The Redskins understandably went into this game as underdogs. Distance and wear-and-tear were working against them, and Seattle had been a Super Bowl favorite of many for much of the season. Still, when the whistle blew there was no feeling of inevitability - the Skins had been one of the league's hottest teams down the playoff run and had already won a tough game on the road.

The game began looking like the defensive slugfest that would favor the Skins. An early Seattle drive deep into Washington territory ended with a jarring tackle of Shaun Alexander that knocked both the ball loose and the Seahawks' RB from the game. The Skins took over at their eight with a chance to swing momentum their way. Unfortunately, they would remain stuck deep in their own territory for much of the first half. Washington went three-and-out on five consecutive drives that started inside their 20. Despite the offensive struggles, Seattle could not muster much of a threat of their own. The Redskins got the first break when a fumbled punt put them in Seattle territory and led to a Hall field goal.

But Seattle's offense caught fire after that. Hasselback and Darrell Jackson, who had been out much of the regular season, began to connect repeadetly. The Seahawks moved down the field efficiently, and Jackson beat Ryan Clark for a TD catch. After halftime, Seattle mounted another crisp drive, powered by more sharp Hasselback passing, and capped off by the Seattle QB running the ball into the end zone himself. A FG just after the fourth quarter began gave Seattle a 17-3 lead.

With the game beginning to feel out of reach, Washington's offense began to take more gambles down the field, and some of them paid off. Cooley caught a 52 yard pass down the middle of the field, and a few plays later Moss pulled in a deflected ball for the Skins only touchdown.

For the next few minutes, it looked like the Redskins might be headed for another fourth quarter miracle. John Hall recovered the fumbled kickoff after Moss' touchdown, and the Washington offense took over at the Seattle 40. The Skins could not manage to drive much deeper into Seahawks territory, and Hall ended up missing a 36 yard field goal. Seattle took over, drove back into Redskins territory, and added a field goal of their own to put the game out of reach late in the fourth.