Ranking Matt Hasselbeck's Top 10 Games in a Seahawks Uniform
During a halftime ceremony in Monday's game against the Saints, the Seahawks will induct legendary quarterback Matt Hasselbeck as the 13th member of the franchise's Ring of Honor.
Originally acquired from Green Bay in 2001, Hasselbeck starred for 10 seasons in Seattle, throwing for 29,434 yards and 174 touchdowns. He earned three Pro Bowl nods and led the team to the postseason six times, including leading the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2005.
With Hasselbeck's No. 8 soon to be hung in the rafters, which games stand out as his best as a Seahawk? Here's a look back at 10 of his most iconic performances:
10. November 7, 2004: Seahawks 42, 49ers 27
After losing three of their past four games, the Seahawks couldn't afford a slip up against the lowly 1-6 49ers on the road. Hasselbeck did his part early to try to put away the NFC West rival, throwing a 33-yard touchdown to Darrell Jackson in the first quarter and leading three first half touchdown drives. However, the underdogs gave Seattle all it could handle, using a Tim Rattay touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd to take a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter.
With their backs against the wall, Hasselbeck engineered the comeback, throwing a pair of third quarter touchdown passes to Koren Robinson and Jackson to turn a three-point deficit into an 11-point lead. Helping his team improve to 5-3, Hasselbeck completed 17 out of 28 passes for 285 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He averaged 10.18 yards per attempt and also posted a 130.8 passer rating, the fifth-highest of his career.
9. December 18, 2005: Seahawks 28, Titans 24
Entering this contest with an 11-2 record, the Seahawks were on the ropes for most of the afternoon against a 4-9 Titans squad. Despite building an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Seattle allowed three straight touchdown drives to Tennessee, including a pair of touchdown passes to Drew Bennett from Steve McNair. A field goal by Rob Bironas midway through the third quarter gave the home team a 24-14 advantage.
From there, however, Hasselbeck went to work. After 56 and 23 yard completions to Bobby Engram and Darrell Jackson, he capped off a three-play, 83-yard scoring drive by finding Joe Jurevicius for a four-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to three points. After Seattle's defense stood firm and stuffed Chris Brown on 4th and 1, Hasselbeck then led a methodical 13-play, 93-yard drive that culminated with a short two-yard touchdown to Jackson, putting the Seahawks back in front 28-24. That score would hold for the remainder of regulation as Hasselbeck finished the game 21-27 passing for 285 yards, three touchdowns, and a sterling 147.7 passer rating.
8. October 11, 2009: Seahawks 41, Jaguars 0
If this game wasn't a blowout from the outset and Seattle would have been more competitive in coach Jim Mora's lone season, this performance by Hasselbeck may have been higher on the list. The Jaguars arrived at Qwest Field with plenty of talent remaining on the roster from its 11-win team in 2007 and were 2-2. But the Seahawks made this a laugher in the second quarter, as Hasselbeck threw 34 and 44-yard touchdown passes to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson to build a 20-0 halftime advantage.
Out of the break, Hasselbeck kept wheeling and dealing, finding Houshmandzadeh and Burleson again for third quarter touchdowns to push the lead to 34 points. He finished the afternoon with 18 completions on 30 pass attempts for 241 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 125.1 passer rating as Seattle improved to 2-3 on the season.
7. December 11, 2005: Seahawks 41, 49ers 3
In the midst of the best start in franchise history, the Seahawks dished out the punishment to the lowly 49ers right out of the chutes. Capping off an eight-play, 65-yard drive, Hasselbeck found Bobby Engram for a 28-yard touchdown to strike first. After the 49ers responded with a field goal drive of their own, Hasselbeck struck again, this time connecting with Jerramy Stevens from eight yards out. He would add one more touchdown before the half, hooking up with Joe Jurevicius for a 21-yard score to push the lead to 21-3.
With the rout already on, Hasselbeck bounced back from a second quarter interception by throwing his fourth and final touchdown of the day to Engram, pushing the lead to 31-3 midway through the third quarter. Seattle scored two more times in an NFC West annihilation, sending San Francisco to a 2-11 record in the process. Hasselbeck was near-perfect, completing 21 out of 25 passes for 226 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick.
