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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Seattle's Shaun Alexander finds an opening on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that tied him with  Priest Holmes for the most single-season TDs in NFL history (27).
 (Christopher Onstott/The Spokesman-Revier / The Spokesman-Review)

SEATTLE – Head coach Mike Holmgren had one more directive as he walked into a jubilant Seahawks locker room after a 28-13 win over Indianapolis on Saturday at Qwest Field.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Holmgren shouted above the din of the burgeoning celebration. He then called a reverse – sending the players and coaches back out to applaud the fans at Qwest Field who had been at full throat for the previous 3 hours.

It turned out to be a curtain call both ways. Lofa Tatupu high-fived fans hanging over the railing adjacent to the Seahawks’ sideline and Shaun Alexander, with a horde of photographers in tow, did the same with fans seated behind his second address – the end zone.

The victory gave Seattle (13-2) franchise records for consecutive wins (11) and single-season wins while wrapping up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks, who have a first-round bye, will entertain the lowest-remaining seed on Jan. 14 or 15.

“(Holmgren) said go out there and thank those people for what they did for you all year,” defensive end Bryce Fisher said. “Going 8-0 at home this season … those guys are definitely worth four to six points per game.”

The Seahawks gave the 67,855 in attendance plenty to cheer about. Alexander ran for 139 yards and broke the franchise’s single-season rushing record he set last season. He had three more touchdowns, including his first via reception this season, giving him 27 on the season, tying Priest Holmes’ NFL record.

Holmgren had pulled most of his starters, but he reinserted Alexander after a Maurice Morris run put the ball at the Colts’ 1-yard line with 4:02 remaining. With the crowd chanting “MVP, MVP,” Alexander plunged for the score.

“Coach said, ‘I’m giving you one play to score, and if you get hit and get hurt and go to the hospital, I’m not visiting you,’ ” Alexander said.

Matt Hasselbeck had another steady performance, and the Seahawks were stingy and opportunistic again on defense. Special teams contributed with Michael Boulware blocking a field goal and Josh Scobey’s 46-yard kick return giving Seattle quality field position on its initial possession.

The Colts (13-2), with home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs already assured, rested many of their top players and numerous others saw limited time. Head coach Tony Dungy left the team midweek after his son, James, was found dead of an apparent suicide in Tampa, Fla. Assistant coach Jim Caldwell served as interim head coach.

Indianapolis put up a spirited fight. The outcome wasn’t decided until Seattle defensive tackle Craig Terrill made a juggling, midair recovery of a fumble by backup quarterback Jim Sorgi, who had been sacked by Marcus Tubbs. Terrill returned the ball to the Colts’ 17, setting up Seattle’s final touchdown.

“Tony called as soon as we got in the locker room and said for me to tell the coaches and the players that he was very proud of them,” Colts president Bill Polian said. “He said the three hours he spent watching (on TV) was the best break he could have had.”

Colts starting quarterback Peyton Manning was 9 of 12 for 116 yards before exiting after two possessions. He guided Indianapolis to a field goal on its first possession, but Seattle answered with Alexander’s first TD run. The Colts then drove to Seattle’s 13, but came up empty when Boulware blocked Mike Vanderjagt’s 31-yard field-goal attempt.

The Seahawks capitalized with an 11-play, 83-yard scoring drive, punctuated by Hasselbeck’s 15-yard connection with Jerramy Stevens.

Seattle finished with 332 total yards and seemed content to run the ball and the clock for most of the second half. Indianapolis essentially played without five starters. End Dwight Freeney played a handful of downs and he was on the bench when Seattle converted on fourth-and-1 during its second touchdown drive.

“Matt has been doing a great job of spreading the ball out,” said Stevens, who had a team-high five catches. “When he does that, it’s hard to stop us.”

The Seahawks will probably approach their season finale at Green Bay much the same way Indianapolis approached its game at Qwest Field.

“The guys have accomplished quite a bit and we’re not finished yet,” Holmgren said. “Being undefeated at home (8-0), best record in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is something you play for all season. It’s special, not to mention the fact that it’s Christmas.”

He smiled broadly and added, “Out of the goodness of my heart, they have (today) off.”

Seahawks 28, Colts 13

Indianapolis330713
Seattle777728

Ind—FG Vanderjagt 24

Sea—Alexander 2 run (Brown kick)

Sea—Stevens 15 pass from Hasselbeck (Brown kick)

Ind—FG Vanderjagt 32

Sea—Alexander 6 pass from Hasselbeck (Brown kick)

Sea—Alexander 1 run (Brown kick)

Ind—Walters 6 pass from Sorgi (Vanderjagt kick)

A—60,855.

IndSea
First downs2021
Total Net Yards387332
Rushes-yards23-4330-173
Passing344159
Punt Returns2-500-0
Kickoff Returns5-1054-114
Interceptions Ret.0-00-0
Comp-Att-Int31-43-017-21-0
Sacked-Yards Lost2-92-9
Punts3-38.35-50.2
Fumbles-Lost1-10-0
Penalties-Yards4-305-30
Time of Possession33:3726:23

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Indianapolis, James 13-41, Sorgi 3-7, Mungro 2-(minus 1), Rhodes 5-(minus 4). Seattle, Alexander 21-139, Morris 9-34.

PASSING—Indianapolis, Sorgi 22-31-0-237, Manning 9-12-0-116. Seattle, Hasselbeck 17-21-0-168.

RECEIVING—Indianapolis, Walters 8-91, Rhodes 6-27, Stokley 5-122, Clark 3-43, James 3-14, Wayne 2-21, Fletcher 2-19, Moorehead 2-16. Seattle, Stevens 5-39, D.Jackson 3-34, Jurevicius 2-31, Strong 1-16, Engram 1-13, Weaver 1-12, Hannam 1-9, Alexander 1-6, Hackett 1-5, Morris 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—Indianapolis, Vanderjagt 31 (BK). Seattle, J.Brown 57 (WR).