Groz’s ’05 Seahawks Rewind: An unthinkable comeback vs Dallas

With Matt Hasselbeck going into the Seahawks Ring of Honor on Monday and Mike Holmgren being inducted the following week, we look back at their finest hour, the 2005 Super Bowl season.

Hasselbeck on entering Ring of Honor: ‘Above my wildest dreams’

Week 7 was a special matchup as the Dallas Cowboys always are and it was special for the two head coaches who were so different but shared mutual respect.

Mike Holmgren and Bill Parcells had met many times on the field of battle, even in a Super Bowl (won by Holmgren). They had different approaches for sure, but plenty of respect for each other. Parcells was in his third year with the Cowboys, trying to get them to a Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years. Mike Holmgren’s task was to get to the first one for the Seahawks.

A year earlier, Dallas had won thrilling 42-39 barnburner. This years’ meeting in Seattle, they were both 4-2 and sitting atop their respective divisions. The game was a thriller, but not the way anyone expected.

This day the defenses completely dominated. Dallas managed a first quarter scoring drive that saw Drew Bledsoe hook up with Keyshawn Johnson. Of Seattle’s seven first-half drives, five ended in punts, one in an interception and the last one of the half was a field goal from 55 yards out to make it 7-3 Cowboys at the half.

The third quarter featured more of the same as neither team was able to score and as the rain came down, it looked gloomy for the Seahawks, especially when the Cowboys kicked a field goal to take a 10-3 lead with just over two minutes remaining.

Then suddenly, Matt Hasselbeck and the offense got it going.

Playing without Bobby Engram and Darrell Jackson, Hasselbeck used Jerramy Stevens and Jerheme Urban for back-to-back 22-yard completions into Dallas territory.

Racing the clock, Hasselbeck completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to third string tight end Ryan Hannam, the only touchdown catch of his career, to tie the game with 46 seconds to go at 10-10.

Now, disaster struck the kicking game as Tyson Thompson posted a 39-yard return and with two time outs, Bledsoe had the ball on his own 41 needing just 25 yards or so to set up a potential game-winning field goal.

With 14 seconds left on third-and-7, Bledsoe spotted Terry Glenn near the Seahawks 45-yard line and fired. He didn’t see Jordan Babineaux quickly closing in and he picked off the pass, returning it for 25 yards as the clock stopped with five seconds to play.

Josh Brown rushed out on the field and made his second 50-plus-yard kick of the day and Seattle had an unbelievable, unthinkable come-from-behind-win 13-10.

The Seahawks had dodged a bullet as they headed into the bye week at 5-2, solidly in front of the NFC West.

Groz’s 2005 Seahawks Rewind

• Week 6: Offense finds its strength — running left
• Week 5: Breakthrough vs Rams starts Super Bowl run
• Week 4: A comeback falls short as season reaches crossroads
• Week 3: Offense solves itself vs NFC West rival
• Week 2: Defense saves the day against Falcons
• Week 1: A surprising start to Seattle’s Super Bowl season
• 2005 Seahawks Rewind introduction

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