By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - The Washington Redskins will be riding an unbelievable wave of momentum when the most surprising of this year's NFL postseason participants makes a cross-country trip to Seattle's Qwest Field this Saturday for an NFC Wild Card showdown with the playoff-tested Seahawks.

Washington captured the sixth and final seed in the conference playoffs with a remarkable late-season surge inspired by the shocking and tragic death of safety Sean Taylor and led by a journeyman quarterback who hadn't received regular playing time in a decade.

The chances of earning a postseason berth appeared quite bleak for the Redskins only a month ago, when the club fell to 5-7 following a heartbreaking last-second home loss to Buffalo on December 2. The defeat was Washington's fourth in a row and came just days after Taylor was fatally shot during an invasion of his Florida home.

The odds seemingly grew even longer when starting quarterback Jason Campbell dislocated his kneecap in a Week 14 game against Chicago. But on came nearly- forgotten backup Todd Collins, who guided the Redskins to a 24-16 victory over the Bears as well as wins in the team's last three regular-season contests.

Prior to being forced into service, Collins had not started an NFL regular- season game since December of 1997 and had only 27 pass attempts over the previous nine years. The 36-year-old certainly hasn't shown any signs of rust, however, as Collins has completed nearly 64 percent of his passes and thrown for five touchdowns without an interception since taking over under center.

Washington's defense has also been instrumental in the resurgence. The unit has yielded just 13.3 points and a league-best 71.8 rushing yards over the course of the current four-game win streak, and was utterly dominant in this past Sunday's meeting with NFC front-runner Dallas.

The Redskins limited the Cowboys to a paltry 171 total yards and seven first downs, a stifling performance that paved the way for Washington's playoff- clinching 27-6 triumph. Dallas also mustered a mere one rushing yard on 16 attempts on the afternoon.

Washington now has yet another obstacle to overcome, and that's the "12th Man." Seattle has produced a stellar 22-4 overall record at Qwest Field since 2005 and has won each of its last three home playoff games, including last year's dramatic 21-20 decision over Dallas in the opening round that was best remembered for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's botched hold attempt on a potential game-winning field goal in the game's final stages.

Also part of that successful stretch was a 20-10 victory over the Redskins in the 2005 NFC Division Playoffs, the same season in which Seattle made its only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

The Seahawks locked up their fourth consecutive NFC West title with a 42-21 home rout of fellow division member Arizona in Week 14, but dropped two of three games following that impressive win to finish at 10-6. Seattle concluded its regular season with a wild 44-41 loss at Atlanta last Sunday.

A normally stingy Seahawks defense allowed the lowly Falcons to score 24 fourth-quarter points in that game, spoiling a 501-yard output by the Seattle offense that played the entire second half without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and top running back Shaun Alexander.

Both players were held out with the Seahawks' playoff position already determined and are dealing with minor injuries, as Hasselbeck bruised his right wrist during the game and Alexander has been hampered by an assortment of nagging ailments all year long. Each will be in the lineup on Saturday, however.

SERIES HISTORY

The above-mentioned 2005 Divisional Playoff is the only postseason meeting between the Seahawks and Redskins, as well as the most recent matchup between the clubs.

The Redskins hold a 9-4 edge in their all-time regular season series with Seattle, and have won four straight in the series dating back to 2001. The Redskins were 20-17 home winners in overtime when the teams met back Week 4 of the 2005 campaign, and took a 14-3 decision when they last traveled to Seattle for a regular season game, in 2002. The Seahawks, who are 2-4 at home against the Redskins all-time, earned their only home regular season victory in the series in 1998.

Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs is 5-1 all-time against the Seahawks, including 4-0 during his first tenure with the franchise (1981-92). The Seahawks' Mike Holmgren is 1-4 all-time against the Redskins, with all five games coming since he has been at the helm in Seattle, and is 1-1 head-to-head against Gibbs.

WHEN THE REDSKINS HAVE THE BALL

Washington's game plan is to control the clock with a persistent running game keyed by workhorse Clinton Portis (1262 rushing yards, 11 TD, 47 receptions), who's coming off a determined showing against Dallas in which he amassed 104 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. It was the second time in three games that the colorful back eclipsed the century mark, and he's scored four times over that span. The Redskins will need Portis to be careful with the ball, however. He fumbled six times during the regular season and will be facing a Seattle defense that's good at forcing turnovers.

The Seahawks ended the year ranked 12th overall against the run (102.8 ypg) and have done a respectable job in that area throughout the year. A fast and aggressive defense is led by standout middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu (109 tackles, 4 INT, 1 sack), one of four members of the group to be named to this year's Pro Bowl. He and strongside starter Leroy Hill (81 tackles, 3 sacks) will have the task of keeping Portis under wraps on Saturday, while rookie tackle Brandon Mebane (29 tackles, 2 sacks) will be in charge of clogging up the interior and enabling Seattle's playmaking linebackers to move in space.

Seattle's strength on defense is its ability to sack the quarterback or pressure him into ill-advised throws at a ball-hawking secondary that compiled 20 interceptions during the regular season. End Patrick Kerney (62 tackles, 5 forced fumbles) led the NFC with 14 1/2 sacks and has been a disruptive force all year long, as has athletic outside linebacker and fellow Pro Bowl honoree Julian Peterson (74 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 2 INT). Linemen Darryl Tapp (49 tackles, 7 sacks) and Rocky Bernard (35 sacks, 3.5 sacks) have also been effective rushers for a unit that finished fourth in the NFL with 45 sacks. A quality defensive backfield that surrendered a league-low 15 touchdown passes in 2007 is headlined by cornerback Marcus Trufant (85 tackles, 7 INT, 15 PD), who also earned a trip to Honolulu next month.

