(Sports Network) - Jerramy Stevens' 37-yard touchdown reception with 4:24 left turned out to be the difference as Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys literally botched a chance to move on to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, falling to the Seattle Seahawks 21-20 at Qwest Field.

In a game that featured more reversals, mishaps and unusual plays in the final minutes than any other game in the NFL this season, Seattle escaped to face either Chicago or New Orleans in the divisional round next weekend.

Stevens ended with five catches for 77 yards with two touchdowns for the Seahawks, who benefited from a pair of Dallas mistakes inside the final seven minutes of play to rally from a seven-point deficit.

After a Terry Glenn fumble resulted in a safety that drew Seattle within 20-15, Stevens' touchdown on the ensuing possession put Seattle ahead by one point.

Romo drove the Cowboys down inside the Seattle two-yard line with 1:14 left. However, the quarterback failed to cleanly hold on to a good snap on the potential game-winning 19-yard field goal attempt and his desperate scramble for the first down or end zone came up short.

"I just didn't catch the ball and I didn't get it down," said Romo. "It happened pretty quick. It obviously cost us the game. I don't know if I have ever felt this low at any point."

Romo, who ended 17-of-29 for 189 yards with one touchdown, had one last chance at the win after Seattle offense failed to run out the clock, but his desperation heave into the end zone from midfield as time expired hit the turf to end the Cowboys' season.

Matt Hasselbeck ended 18-of-36 for 240 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Seattle, which is the defending NFC champions. Shaun Alexander ran for just 69 yards on 24 carries as the Seahawks got back into the game thanks to a key defensive play.

After the Seahawks offense turned the ball over on downs at the Dallas two- yard line down 20-13 with 6:42 left, it was the Seattle defense that answered the call.

On the first play of the subsequent possession, Romo hit Glenn with a quick hitch. Glenn got possession of the ball, but Kelly Jennings knocked the ball out of Glenn's hands and that's when all heck broke loose for the first time.

The ball went end-over-end into the end zone with the end result being Michael Boulware coming down with the ball for an apparent touchdown. However, after an official review, it was ruled that Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu was out of bounds when he attempted to knock the ball back into play, giving Seattle a safety instead of a touchdown and making the score 20-15 with 6:32 left.

The biggest advantage of the safety was that Seattle got the ball back immediately and Hasselbeck cashed in. On just the fourth play, Hasselbeck hit Stevens down the middle for a 37-yard touchdown reception. The two-point conversion failed, but Seattle led 21-20 with 4:24 left.

"I knew on the last touchdown that if I could get past the second linebacker I would get the ball," said Stevens. "It feels good to perform well in the second season."

Romo responded by driving the Cowboys deep into Seattle territory. The big play of the drive was 35-yard run by Julius Jones to bring the ball down to the Seahawks 11-yard line. Three plays later, Romo hit Jason Witten with a six yard pass that was originally ruled a first down with 1:19 left. That would have allowed the Cowboys to run the clock to almost nothing before trying the game-winning field goal or even allowing the Cowboys to punch the ball home for a touchdown.

However, the spot of the completion was reviewed by the officials in the booth because it was inside two minutes of play and the spot was pushed back a half yard, forcing fourth down.

The ensuing snap was good, but Romo just failed to spot the ball. He got up and rolled to the left to try and gain at least the first down, but he came up short with 1:14 left.

Seattle failed to run out the clock on offense and the ensuing punt went out of bounds at the 50 with two seconds left. Romo's Hail Mary attempt on the next play was deflected in the end zone and fell just short of Glenn.

"They say better to be lucky than good," said Tatupu. "This has been a tough season for us. The ball has not been bouncing our way. It was nice to have it bounce our way."

The setback marred a strong rushing game by Jones, who ended with 112 yards on 22 carries. It also overshadowed a poor effort by outspoken Dallas wide out Terrell Owens, who had two catches for 26 yards.

"It is tough to lose," said Dallas' Demarcus Ware. "In your mind you do not think it is going to happen that way. I guess it is disbelief. It is just crazy."

Seattle began the scoring with a Josh Brown 23-yard field goal just 3:47 into the contest. Dallas' Martin Gramatica answered with a 50-yarder later in the quarter to tie the contest at 3-3.

In the second, Brown put Seattle back in front when he nailed a 30-yarder to cap a 13-play, 54-yard march with 8:23 left in the half.

Patrick Crayton, though, sent Dallas into the locker room with the lead when he caught a short Romo pass at the two-yard line and barreled over Boulware into the end zone for a 10-6 lead with just 11 ticks left until the break. The 13-yard pass play ended a 10-play, 76-yard drive that was highlighted by a 4th-and-2, 32-yard completion from Romo to Witten that brought the ball down to the three-yard line with 24 seconds left.

In the third quarter, the Seahawks took over at their own 38-yard line after Dallas went three-and-out and preceded to march down the field for pay dirt. Alexander converted a pair of fourth downs on the drive, which was capped by a 15-yard pass play from Hasselbeck to Stevens for a 13-10 advantage.

The lead was very short-lived though, as Miles Austin returned the ensuing kickoff up the left sideline 93 yards for the score and a 17-13 lead with 5:57 left in the quarter.

The score remained the same until Gramatica hit a 29-yard field goal 9:45 into the fourth quarter. The kick ended an eight-play, 46-yard possession that was set up when Roy Williams came down with an interception of Hasselbeck.

The pick occurred after Terrence Newman tipped the pass intended for D.J. Hackett into the air where Williams secured it and got both feet down before falling out of bounds. The play was reviewed and upheld.

Seattle responded with its drive that brought the ball deep into Dallas territory when Newman was called for pass interference on Nate Burleson in the end zone, bringing the ball down to the one. That's when Dallas' D made the stop and the chaos began.

Game Notes:

Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson returned to action after missing three games with a sprained toe. He couldn't finish the game, though, after aggravating the injury in the second half. He ended without a catch.

Bobby Engram led Seattle wide outs with 88 yards on four catches.

Witten had three catches for 57 yards.

Crayton ended with 42 yards on three receptions.