* Look at it this way, losing by only three on Sunday to the 7-4 Washington Redskins has to be viewed as their best loss of the season.

Blame some of the problems this season on the schedule-makers, who have made wins harder to come by, and the team look much worse by comparison.

The Seahawks have had only three games this season against sub-.500 teams. They played 10 games against losing teams last season and eight the season before.

In the prior two regular seasons, in fact, the Seahawks defeated exactly two teams that finished with winning records (Denver, 9-7, 2006 and Tampa Bay, 9-7, 2007).

The cumulative winning percentage of the 19 teams the Seahawks defeated in those two seasons was .369

* The Seahawks might want to worry less about their schemes and more about what they do at halftime.

They've scored only one third-period touchdown in 11 games, and have been pummeled 81-19 in that quarter this season. They've played teams almost evenly (trailing only 196-188) in the other three quarters.

Bad orange slices? Muzak piped into the locker room? This requires investigation

* For all the outcry over losing placekicker Josh Brown as a free agent to the Rams, that hasn't been a problem at all.

Olindo Mare has made 16 of 18 field goals (88.9 percent) compared to Brown's 19-of-23 (82.6) in St. Louis.

Mare, too, has been a significant improvement on kickoffs. He has put 15 in the end zone for touchbacks (30 percent), well above Brown's rate of 16.7 percent

* The offensive line has been maligned at times for spotty protection or apparent assignment mistakes, but backs rushed for an average 7 yards per carry against a Redskins defense that ranked fifth in the NFL against the rush.

Did anybody imagine that Mo Morris would be averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season (up from a career average of 4.3)? Clearly the competition between Julius Jones (4.5 yards/carry) and Morris for playing time is keeping them both sharp.

Coach Mike Holmgren promised after last year that the rushing game would be rebuilt and improved. It has been, as the team average per carry has climbed from 3.8 to 4.4

* Nobody made any promises about keeping the passing game at a high level, though. Passing yardage for the team is off a staggering 43 percent.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has had two games in his career when he's thrown as many touchdown passes (5) as he has in the six games he's played this season. And his nine interceptions in six games match his entire season total from 2005.

He's been beaten up and chased down, sacked 12 times. He has complete passes to 15 teammates, while 10 different Seahawks have started at wide receiver.

Surely, this is a season Hasselbeck will be eager to forget, but, if anything, he's solidified his position as one of the all-time stand-up guys, shouldering the responsibility, taking the blame whether it's his or not, and answering every question that's tossed his way.

That earns points in the locker room

* The defense can stand before the judge and argue mitigating factors for some of its problems. After all, the guys on that side of the ball have worked overtime.

The defense this season has been on the field 129 plays more than the offense. Considering there are usually about 60 to 65 snaps for each team, the Seattle defense has played the equivalent of two more games than the offense thus far.

But that should have given the defenders more time to build up statistics.

Ain't happenin'.

In Mike Holmgren's nine seasons in Seattle, his defenses have averaged 18.5 interceptions per season. This bunch is on pace to crack seven. The team record low is nine in 1989.

Is it wrong that stout defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (4) has only one fewer sack than fleet linebacker/rush end Julian Peterson (5)? Peterson's sack Sunday against the Redskins was his first in a month.

Leroy Hill, a linebacker in his contract season who seemed on the verge of league-wide stardom, has a lot of tackles, but only one sack and no interceptions.

Opposing quarterbacks have put together a cumulative passer rating of 98.1 against the Seahawks, which would be good for fourth in the NFL and most likely earn a Pro Bowl berth

* The defensive woes have created one statistically positive note: Josh Wilson's 45 kickoff returns are a league high.

Hey, it's something.

Dave Boling: 253-597-8440

dave.boling@thenewstribune.com