The Seattle Seahawks got destroyed yesterday, plain and simple.  Matt Hasselbeck completed 20 of 37 passes for 282 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Marshawn Lynch led the way on the ground for the Seahawks in this game with 20 yards rushing on 7 carries (2.9 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 13 yards (6.5 avg).  WRs Ben Obomanu (5 rec, 159 yards, TD), Brandon Stokley (5 rec, 51 yards) and TE Chris Baker (1 rec, 13 yards, TD) led the way for the Seahawks in this game.  The Seahawks finished up with 20 yards rushing on 12 carries (1.7 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 37 passes for 268 yards yesterday.

LB David Hawthorne (13 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), safety Lawyer Milloy (11 tackles) and LB Lofa Tatupu (9 tackles) led the way for the Seahawks on “D” yesterday.  Safety Earl Thomas had 8 tackles yesterday and he recovered a punt blocked by CB Kennard Cox that he returned 10 yards for a TD.  CB Marcus Trufant pitched in with a interception in this game.  The Chiefs finished up with 270 yards rushing on 48 carries (5.6 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 32 passes for 233 yards.  The Seahawks are now 5-6 on the year.

The Seahawks need this game, big time.  They are in first place in the NFC West, 1 game ahead of the Rams and 2 games ahead of both the 49ers and Cardinals.  They are in luck as they are drawing the Chiefs at Qwest Field.  The Seahawks are 3-1 at home this year while the Chiefs are 1-4 on the road where they have been outscored 139-105!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks just don’t run the ball too well.  I just can’t see them force feeding the ball to Justin Forsett, Marshawn Lynch and Leon Washington in this game.  Matt Hasselbeck has been outstanding the last couple of weeks and the Chiefs are allowing 244.3 yards passing per game so the Seahawks will be likely throwing a lot more than they will be running the ball.  It will be up to the O-Line to give Hasselbeck the needed time to get the ball to Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu and Brandon Stokley. 

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Seahawks are going to have to go all out to stop RBs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones on Sunday.  If the Seahawks can force the Chiefs to pass the ball, they might be in good shape.  The Seahawks would have to double Dwayne Bowe who is a excellent receiver but Matt Cassel doesn’t really like throwing to anyone else.

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 23, CHIEFS 20

The Seahawks have signed 29-year old DT Amon Gordon.  Gordon played in 3 games for the Titans earlier this year and he had 2 tackles.  He has now played in 16 games in his NFL career and he has 31 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  This should help the depth of the Seahawks’ D-Line but don’t expect miracles out of him.

The Seahawks put up a fight in this game before falling short last Sunday.  Matt Hasselbeck was outstanding for the Seahawks in this game as he completed 32 of 44 passes for 366 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Hasselbeck also carried the ball 1 time for 12 yards in this game.  Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 7 times for 36 yards (5.1 ypc) and he caught 4 passes for 19 yards (4.8 avg) but he lost two fumbles in this game.  Justin Forsett carried the ball 8 times for 10 yards (1.3 ypc) but he did catch 5 passes for 33 yards (6.6 avg) last Sunday.  Mike Williams (6 rec, 109 yards), Ben Obomanu (5 rec, 87 yards, TD) and Brandon Stokley (6 rec, 76 yards) all stepped up in the passing game last week.  The Seahawks finished up with 58 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 32 of 44 passes for 366 yards. 

LB David Hawthorne had 12 tackles and a interception and safety Earl Thomas (8 tackles, interception) led the way for the Seahawks’ D last weekend.  The Saints finished up with 112 yards rushing on 29 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 43 passes for 382 yards.  The Seahawks are still on top of the NFC West with a 5-5 record.

The Seahawks have not been too good on the road this year as they are 2-3, but they have won two of their last three road games.  The Saints are only 3-2 at home this year so it’s not impossible to see a upset this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the football:  The Seahawks would be extremely smart to try to get the running game going against the Saints.  Justin Forsett & Marshawn Lynch will likely have some success against a Saints’ D that is allowing 110.7 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Seahawks will have to protect Matt Hasselbeck if they are going to have any chance of moving the ball through the air.  Mike Williams will likely be his top target in the passing game but this would be a good week to get TE John Carlson involved in the attack.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are coming off their bye week so they should be locked and loaded for this game.  The Seahawks are going to blitz Drew Brees a lot in this game as they have 26 sacks already this year.  They are going to try to force Brees into making mistakes which is something he usually doesn’t do much.  Marques Colston will be the main man in the passing game for the Saints but they will spread the ball around against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 272.2 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 28, SEAHAWKS 13

The Seahawks are somehow 5-4 on the season which has them in first place in the NFC West.  A lot of the credit has to go to 59-year old head coach Pete Carroll who has been rallying his troops despite getting outplayed quite often this year.  The Seahawks are only averaging 286.7 yards on offense per game this year and they are giving up 376.9 yards per game.  But on the bright side the Seahawks are 3-1 in the division and they are also 3-1 at home.  The Seahawks hope that Carroll can get his team to finish strong.

