The Good:
1. The start. Apart from blowout wins against St Louis and Jacksonville, Seattle has spent this whole season playing from behind early. Getting a big lead, especially on the road, was a big encouragement to me.
2. Justin Forsett. The seventh round draft pick that Tim Ruskell has been trying to get rid of ever since, Forsett proved he has what it takes to play in the NFL. Forsett, with rookie Louis Rankin, were able to run on a Cardinals defense that was ranked 4th in the NFL against the run.
3. The offensive line. Part of the ability to run on that Cardinals defense was an offensive line that was full of actual starters.
4. Defense. The players on the defense played well most of the game. Going against conventional wisdom of attacking Kurt Warner, the Seattle scheme of three linemen and seven defensive backs confused the Cardinals early on. Getting two stops on 3rd and 1 and one on 4th and 1 were incredible against a potent Arizona offense.
5. Matt Hasselbeck. I mentioned last week that Hasselbeck didn’t look like he could throw the ball over ten yards. He must have heard it because he was on fire early, attacking the Cardinals secondary with calculated middle and deep routes.
6. The Cardinals punter. Ben Graham had a great game, keeping Seattle pinned deep in their own territory.
The Bad:
1. Hasselbeck. In the last three drives, Hasselbeck forced the ball twice into triple coverage resulting in one interception and a stalled drive.
2. John Carlson. His one reception was a 38-yard touchdown and he was open on the Z-slide route when Hasselbeck tried to force the ball to TJ Houshmandzadeh. The tight end is the best option for the Seahawks, especially against a Cardinals team that was torched by Chicago a week ago and were missing their two starting linebackers.
3. Second Half. Seattle made four trips into the red zone in the second half and came away with three points. Not going to cut it in a shoot out.
4. Nate Burleson. Thrown to five times, Burleson had no receptions and three drops. The worst was the fade into the corner that would have gotten Seattle a touchdown. As the team’s leading receiver, Burleson needed to step up and didn’t.
The Ugly:
1. Cardinals' sportsmanship. If it wasn’t Beanie Wells’ cheap shot on Deon Grant, which got him a flag, it was Darnell Dockett putting his elbow in Hasselbeck’s throat while the Seattle QB was on the ground. The Cardinals are a dirty team, and have been for years. Now that they are winning, the league doesn’t seem to care as much but it doesn’t change the fact.
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