The Washington Post
Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006; Page E12-17

Best Luck: With 12 minutes left, the Redskins scored the only way it seemed they could: on a fortunate break. Mark Brunell tried to thread a pass to Santana Moss over the middle in the end zone. Cornerback Andre Dyson deflected it, but the ball hit Moss right in the chest. It bounced off his jersey and fell into his hands for a touchdown.

Worst Running: The Redskins used a strong rushing attack over the final five games of the regular season to make the playoffs, with tailback Clinton Portis gaining 100 yards each time. Yesterday, Portis managed 41 yards on 17 carries. That performance came one week after he gained 53 yards on 16 carries against the Buccaneers in a first-round playoff win.

Best Directions: Early in the third quarter, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck saw wide receiver Joe Jurevicius smothered by Carlos Rogers on a five-yard yard out. Hasselbeck motioned for Jurevicius to turn up the field and go long. Then Hasselbeck lobbed a deep pass, which Jurevicius hauled in for a 31-yard completion.

Worst Decisions: Instead of letting John Hall try a 50-yard field goal late in the third quarter, the Redskins decided to go for it on fourth and 13. Bryce Fisher sacked Mark Brunell and forced a fumble, and Seattle took over at the 37-yard line. Washington would have been better off kicking or punting.

Best Replacement Runner: Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, not known as a scrambler, looked a little bit like an experienced running back early in the third quarter when he rolled to his right and turned for the end zone. Hasselbeck sprinted to the pylon for a six-yard touchdown that gave Seattle a 14-3 lead.

Worst Coverage: You would think, with the Redskins facing third and 20 midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks' secondary would have been prepared for a deep pass. But Santana Moss ran to the middle of the field and found himself wide open for a 23-yard catch. He even had time to bobble the pass before anyone reached him.

Best Hit: Antonio Brown caught a first-quarter punt, dodged a tackler and looked upfield. Then Jordan Babineaux blindsided him. Babineaux came from behind and walloped Brown in the back, sending the returner parallel to the ground. Brown, who did well to hold onto the ball, stayed on the field for a few disoriented seconds before jogging to the sideline.

Worst Injuries: The Redskins came into the game with an assortment of ailing players, including Clinton Portis, Mark Brunell and Shawn Springs. Defensive end Renaldo Wynn missed the game, as did right guard Randy Thomas. Backup guard Ray Brown was injured during the game, and replacement Cory Raymer had difficulty handling his assignments.

Best Development: No one hopes for injury to an opponent, but the Redskins and their supporters had to have been encouraged when Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander was slow to get up after carrying for minus-1 yard late in the first quarter. The league's most valuable player was found to have a concussion.

Worst Weather: At kickoff, conditions at Qwest Field in Seattle were similar to those in Washington, D.C. The skies were gloomy, and a steady rain made the ball a little tricky to handle. On the Seahawks' first drive of the game, Alexander fumbled on a run in which he was not hit. In the second quarter, Seattle's Jimmy Williams had a punt slip through his arms.

Worst Drop: Carlos Rogers had the ball on his fingertips and nothing but the end zone in front of him. Rogers cut in front of Maurice Morris on a lazy pass, and it looked like the cornerback would have an interception and a touchdown for a 10-0 Redskins lead midway through the second quarter. But the ball bounced out of his hands and fell to the ground.

Best Adjustment: With less than four minutes left in the first half, Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson looked over his right shoulder for a pass in the end zone. Matt Hasselbeck's pass came low and to the right, so Jackson spun around and caught the ball while falling to give Seattle a 7-3 lead.