The New Orleans Saints went into their NFC Playoff game as double-digit favorites against the Seattle Seahawks, the league’s first 7-9 team to appear in the playoffs. With four playoff wins in a row at raucous Qwest Field, Pete Carroll’s ‘Hawks would extend that streak to five and sprint off the field with a 41-36 win that sent tremors throughout the league.

The Seahawks looked outmatched early on, trailing 10-0 then 17-7 but Matt Hasselbeck got a vertical game going taking his team on a 24-3 run to retake the lead.

Hasselbeck (25 of 35, 272 yards, 4 TDs) set a career playoff high but the game wasn’t on ice until running back Marshawn Lynch evaded about six would-be tacklers to score on a highlight reel 67-yard touchdown run with 3:22 left in the game.

Lynch finished with 19 carries for 131 yards and became the first Seahawks running back to eclipse 100 yards in a game all season.

While spending much of the game watching his defense collapse and give up 41 points, Drew Brees finished 39 of 60 for 404 yards and two TDs with 33 of those attempts coming in the second half.

The Seahawks (8-9) have one of the loudest stadiums in the league and responded with one of the biggest upsets in NFL Playoff history and with the New York Jets knocking off the Indianapolis Colts, both of last year’s Super Bowl teams had an early exit in this year’s playoffs.

Up next, Seattle will travel to play either the top NFC seed Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome or the No. 2 Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

What better way to end an argument about whether 7-9 teams even belong in the playoffs than to beat last year’s Super Bowl Champion.

Box Score on NFL.com.

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