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Cardinals-Seahawks Preview

Oct 21, 2010 - 2:57 AM By NOEY KUPCHAN STATS Writer

With first place in the NFC West on the line, the Seattle Seahawks are happy to be returning home.

The Seahawks will look to open 3-0 at Qwest Field for the first time since 2005 when they host the division rival Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

"Coming back home to Qwest is a big deal to this team. We've loved the chances that we've had to play there so far," coach Pete Carroll said. "Its important for us to keep some momentum going here by getting a couple wins in a row which we haven't done."

Seattle (3-2) has followed up each of its wins with a loss but will try to break that pattern after recording its first road win of the season with a 23-20 victory over Chicago last Sunday.

Carroll's offense put up a season-high 353 yards of total offense thanks to an improved running game and efficient play from Matt Hasselbeck.

Marshawn Lynch made an immediate impact in his Seahawks debut, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown on a team-high 17 carries.

"It's been rough on me the last two years," said Lynch, who spent the last three seasons with Buffalo. "But to come over here in first game out and get a win and get in the end zone and have a great performance from those guys up front, is something that I feel that I can build on, and hopefully we can become great."

Lynch's powerful running style complimented Seahawks' leading rusher Justin Forsett quite well, and the tandem could be in line for another big game against a Cardinals defense allowing 140.8 yards per game on the ground - fourth-worst in the NFL.

Hasselbeck threw for a season-high 242 yards with a touchdown and made it through an entire game without an interception for the first time this season.

"We're growing," Hasselbeck said. "We're building on everything that we're doing. We're finding out who we are. As Pete would say, 'We're making us' by how we do, by how we perform."

While the Seahawks will try build on their best performance of the season, they've turned their attention to Sunday.

"That game is over now," Carroll told the team's official site. "We're moving on, and that takes us to getting ready for the Cardinals. Humility and hard work - it's what this week is all about."

Arizona (3-2) is coming off an impressive win of its own, defeating New Orleans 30-20 on Oct. 10 as quarterback Max Hall made his first career start.

Hall struggled at times, completing 17 of 27 for 168 yards and an interception but with an extra week off due to the bye, the rookie is feeling more confident and could put up better numbers against Seattle's 30th-ranked pass defense, which allows 290.8 passing yards per game.

"I think I've settled down," Hall said. "I think the anxiety part's over. Now I'm just really trying to get better every day, to be the quarterback of this team, to be the leader and to step up into that role that everybody is expecting me to step up into. I'm just keeping my head down and working as hard as I can."

Possibly helping matters could be the return of receivers Steve Breaston and Early Doucet, who both participated in practice Wednesday.

Breaston missed the previous two games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery while Doucet has been out since the opener with a sports hernia.

"They didn't go through everything in practice today, which we didn't want them to," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "They've got to get acclimated and make sure they're OK. It was more of a test period but it was good for them to do that. I mean, it's encouraging that there's a chance we're going to have them to play."

Arizona isn't concerned about the division race this early in the season and remains focused on the Seahawks.

"Until someone's clinched it its a wide open division," said Whisenhunt. "I'm not going to sit here and make any assessments about the division with 11 weeks left. I'm worried about playing Seattle this week. If we take care of our business, all that stuff will take care of itself."

The Cardinals have won four straight against the Seahawks since a 42-21 loss on Dec. 9, 2007. Arizona also has won its last two visits to Seattle.