"Definitely, the biggest win of the year," said wide receiver Jabar Gaffney.
Trailing, 21-16, the Patriots got the ball at their 29 with 8:47 left. With their season on the line, Matt Cassel thrice converted on third down, then completed a 25-yard wide receiver screen pass to Wes Welker (12 receptions for 134 yards) that gave the Patriots first and goal at the Seattle 6.
On fourth and goal from the 1, Sammy Morris, who was stuffed on third down, went over the top to give the Patriots their first lead of the game with 2:44 to play.
"It was a huge win, a huge win, a huge drive," said Cassel, who was 26 of 44 for 268 yards, a touchdown, and a 2- point conversion pass to Welker. "Everybody stepped up. That is what big games come down to, and we knew that the season was on the line and we had to come up here and take care of business in order to put us in a position to still be in that playoff hunt. It was a huge drive and everybody understood that, and we were able to execute and get points on the board."
The Patriots' depleted defense, which started the game without defensive end Ty Warren (groin) and lost nose tackle Vince Wilfork (shoulder) and linebacker Tedy Bruschi (knee) on Seattle's first two drives, protected the only lead it was handed.
On second and 11 from the New England 44, Brandon Meriweather burst through the Seattle line as part of an all-out blitz and knocked the ball loose from Seneca Wallace, who had gotten the start in place of the injured Matt Hasselbeck. Richard Seymour recovered at the Seattle 49.
"We haven't stopped teams when we needed to, so it was a big stop for us defensively," said Seymour. "I thought Brandon made a heads-up play getting the ball out, and the ball was just laying there like an egg on the ground."
In the early going, it looked like the Patriots were going to lay an egg against a sorry Seattle team. The Seahawks (2-11) scored on each of their first two touches, and making matters worse, Patriots defenders became an endangered species. Wilfork (seventh play of Seattle's first drive), Bruschi (fourth play of the second quarter), and safety James Sanders (nagging rib injury) all left the game in the first half and didn't return.
