Groz’s 2005 Seahawks Rewind: Offense solves itself vs NFC West rival
Sep 23, 2021, 1:10 PM
Running back Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates his touchdown run in the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Qwest Field on Sept. 25, 2005 in Seattle. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
With Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck going into the Seahawks Ring of Honor this year, we look back at their finest hour: the 2005 Super Bowl season.
Two weeks into the Seahawks’ 2005 season, the Hawks found themselves at 1-1 and back at home to face what was thought to be a team on the rebound, the Arizona Cardinals.
Hasselbeck Show: Risk-reward of Seahawks’ D, what Carroll’s really like
A big reason for that was Arizona’s offseason acquisition of 34-year-old quarterback Kurt Warner, the former Rams star who was back in the NFC West after a year with the New York Giants.
Mike Holmgren wasn’t thinking about Warner as much as he was talking about the Seattle offense, which hadn’t managed to score a point after halftime in either of the first two games. So the coach made a guarantee during the week, tongue-in-cheek to be sure but also designed to get the team’s attention. The guarantee? That the Seahawks would score in the second half sometime this season.
The offense heard. Though the Seahawks had a slow start and led the Cardinals just 10-9 at the half, they exploded in the second half for 27 points and Seattle won going away 37-12. It was a lethal combination of Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck that beat Arizona down in the second half.
Watch highlights from the game | Box score
For the Seahawks’ tailback, Arizona at home was always a welcome matchup and he turned in a 140-yard day on 22 carries.
Hasselbeck was ruthlessly efficient, hitting on 20 of 31 passes for 242 yards, with half the yardage coming on passes to Darrell Jackson.
The defense delivered a three-sack performance against an ineffective Warner, who was battling a groin injury all day.
It was a good day made better by the induction of legendary head coach Chuck Knox into the Seahawks Ring of Honor.
After stumbling in Week 1, Seattle had picked up two straight wins and the ship appeared to be righted. Little did they know that illusion would be shattered a week later.
Groz’s 2005 Seahawks Rewind
• Week 2: Defense saves the day against Falcons
• Week 1: A surprising start to Seattle’s Super Bowl season
• 2005 Seahawks Rewind introduction
