Seahawks rally to beat Redskins, Griffin injured

By Ros Krasny

LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) - Seattle's Russell Wilson outdueled Washington's Robert Griffin III in a clash of outstanding rookie quarterbacks to help the Seahawks overcome a 14-0 first-quarter deficit and beat the Redskins 24-14 in their NFL wildcard game on Sunday.

It was the Seahawks' first playoff victory on the road since a 1983 win over the Miami Dolphins, and set up a divisional round clash against NFC South champions Atlanta on January 13.

The victory was Seattle's sixth in a row and brought NFC East champion Washington's seven-game winning streak to an end.

Redskins' quarterback Griffin injured his knee trying to gather a bad snap and took himself out of the game in the fourth quarter.

"What was really exciting for us is that we weathered the storm, and the crowd and the situation and the setting, and our guys stayed focus and started to put the game in order," said Seattle coach Pete Carroll. "Incredible effort by the guys."

Griffin, the number two overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, led the Redskins to two touchdown drives on their first two possessions of the game.

Seattle's defense stiffened after that to shut down the Redskins and a limping Griffin, who wore a brace on his right knee and showed the effects of the injury as the game went on.

Wilson, meanwhile, combined with running back Marshawn Lynch to dominate the game. He rallied the Seahawks to 14-13 by halftime and added 11 fourth-quarter points to seal the win.