The Seattle Seahawks, written off by everyone but the most ardent fan, pulled off one of the bigger upsets of NFL playoff history by beating the defending champion Saints 41-36.

Then a field goal as time expired gave the New York Jets a 17-16 win over the Colts.
 
Coach Pete Carroll, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and a Seattle team that no one believed deserved to be in the postseason pulled off a win that proved they belonged in the playoffs.

Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes and Marshawn Lynch scored on an electrifying 67-yard run with 3:22 left.

The Seahawks (8-9) held a 34-20 early in the fourth quarter but quarterback Drew Brees looked ready to lead the Saints (11-6) on one of their patented comebacks. However Lynch broke several tackles for his TD to finish off the Saints.

The Seahawks, the first division winner with a losing record, will play next weekend, either at top-seeded Atlanta or No. 2 Chicago.

Hasselbeck, cleared to play just two days ago because of a hip injury, threw for 272 yards and his four TD passes set a playoff career high. The veteran quarterback threw two touchdown passes to tight end John Carlson in the first half and started the second half with a 38-yard pass to Mike Williams to give Seattle a 31-20 lead.

The game wasn’t clinched until Lynch provided a run that’ll be replayed in the Pacific Northwest for years. He took a second-down carry with less than four minutes to go and then the highlights began. He broke six tackles on the 67-yard run, tossing in a stiff arm that sent cornerback Tracy Porter to the turf and completed the longest scoring run of his career.

Lynch finished with 131 yards on 19 carries, the first Seattle back to top 100 yards all season.

Hasselbeck, Lynch and a strong performance by Seattle’s offense extended the Saints franchise misery to 0-4 in road playoff games.

The Saints were considered the second-best team in the division behind the NFC South-winning Falcons. Even though they lost to Tampa Bay in the season finale a week ago and were without running backs Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, safety Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker Danny Clark, the Saints were favored by 10 points to advance.

Brees and the Saints just couldn’t keep up with Hasselbeck and the Seahawks offense. Brees led one final drive, hitting Devery Henderson on a 6-yard touchdown with 1:30 left to get within 41-36.

Brees finished 39 of 60 for 404 yards and two touchdowns.

But DeShawn Wynn was stopped on the 2-point conversion, Garrett Hartley’s onside kick was recovered by Carlson and the Seahawks were home.

Carroll, in his first year as coach, gathered his team at midfield after the game, jumping up and down on the Seahawks logo with most of his team joining in.

Hasselbeck left the field to a rousing ovation and his youngest son propped up on his shoulders.
 
In Indianapolis, coach Rex Ryan and New York finally got the made-for-TV ending they wanted.

The bombastic Ryan got his victory over Manning when Nick Folk made a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

All week, Ryan turned this into a coach vs. quarterback matchup, referring to his 1-5 record against Manning as Jets coach and Ravens defensive coordinator. Instead, it came down to Folk becoming a hero.

With his main tormentor out of the way, Ryan and the Jets next head to New England seeking to avenge the Patriots’ 45-3 demolition job at Foxborough earlier this season.

The Colts beat the Jets for the AFC title a year ago and thought they had done so again Saturday when Adam Vinatieri made a 50-yard field goal with 53 seconds to go.

But Antonio Cromartie returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards and Mark Sanchez needed five plays to get the Jets into position for the winner.

Manning was 18 of 26 for 225 yards and one TD, and got Vinatieri, considered the best clutch kicker in league history, in position with an eight-play, 48-yard drive in the final 2½ minutes.

But he left 53 seconds on the clock for New York. After Braylon Edwards made a leaping 18-yard catch to take New York to the Colts 14, Folk’s kick went right down the middle.

“Any time you lose on a last-second field goal, it certainly stings,” Manning said.

Jets tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, considered washed-up by some before the season, carried 16 times for 82 yards and scored on two 1-yard runs.

“It’s emotional, exciting and all those things at once,” Tomlinson said. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight against a great team.” The Colts actually helped the Jets’ winning drive by calling timeout with 29 seconds remaining and with the ball at the Indianapolis 32. Sanchez passed to Edwards on the next play, a high pass to the right sideline. Folk trotted on and won it.

“We’ve got to tip our hat to our offense. It was unbelievable,” said Ryan, whose bravado made him a summer sensation in HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series. “We totally dominated the second half offensively. On defense, we had to hold serve. Against Peyton, you’re not going to stop him completely, but our guys played well enough to get it done and keep him out of the end zone.” 090551 jan 11GMT