Best of Five Series

The Seahawks are looking at the next 3 to 5 games without Matt Hasselbeck. Back when Alexander first got injured, I predicted a return in November, and later if the Seahawks didn't need him yet. The injury to Hasselbeck and a loss to Minnesota means the Seahawks need him as soon as he is healthy - no time for being cautious. It looks like that means Alexander will be back for the first game in November (Monday Night vs. Oakland - November 6th).

Taking the same approach with Hasselbeck as Alexander, we are really looking at a five week timeframe. There is an outside chance Hasselbeck could be back for an important home game against St. Louis, but that seems unlikely. The next five features two tough games against the Missouri teams and three cupcakes with Oakland, San Francisco, and Green Bay. The onus is on Seneca Wallace to go 3-2 in that stretch, and he should be helped by the return of Shaun Alexander. The Chiefs and Rams are both beatable, but those will be uphill climbs without Hasselbeck. However, a 7-4 record after 11 games is not a bad start to the season. Only a handful of NFC teams will have 4 or less losses at that point in the season.

Given the upcoming schedule for St. Louis, it is reasonable to think the Seahawks might come out the other end of this injury trouble in first in the NFC West. That would be a big boost for a team with a healthy Hasselbeck and Alexander for the home stretch. If you spot the Seahawks the second games against San Francisco and Arizona, then you are already at 9 wins. St. Louis looks like a 9 win team at best given their remaining schedule. So, all things considered, the Seahawks should be in pretty good shape as long as Seneca Wallace can lead this team to a 3-2 record over the next five weeks. Hasselbeck will want to play in the Monday Night game against the Packers, so my guess is Seneca will only be in there for the next four weeks.

Wallace will likely struggle at Arrowhead next week, but if he can remain confident, he should be able to pull out wins at home against Oakland and maybe the Sacramento product will feel right at home with a trip to the Bay Area to face the 49ers. His mobility could even help against the quick St. Louis defense. If the fans manage to stay in the game, the Seahawks can navigate this tough stretch and be in pretty good position even if they go 2-2 with Wallace as a starter, assuming Hasselbeck can lead the team to victory over Green Bay. If Hasselbeck is not ready, then Wallace becomes the game five starter and should be able to handle Green Bay. Joey Harrington managed to throw for 414 yards on that secondary.