Dec 9, 2007 - 10:24 PM
0 shoutsSEATTLE (Ticker) -- Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks are on a roll. They are also the NFC West champions yet again.
Hasselbeck threw for four touchdowns and the Seahawks got off to a fast start and rolled to a 42-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The win was Seattle's fifth straight and it wrapped up a fourth consecutive NFC West title. The victory gives the Seahawks a three-game lead and a tiebreaker over the Cardinals with three games to play.
"Needless to say, it is a very happy locker room," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "It is my understanding that we are division champs, and that was our first goal for this season. We have to finish the regular season strong. I think that we have built up something, and we are building on something that we established halfway through the season and now must continue doing that."
The Seahawks (9-4) opened up a quick 10-0 lead and were in front, 24-0, in the second quarter. Hasselbeck, who completed 22-of-33 passes for 272 yards, did most of his damage in the first half when the Seahawks put the game away.
Nate Burleson hauled in a 7-yard TD from Hasselbeck in the first quarter, and Bobby Engram and Deion Branch were on the receiving end of TD passes in the second quarter. Marcus Pollard caught Hasselbeck's final TD pass, a 3-yarder early in the fourth quarter.
Marcus Trufant had a pair of interceptions for the Seahawks, including one he returned 84 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter that made it 42-14. It was Trufant's sixth pick of the season and the first return for a TD in his career.
"Hey, I'm just out there trying to do a job. I give a lot of credit to the D-linemen, the boys up front that are mixing it up," Trufant said. "They make the quarterbacks very uncomfortable and anytime they can do that, it makes my job a whole lot easier."
While Hasselbeck was having another solid game, Kurt Warner struggled for Arizona (6-7).
Warner was 28-of-46 for 337 yards and three TDs but also threw five interceptions for the Cardinals, who beat the Seahawks, 23-20, at home in Week Two but are now 1-6 on the road.
"I am very frustrated, very disappointed," Warner said. "You know, I feel like I let my team down. I made some crucial mistakes that really hurt our team in a big game. Extremely disappointed about it. But I will take this one on my shoulders and I'll get back to work on Monday and get ready for the last three."
After Warner hit Jerheme Urban for a 2-yard TD in the third quarter, Arizona was within 27-14 and had some momentum. The Cardinals then recovered an onside kick but Warner was intercepted by Trufant on the next play.
"It really comes down to not turning the ball over," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "It seems to me that when we don't turn the ball over, we're a pretty good team. When we do turn the ball over, we make it very difficult on ourselves, which is logical.
"We had a little bit of momentum and then we turn the ball over. Against a very good opponent, which the Seahawks are, you can't do that."
Hasselbeck has now thrown for 15 TDs against five interceptions in Seattle's last seven games and is a big reason why the Seahawks are again division champs.
"It's a great feeling. Four division titles in a row," Hasselbeck said. "I remember when the NFC West was formed and San Fran was really good, they had T.O (Terrell Owens) and (Jeff) Garcia, and the St. Louis Rams were coming off of Super Bowl after Super Bowl, and it felt impossible for us to get a win in St. Louis at the time.
"Slowly, but surely, we had enough guys helping us believe that hey, we get there someday, and here we are."
From the Bleachers
-
ARIZONA: 21
SEATTLE: 42
Final
Dec 9 7:19 PM -
NFL
TD ARI
LARRY FITZGERALD 11 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER
(NEIL RACKERS KICK)
ARIZONA 21
SEATTLE 42 2:27 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 9 7:09 PM -
NFL
TD SEA
MARCUS TRUFANT 84 YD INTERCEPTION RETURN
(PAT FAILED)
ARIZONA 14
SEATTLE 42 5:29 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 9 7:03 PM -
NFL
SAFETY SEA
ARIZONA 14
SEATTLE 36 9:25 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 9 6:53 PM -
NFL
TD SEA
MARCUS POLLARD 3 YD PASS FROM MATT HASSELBECK
(JOSH BROWN KICK)
ARIZONA 14
SEATTLE 34 10:42 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 9 6:41 PM -
ARIZONA: 14
SEATTLE: 27
End of 3rd
Dec 9 6:31 PM -
NFL
TD ARI
JERHEME URBAN 2 YD PASS FROM MATT WARE
(NEIL RACKERS KICK)
ARIZONA 14
SEATTLE 27 0:57 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Dec 9 6:24 PM -
ARIZONA: 7
SEATTLE: 27
Halftime
Dec 9 5:40 PM -
NFL
FG SEA
JOSH BROWN 41 YD
ARIZONA 7
SEATTLE 27 0:02 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 9 5:33 PM -
NFL
TD ARI
BRYANT JOHNSON 5 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER
(NEIL RACKERS KICK)
ARIZONA 7
SEATTLE 24 1:04 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 9 5:27 PM -
NFL
TD SEA
DEION BRANCH 17 YD PASS FROM MATT HASSELBECK
(JOSH BROWN KICK)
ARIZONA 0
SEATTLE 24 7:44 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 9 5:07 PM -
NFL
TD SEA
BOBBY ENGRAM 15 YD PASS FROM MATT HASSELBECK
(JOSH BROWN KICK)
ARIZONA 0
SEATTLE 17 11:47 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 9 4:55 PM -
ARIZONA: 0
SEATTLE: 10
End of 1st
Dec 9 4:42 PM -
NFL
TD SEA
NATE BURLESON 7 YD PASS FROM MATT HASSELBECK
(JOSH BROWN KICK)
ARIZONA 0
SEATTLE 10 0:46 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Dec 9 4:38 PM -
NFL
FG SEA
JOSH BROWN 23 YD
ARIZONA 0
SEATTLE 3 8:51 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Dec 9 4:17 PM
