GREEN BAY, Wis. — Matt Hasselbeck shook his head as if to say “What else can I do?” and slowly walked off the field after the final incompletion of yet another incomplete season.
On the sideline, the Seattle quarterback who almost single-handedly carried his team into the playoffs stood near Mike Holmgren, who might have coached his last game. Hasselbeck, his shoulders slumped under a Seahawks team coat with the hood pulled up, and his coach stood, silent, watching the snow.
But it wasn’t the swarming, storybook flakes of Green Bay that ruined Seattle’s season. It was crucial dropped passes and a defense that allowed the most postseason points in Packers history as the Seahawks lost 42-20 on Saturday in the NFC semifinals.
“That was crazy weather out there. That was Packer weather,” said Hasselbeck, the former backup to Brett Favre. “It’s just too bad to lose and not play your best football. It stings.”
After setting team records this season for yards (3,966), completions (352) and attempts (562), Hasselbeck made his third Pro Bowl in five years. But Saturday, he was left 0-4 in playoff games outside Seattle after finishing 19-for-33 for 194 yards and a touchdown. Seattle wasted an early 14-0 lead over the Packers.
Hasselbeck looked frustrated, but Holmgren was impressed.
“I thought he handled his emotions very well today. He fought hard. We could have completed more balls,” Holmgren said, before grimacing and raising his eyebrows for emphasis. “It hurts. It always hurts — unless you win the Super Bowl itself.”
As Hasselbeck said: “It’s just a really hollow feeling.”
Saturday was Hasselbeck’s first playoff game in Green Bay since 2004, when he boldly proclaimed “We want the ball, and we’re going to score!” during the overtime coin toss — then threw an interception Al Harris returned for the winning TD.
