Seattle Seahawks' Rewind: Confidence Builder for Playoff in Arizona?

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The answer to the question, “Was that a good win for the Seahawks?”, is self-evident. It was a win, so of course it was good.

Now were they good in winning? Well, in the final three quarters they were.

Whether they felt sorry for the Detroit Lions or just figured they needed to create additional adversity for themselves, the Hawks made it tougher than it should have been. But in the end, putting themselves in a 17-0 hole actually enabled them to prove they have resilience.

If they make the playoffs against all odds, this comeback win – albeit against a young and not very good Detroit team – might turn out to be the turning point in the season. And it might have given them the confidence they need going into a do-or-die game in Arizona in Week 10.

In the first quarter Sunday, it looked a lot like the Seahawks’ last home game, the one in which they spotted Arizona an early 14-0 lead and got blown out 27-3 in a game in which their offense could do nothing.

This time the Hawks turned the ball over on their first two plays, leading to two touchdowns for the Lions. And then Jim Mora made an emotional and very ill-advised decision to go for it on fourth-and-one from his own 38-yard line, a move that backfired and led to a Detroit field goal. Just like that, Seattle was down 17-0 after one quarter.

But this was not Arizona. It was the Detroit Lions, a team quarterbacked by a rookie and therefore ripe for the picking. And that’s what the defense did, pulling in five interceptions to aid an offense that still couldn’t run the ball but moved it quite well after the first quarter to pull off the comeback and win 32-20.

The game really was a tale of two QBs: the accurate, savvy veteran vs. the inconsistent, inexperienced rookie.

Matt Hasselbeck contributed to Seattle’s hole early, throwing an interception on his first pass and setting the Lions up for an easy touchdown from the 7-yard line. And then, on Hasselbeck’s next pass, Justin Griffith fumbled the ball away.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit’s rookie QB, took advantage of both turnovers, throwing touchdown passes. The second was a perfect 29-yarder to Bryant Johnson in the back left corner of the end zone.

In the first quarter, Stafford completed 9 of 13 passes for 93 and two touchdowns. But it was all downhill from there, as he threw wildly all over the field, often to the Seahawks. After the first quarter, he completed 13 of 29 for 110 yards, no scores and five interceptions.

Hasselbeck threw it all over the field, too, but he did it accurately. He completed a team-record 39 passes, breaking the record of 36 he set in the 2002 season finale at San Diego. He completed 78 percent for 329 yards, with one touchdown pass and the one interception.

Hasselbeck did it all despite a shoulder bruise he incurred when he tackled Louis Delmas on his first-play interception.

Hasselbeck fought through the bad shoulder, rebounding from the interception to complete 15 straight passes. He also showed his fight when he wanted to go for it with six seconds left in the first half and the Seahawks on the Detroit 14-yard line. But Mora overruled him.

However, they pretended to go for it on fourth down early in the fourth quarter, and Hasselbeck coaxed the Lions into encroachment, giving Seattle a first down at the Detroit 3. When they lined up for that play, it was not a good idea; a field goal would have given them an eight-point lead. But Hasselbeck never intended to run a play; he just wanted to get the Lions to jump offsides. And with a masterful performance – several hard counts, then backing away, then hurrying back under center – he drew the penalty.

Hasselbeck’s performance – despite the early adversity, despite his broken ribs, despite a self-inflicted shoulder injury – drew raves from Mora.

“I just have so much respect for Matt Hasselbeck and his toughness, both physical and mental,” Mora told reporters. “I think today was about both of those things for him. He had to overcome some things physically. … He showed his true leadership to me. He showed everything that he is.

“I don’t know if I have any more respect for any player that I’ve ever coached than I have for Matt Hasselbeck. He’s a veteran, he’s calm, he’s confident, and he has great command of the game. It was his idea to do the freeze play on fourth down. It wasn’t my idea, it wasn’t Greg’s (Knapp’s) idea; it was Matt’s idea. He just has very good command of the game. … He’s a special kind of man.”

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