35-year old QB Matt Hasselbeck actually left the game with the Cardinals yesterday with a broken bone in his left wrist before returning to finish out a very impressive win for the Seahawks.  He will try to play through the injury for the first place Seahawks.  Hasselbeck has played in 8 games for the Seahawks this year and he has completed 157 of 270 passes (58.1%) for 1,744 yards with 7 TD passes and 7 INTs (75.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 15 times for 41 yards (2.7 ypc) with 2 TD carries so far this year.  The Seahawks better hope that Hasselbeck is ready to play this week if they want to make the playoffs.  That’s because 28-year old Charlie Whitehurst has been awful so far this year for the Seahawks.  He has played in 3 games for the Seahawks so far this year and he has completed 16 of 29 passes (55.2%) for 166 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs (43.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 6 times for -2 yards (-0.3 ypc) so far this year.  The Seahawks were planning on Whitehurst being their QB of the near future when they dealt for him over the summer but it appears that plans have changed.

The Seahawks exploded offensively yesterday en route to an easy road win over the Arizona Cardinals.  Matt Hasselbeck completed 22 of 34 passes for 333 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  During the game, Hasselbeck had to leave the game with a broken bone in his left wrist but he returned to the game shortly thereafter.  Charlie Whitehurst replaced Hasselbeck for a little bit as he completed 4 of 6 passes for 53 yards with 1 INT.  Justin Forsett led the way for the Seahawks on the ground in this game with 64 yards rushing on 9 carries (7.1 ypc).  He also added 3 receptions for 31 yards (10.3 avg) in this game.  Marshawn Lynch had another tough game with 29 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.2 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 33 yards (16.5 avg).  WRs Mike Williams (11 rec, 145 yards), Deon Butler (4 rec, 66 yards, TD) and Ben Obomanu (4 rec, 60 yards and 2 carries for 17 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Seahawks yesterday.  The Seahawks finished up with 110 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 40 passes for 380 yards as they had possession of the ball for 35:05.

LB Aaron Curry (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks and 1 QB hit) and safety Earl Thomas (8 tackles) led the way for the Seahawks in this game.  DE Chris Clemons also had a outstanding game for the Seahawks yesterday with 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 2 QB hits and 1 fumble recovery.  CB Kelly Jennings also had a big play as he intercepted a Derek Anderson pass.  The Cardinals finished up with 41 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 45 passes for 286 yards.  The Seahawks are now 5-4 on the year and sitting atop the NFC West.

The Seahawks are on a 2-game losing streak in which they lost by a combined score of 74-10!  The last team they beat was the Cardinals three weeks ago 22-10.  The Cardinals have lost 3 games in a row but they have been solid at home where they are 2-1.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the football:  The Seahawks can’t do anything well on offense.  Luckily, the Cardinals can’t stop the run (135.3 yards per game) or the pass (255.5 yards per game.  The Seahawks should come out throwing the ball with Matt Hasselbeck back at QB for this game.  He has been sacked 22 times already this year so look for the passing game to be of the short variety.  He doesn’t seem to have a favorite WR or TE so look for him to spread the ball around.  The Seahawks will also get the ball into Justin Forsett & Marshawn Lynch’s hands quite a bit tomorrow.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals would be smart to come out running the ball with Tim Hightower in this game as the Seahawks’ run D has been shredded as of late.  But the Seahawks also give up 270.5 yards passing per game so Derek Anderson should have success if he has time to throw the ball.  Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston could be in line for big games tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 21, SEAHAWKS 10

The Seahawks have re-signed 29-year old QB J.P. Losman after losing rookie QB Zac Robinson on waivers to the Lions.  Losman was one of the last cuts the Seahawks made before the 2010 season started.  He has played in 43 games (33 starts) so far in his NFL career and he has completed 558 of 942 passes (59.2%) for 6,211 yards with 33 TD passes and 34 INTs (75.6 QB Rating).  Losman has also carried the ball 103 times for 489 yards (4.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Losman will be the Seahawks’ #3 QB behind Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst.