NFL

Seahawks halt Redskins' run

Matt Hasselbeck directs an efficient offense with two TDs.

SEATTLE - His head pounding and his day over, Shaun Alexander walked off the field at halftime and flashed the "okay" sign.

He was right.

Despite losing the NFL MVP to an early concussion, the Seahawks ended their 21-year playoff drought Saturday by beating the Washington Redskins 20-10 behind Matt Hasselbeck and a stout defense.

"I told Matt at halftime that he had to shoulder the load," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "We always put a lot on his shoulders, but I told him that now he had to do a little bit more."

Hasselbeck did.

He threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Seahawks advanced to the NFC title game next weekend.

Holmgren said he was optimistic Alexander will be able to play. Alexander, injured in the first 101/2 minutes, did not talk to reporters.

The win ended the longest run without a postseason victory by any NFL team - Seattle had been 0-6 since its last playoff win on Dec. 22, 1984.

"I don't know if it was me. Those other guys stepped up," Hasselbeck said. "It was really a team win today."

Alexander, who scored an NFL-record 28 touchdowns this season and led the league with 1,880 yards rushing, lost a fumble without being hit at the Washington 11 on Seattle's opening drive. He was hurt with 4:29 left in the first quarter and did not return.

Without Alexander, it became Hasselbeck's game.

Not only did he complete 16 of 26 passes for 215 yards and a 29-yard second-quarter touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson, he scrambled around the right side for a 6-yard score in the third.

"I think he was awesome," said former Bucs wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, one of the few Seahawks with Super Bowl experience. "He loses his starting running back and he's able to overcome that with no problem."

Indeed, Hasselbeck's work helped overcome three costly turnovers.

Jackson had nine receptions for 143 yards despite playing with a bad back.

The Seahawks stopped Washington's six-game winning streak. The Redskins were inept on offense for the second week in a row - they had 140 yards in the first three quarters after getting a total of 120 in last weekend's win at Tampa Bay.

"That's my responsibility," Washington coach Joe Gibbs said. "Obviously we wanted to be much more productive than what we were in the playoffs. We have to look to see how we can do a better job offensively."

[Last modified January 15, 2006, 01:48:18]