By Bruce Rutledge
Reuters
Sunday, January 7, 2007; 2:36 AM

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The Seattle Seahawks survived a fraught final few moments to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 21-20 in a rollercoaster NFC wildcard game on Saturday.

Trailing 21-20 with just over a minute left, the Cowboys had the chance to edge in front with a field goal of less that 20 yards, but quarterback Tony Romo spilled the snap and failed to set the ball up properly for kicker Martin Gramatica.

The rookie quarterback picked up the ball and scrambled for the end zone but was caught just shy, handing possession to the Seahawks and sending the 68,000 fans at Qwest Field into raptures.

"That was kind of a crazy game," Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren said. "If you coach long enough, you probably end up seeing most things."

The Cowboys struggled to comprehend the manner of defeat.

"For it to end like that, and for me to be the cause, is very tough to swallow right now," Romo said.

Coach Bill Parcells said the way the ball was snapped to Romo was not the problem.

"It was a good snap," he said. "We were in a position to win it if we could have just executed an extra point," he added, referring to the botched field goal from extra-point distance.

Dallas took a 10-6 lead into the break after both teams struggled on offense in the first half, Romo's 13-yard touchdown to Patrick Crayton and a Gramatica field goal in reply to two kicks from Seattle's Josh Brown.

UNUSUAL TURN

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck came out throwing in the second half, connecting with tight end Jerramy Stevens on a 15-yard strike to put them ahead.

But Miles Austin returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first Cowboy to score on a kickoff return in the playoffs, to put Dallas back in the driving seat 17-13.

The first sign the game was taking an unusual turn came shortly after Gramatica's 29-yarder had put the Cowboys up by seven.

Hasselbeck hit Bobby Engram on passes of 11 and 30 yards and drew a pass interference call on a throw to the end zone to put the Seahawks on the Dallas one-yard line.

The Cowboys looked to have averted danger by stopping Seattle in its tracks and taking over possession on downs, but on the very next play Terry Glenn fumbled the ball into his own end zone for a safety.

With the score poised at 20-15, Hasselbeck engineered another impressive drive down the field and threw a 37-yard strike to Stevens, leaving the Seahawks up 21-20 after a failed two-point conversion.

Romo controlled the clock well to set up the chip-shot field goal as the Cowboys closed in on victory, but the botched kick sealed their fate for another year.

Hasselbeck finished with figures of 18-of-36 for 240 yards, two TDs and two picks, while Romo had 17-of-29 for 189 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.

Seattle running back Shaun Alexander was a non-factor, rushing for 69 yards on 24 carries, while Dallas receiver Terrell Owens caught just two passes for 26 yards.