The Seahawks will try to force the rejuvenated Collins (888 passing yards, 5 TD, 0 INT) into mistakes, but the well-prepared quarterback has made precious few of them since taking over the Washington offense. The change also seems to have benefited wide receiver Santana Moss (61 receptions, 3 TD), as the speedster has averaged 87 receiving yards in Collins' three starts. Portis has also been an integral part of Washington's 14th-ranked passing game (216.4 ypg) lately, while tight end Chris Cooley (66 receptions, 8 TD) is the team's most reliable target and a productive player in the red zone. A key matchup to watch on Saturday is how rookie right tackle Stephon Heyer fares against the dangerous Kerney. Collins has received solid protection up front during his stint and will need for that to continue, as he's not a mobile quarterback.

WHEN THE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL

The Seahawks have used a far different offensive approach than the conservative Redskins this season, preferring to attack opponents through the air with the strong right arm of Hasselbeck (3966 passing yards, 28 TD, 12 INT) and a deep and talented receiving corps. Seattle's Pro Bowl quarterback is playoff-proven, as Hasselbeck has averaged better than 250 passing yards and thrown seven touchdowns against just three interceptions in four career postseason games at home. Assuming Deion Branch (49 receptions, 4 TD) returns from a calf strain that caused him to miss last week's loss, the Seahawks will send out four capable wide receivers on Saturday. Bobby Engram (94 receptions, 1147 yards, 6 TD) is the savvy veteran Hasselbeck usually looks to in a tight spot, Nate Burleson (50 receptions, 9 TD) the dangerous big-play threat, and D.J. Hackett (32 receptions, 3 TD) the emerging star who's had a potential breakout year slowed by injuries.

The quartet could present matchup problems for a Washington secondary that isn't very deep due to the loss of Taylor and a season-ending knee injury suffered by cornerback Carlos Rogers at midseason. The healthy members of the defensive backfield have certainly held their own as of late, as former Seahawk Shawn Springs (62 tackles, 4 INT, 15 PD) has re-emerged as a shutdown corner down the stretch and veteran Fred Smoot (50 tackles, 1 INT, 10 PD) has played well in place of Rogers. During the course of their win streak, the Redskins have held opposing quarterbacks to an average of 5.1 yards per pass attempt and garnered five interceptions. Look for Washington defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to throw an array of blitzes at Hasselbeck, as his premier rush end, Andre Carter (55 tackles, 10.5 sacks), draws a tough assignment in perennial All-Pro tackle Walter Jones.

Holmgren will be counting on another strong playoff performance out of Hasselbeck, since the Seahawks will likely have their share of troubles running the ball on Saturday. The Redskins completely shut down Dallas' ground attack last Sunday and limited Minnesota's rookie sensation Adrian Peterson to 27 yards on nine carries the previous week. Tackling machine London Fletcher (128 tackles, 3 INT, 10 PD) heads a defense that ranks fourth in the NFL against the rush (91.3 ypg), while tackles Anthony Montgomery (42 tackles, 0.5 sacks) and Cornelius Griffin (42 tackles, 2.5 sacks) have been unsung heroes in the team's run-stopping prowess. Young safeties LaRon Landry (95 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Reed Doughty (53 tackles, 0.5 sacks) deserve some of the credit as well.

Alexander (716 rushing yards, 5 total TD) will probably split ball-carrying duties with Maurice Morris (628 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 5 total TD), who piled up 91 yards and a touchdown on only 13 rushes against Atlanta last week. Seattle amassed 167 yards on the ground against the Falcons, but averaged just 101.2 rushing yards per game (20th overall) over the course of the season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Seahawks have gotten plenty of big plays out of the return game this year, as Burleson and rookie Josh Wilson have combined for three touchdowns and the latter is averaging 27.5 yards running back kicks. Burleson's 11.3 yard average on punt returns trailed only Chicago's Devin Hester for tops in the NFC, but he and Wilson will be challenged by a Washington squad that has fielded one of the league's best coverage teams. For the Redskins, Rock Cartwright (25.8 ypg) is a very good kick return man but starting wideout Antwaan Randle El (6.1 ypg) hasn't made a great impact on punts.

Both coaches should feel confident in their kickers. Seattle's Josh Brown has an outstanding 85 percent career success rate (58-of-68) on field goals at Qwest Field and tied a league record with four game-winning kicks in the final minute of regulation or overtime during 2006. Washington's Shaun Suisham has made good on 16-of-17 three-point tries on the road this year.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

There's not a hotter team in this NFC playoff tournament than the Redskins and no quarterback has played better down the stretch than Collins, but this could be his and his team's toughest challenge yet. The Seahawks' track record at home is quite impressive, and Hasselbeck is a quarterback who has proven he can handle the big-game atmosphere as well as tough weather conditions that may be present on Saturday, with the forecast calling for rain and wind. Seattle's depth at receiver could prove troublesome for a Washington defense that's rather thin along the back line, and Hasselbeck should be able to pick apart the secondary if he has time to do so. On the other side, the Seahawks' ability to generate pressure threatens to end the remarkable string of mistake-free outings from Collins that have been paramount to the Redskins' late-year success. Washington's defense will keep this one close, but Seattle will find a way to come up with a big play or two that will make the difference.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Seahawks 17, Redskins 13