Tatupu's stellar day saves skin of Seahawks' punter

PHILADELPHIA -- When Seattle's Lofa Tatupu jogged to the sidelines for the last time Sunday, he was engulfed by coach Mike Holmgren, grateful that his star linebacker and his defense saved another game.

Seattle assistant Jim Mora does what Ryan Plackemeier should do: thank Lofa Tatupu. (US Presswire)

But Holmgren shouldn't have been the first to shake Tatupu's hand. It should have been punter Ryan Plackemeier. He's the guy who nearly blew a 28-24 decision by doing what he absolutely, positively was told not to do.

He dared Brian Westbrook to beat Seattle.

Westbrook is the Eagles' top playmaker, a guy who produced 139 yards in offense and had another 64 yards in returns. All 64 came on one punt return, and any guesses when it happened? Uh-huh, with a minute and half left, when Plackemeier was told to kick the ball out of bounds or to the end zone.

He did neither, hitting a soft 31-yarder that Westbrook returned to the Seattle 14.

"The worst kick imaginable," said one of the Seahawks.

Normally, the Eagles would've driven the last 14 yards for a game-winning touchdown, but not on this afternoon. Not with Tatupu on the field.

On third-and-7 from the 11, he stepped in front of Philadelphia wide receiver Reggie Brown to make his third interception and send the suddenly resurgent Seahawks to their fourth consecutive victory -- and their second consecutive last-minute save on the road.

"It was just being in the right situation," said an understated Tatupu. "All I had to do was catch the ball. I'm just glad I didn't drop it."

If anyone dropped the ball, it was Plackemeier, who capped an underwhelming afternoon by contradicting orders and risking the unthinkable. Two weeks earlier, the Seahawks played it safe down the stretch by not punting to Chicago's Devin Hester, and the logic was sound.

Hester could beat you with one return.

Well, so can Westbrook. There is not a more complete running back out there, and when the Eagles sent him back for the last two punt returns, it was a signal of how desperate they were. They couldn't find the go-ahead touchdown on offense, but, maybe, just maybe, they could steal one with a Westbrook return.

They came close. Were it not for a game-saving tackle by Seattle's Kevin Bentley, Westbrook might still be running. But that's not the point. Plackemeier took a chance he and the Seahawks had no business taking, and he did it after he was warned.