Game Prediction: SEA 24, ARZ 10

Update: It now appears that Bryan Gilmore is less likely to play and the Cardinals will be lining up Boldin, Bryant Johnson and Jason McAddley.

Seattle battled a perception problem in the offseason that their hot finish to last year was due largely to playing bad teams and that their offense was not really that good and that their defense would still be bad. After losing 27-10 to Seattle on Sunday, the Saints might have a different take on that notion.

Shaun Alexander rushed 24 times for 108 yards and scored on both a run and a pass. Matt Hasselbeck only threw for 137 yards, but had two passing touchdowns and since they led by at least 21 points for most of the game, there was no great need to air it out.

Koren Robinson scored once on his three catches for 56 yards and Darrel Jackson also had three catches for 53 yards in a game that was over in the second quarter. Matt Hasselbeck bruised his hip but is expected to be fine this week. The passing game still needs more work to return to the crisp, high-powered machine that ended last year. The lack of a good secondary in Arizona should help the effort.

The Seattle defense gave up 99 yards rushing and 274 yards passing but much of that came when the game was already decided and the Seahawks collected four turnovers and three sacks . It was a nice warm-up game for this matchup which in turn should prove to be merely a warmup for St. Louis the next week. New defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes should have even more fun against Arizona.

The Cardinals did two things last week that seemed impossible to do. First, they featured a rookie receiver in Anquan Boldin who set the all-time receiving record in a first game with 217 yards. Secondly, the Cardinals managed to make the Lions not only opening day winners, but winners that looked very good on offense.

Regardless of the two shutouts in the league last week, the Cardinals already have the look of a #1 draft pick in April. Facing a team that had no running game, they allowed the Lions to post four touchdowns through the air by Joey Harrington. They gave up a punt return and an interception for a touchdown.

Jeff Blake did throw for 363 yards and three scores largely thanks to Boldin's fine day but it was against a team that had been decimated in the secondary before the game even started. The Cardinals committed three turnovers and were penalized twelve times.

Emmitt Smith rushed 13 times for 64 yards and Marcell Shipp added four runs for 19 yards.

The Cardinals receivers were all injured last year and in 2003 they started by having Larry Foster (1-7) sprain his left ankle and Bryan Gilmore (2-17) sprained his knee. RG Leonard Davis just returned from a fractured hand this summer in time to sprain his right ankle. If Foster is unable to play, Boldin will move into his spot. Gilmore is expected to be back.

The Boldin feat aside, the Cardinals have managed to return to the NFL yet again unable to avoid the injuries, mistakes and lack of talent to deny them realistic hopes of contending.

The question is not if the Seahawks will win, it is more how they will do it. Look for Alexander to again have a big afternoon while Hasselbeck occasionally throws deep down field for Robinson or Jackson. This should be a replay of the SEA-NO game only with less yardage from their opponent.