"We're giving the plan for how we can get to the 35 so Josh can make it," Alexander said. "Then, at the last second, I said, `What if he misses it? Deion was like, `Don't even say that. Why even say that?'"
The Seahawks still had to get away from the shadow of their goal line to protect the victory, but did so right away with Alexander running through the middle for 20 yards. Seattle milked the clock to 8 seconds before a punt that gave Dallas one last chance from the 50.
Romo weaved right then left, then heaved the ball into the end zone. Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys who failed to grab it. With that, Seattle's rabid fans began smacking together the Shrek-colored gloves they'd been given, producing their loudest cheer of the night. The goal, of course, is another long playoff run that leads to the Super Bowl, as it did last season.
"Some unusual things happened. That's the playoffs for you," Holmgren said.
As bizarre as this finish was, it was only the second-craziest of the season for Dallas. On Nov. 5, the Cowboys lost 22-19 to Washington after a last-second field goal was blocked and a flag on the return let the Redskins kick the winner with no time left. It was their only other road loss under Romo.
The punch to the gut of that loss, though, was nothing compared to this one. It will haunt Dallas at least until next season and likely until the longest postseason drought in franchise history ends _ whenever that is.
And Romo will have to live with one of the most memorable blunders in playoff history.
