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Cowboys safety Roy Williams' struggles in pass coverage continued against the Seahawks.

Seattle tight end Jerramy Stevens beat Williams for a 15-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Williams was late to help linebacker Bradie James on Stevens' go-ahead, 37-yard touchdown with 4:24 remaining. And Williams missed a tackle on Bobby Engram's 36-yard catch that set up the game's first field goal.

	Seahawks 21, Cowboys 20
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Williams, who intercepted a pass tipped to him by cornerback Terence Newman, left the Cowboys' locker room as the doors opened to allow reporters to enter.

— Tim MacMahon

Martin Gramatica's 50-yard field goal was the longest on the road in Cowboys playoff history and the second-longest overall in the postseason.

Only Chris Boniol's 51-yarder on Jan. 7, 1996, vs. Philadelphia at Texas Stadium was longer.

It was Gramatica's longest field goal since he made a 53-yarder with Tampa Bay on Oct. 10, 2004, vs. New Orleans.

— Todd Archer

Terrell Owens, who will have off-season surgery to repair a torn tendon on the tip of his right index finger, said he hopes to return by the first minicamp in May.

Owens also said he expects to return in 2007.

"I see no reason not to," Owens said. "I'm going to work my butt off in the off-season and get this hand squared away. I'll get a couple of doctors' opinions and go from there. I definitely should be [ready for minicamp]."

Owens finished with two catches for 26 yards against Seattle.

— Calvin Watkins

One of the most bizarre plays of the game occurred with 6:32 to play in the fourth quarter.

Tony Romo completed a pass to Terry Glenn, who tried to make a cut after the catch but was stripped of the ball by Kelly Jennings. The ball bounced into the end zone, where Seattle's Michael Boulware recovered for an apparent touchdown. The play was challenged by Dallas and overturned, leading to a safety.

"I made a move and I slipped, and I felt like I gained my footing back," Glenn said. "And I think he hit the ball and I was like, 'The ball isn't in my hands; what the hell is going on?' It's one of those things that happens."

— Calvin Watkins

Rookie Bobby Carpenter started for the second straight game at outside linebacker.

Carpenter had three pass deflections in the first half and dropped what would have been the first interception of his career on a Matt Hasselback throw intended for Deion Branch.

Carpenter, who made five tackles, was one of the first players out of the locker room before the game, and when he got to the sidelines, Bill Parcells slapped him in the face.

"He wanted to make sure everybody was ready for the game and get everybody fired up," Carpenter said after the game. "You play at a high emotional level, and that's something we try to do and we played hard, but we didn't come out on top."

— Todd Archer/Calvin Watkins

Qwest field is an intimidating place to play and has provided the Seahawks a strong home-field advantage. Over the last two seasons, opposing teams have committed 50 false start penalties.

The Cowboys contributed two more Saturday. Left tackle Flozell Adams committing one in the first quarter, and rookie Pat McQuistan had another on the point-after attempt after Miles Austin's kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

— Todd Archer

The Cowboys went with rookie Pat McQuistan as the backup offensive tackle Saturday for the second straight week.

McQuistan had been inactive for the first 15 games, but veteran Jason Fabini has been bothered by a back injury recently. McQuistan saw most of his action on the kickoff return unit.

— Todd Archer

Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson, who missed the final three games of the regular season with an injured toe, started but played sparingly.

Jackson aggravated the injury in the third quarter and did not return. Jackson, who led Seahawks receivers with 63 catches for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season, did not catch a pass against the Cowboys.

— Tim MacMahon

Miles Austin's 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the first for the Cowboys in playoff history. Austin finished with three returns for 136 yards. Austin's return gave Dallas a 17-13 lead with 5:57 to play in the third quarter.

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN Miles Austin (14) races downfield to complete a kickoff return for a touchdown.

"I just ran a left side return and the guys blocked great," Austin said. "It was pretty easy."

— Calvin Watkins

Former Cowboy Pete Hunter, signed by the Seahawks this week because of injuries to three of their top four cornerbacks, played left cornerback in nickel situations.

Hunter, who had been working as a loan officer, allowed an 18-yard reception by Terry Glenn on his first play but played well after that. He recovered a fumble in the first quarter and did not give up another catch until the fourth, despite covering 1,000-yard receivers Terrell Owens and Glenn.

Glenn finished with four catches for 41 yards and a fumble that resulted in a critical safety. Owens had two catches for 26 yards.

"Everyone knows they had some corners that hadn't played in a while, some guys that came off the street," Owens said. "For whatever reason, we didn't take advantage of those opportunities."

— Tim MacMahon

Seahawks center Robbie Tobeck, a Pro Bowl selection last season, was inactive despite being medically cleared to play. He missed the final eight games of the regular season because of a hip infection.

The infection caused Tobeck, who told the Seattle Times that he plans to retire, to lose 25 pounds. Coach Mike Holmgren said Tobeck remains 10 pounds under his listed weight of 297.

— Tim MacMahon

Tony Romo has been the Cowboys' holder since the second game of the 2004 season, and Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck can sympathize.

Hasselbeck served as a holder before becoming a starting quarterback. He said the job is not as easy as it looks, especially with the K (kicker's) balls that are sometimes slippery if not rubbed down before a game.

"I feel bad for Tony," Hasselbeck said. "It's a tough job, especially with a big rush coming on you. It's an important job, but it's tough."

— Todd Archer

The Cowboys allowed points on their opponent's first drive for the third straight game when Josh Brown made a 23-yard field goal with 11:13 left in the first quarter. ... A moment of silence was held before the game for Fort Worth native Darrent Williams, the Denver cornerback who was shot and killed on New Year's Day. ... After missing the final two games with a dislocated elbow, cornerback Jacques Reeves was active, as was veteran safety Tony Parrish, who made his Cowboys debut vs. Detroit. Parrish played in some nickel defense packages, replacing Nate Jones.

— Todd Archer

— Calvin Watkins