6. December 6, 2004: Cowboys 43, Seahawks 39
In one of the more bizarre games of the Mike Holmgren era, Seattle raced out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter behind two touchdown tosses by Hasselbeck to iconic receiver Jerry Rice and Darrell Jackson. But Dallas then rattled off 26 unanswered points to go out in front 29-14 and suddenly, the game seemed out of reach.
But Hasselbeck was far from done. After closing out the third quarter by leading a field goal drive, he then orchestrated three consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jerheme Urban, to push the Seahawks back out in front 39-29 with 2:46 to play. Unfortunately, his sterling 28-40, 414-yard, three touchdown performance ultimately didn't matter, as Seattle failed to recover an onside kick and allowed two quick touchdowns to suffer a devastating home defeat in a back-and-forth affair.
5. November 24, 2002: Seahawks 39, Chiefs 32
At this stage of Hasselbeck's career, he had never thrown more than two touchdown passes in any of his previous 16 starts. But he enjoyed a breakout performance at the perfect time to help Seattle win a shootout against a high-powered Kansas City offense and it can be argued this game was a major turning point in his career.
Backed by a pair of Priest Holmes touchdowns, the Chiefs built a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter. But Hasselbeck led two scoring drives to close out the half, connecting with Mack Strong and Jerramy Stevens for touchdown passes to give the Seahawks a slim four-point halftime lead. Out of the break, Hasselbeck threw his third touchdown pass to Koren Robinson, extending the lead to 11 points. He would lead two more scoring drives, finishing the afternoon with career-bests in passing yards (362) and touchdowns (3) while posting a 129.6 passer rating.
4. November 23, 2003: Ravens 44, Seahawks 41
While the Seahawks were on the losing end of this one, Hasselbeck turned in the finest statistical performance of his career against a stingy Ravens defense led by Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Aided by a fumble by Chester Taylor, Hasselbeck threw two touchdowns to Bobby Engram and Darrell Jackson in the final 30 seconds of the first half to give the home team a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Out of the break, Hasselbeck and Ravens signal caller Anthony Wright partook in an unlikely quarterback duel. The two quarterbacks threw a combined seven touchdowns in the second half, including Hasselbeck finding Jackson for an 80-yard score midway through the third quarter. A five-yard scoring toss to Engram early in the fourth quarter gave Seattle a 41-24 advantage, but unfortunately, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Reed sparked a Baltimore comeback and Hasselbeck's five touchdown, 333-yard performance was wasted in an overtime defeat.
3. January 22, 2006: Seahawks 34, Panthers 14
With the first Super Bowl berth in franchise history on the line, Hasselbeck delivered one of the best playoff showings of his career to help put away Carolina at Qwest Field. After a lengthy first drive sputtered, he hooked up with tight end Jerramy Stevens for a 17-yard touchdown to open scoring. Taking advantage of two Jake Delhomme interceptions, Seattle tacked on 10 more quick points to build a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.
As Carolina tried to claw back into the game, Hasselbeck stuck a dagger in the opponent early in the third quarter. Less than four minutes into the second half, after using a quick pump fake on a hitch route, he found Darrell Jackson, who broke a tackle at the two-yard line and waltzed into the end zone to extend the lead to 20 points. While he only threw for 219 yards, Hasselbeck was efficient, completing 20 out of 28 passes with a pair of touchdowns for a 118.0 passer rating in what was the biggest game in team history at the time.
2. December 9, 2007: Seahawks 42, Cardinals 21
Hasselbeck threw five touchdowns in a game twice in his career and had a few games that were more gaudy statistically, but his clutch performance in a home victory over the Cardinals late in the 2007 season can't be overlooked as one of his finest. Sitting at 8-4 and battling for one of the top seeds in the NFC, the Seahawks rode his hot hand early as he threw a trio of touchdown passes to Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, and Deion Branch in the first half to build a 24-0 advantage with 7:44 to go in the second quarter.
After Arizona cut the lead to 27-14 late in the third quarter, Hasselbeck threw his fourth and final touchdown to tight end Marcus Pollard. He finished the afternoon completing 22 out of 33 passes for 272 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 131.6 passer rating, playing some of his best football to help Seattle clinch its fourth consecutive NFC West title.
1. January 8, 2011: Seahawks 41, Saints 36
Hasselbeck struggled with turnovers early in his lone season playing for coach Pete Carroll and finished 2010 with 12 touchdowns compared to 17 interceptions. But in what turned out to be his final home game as a Seahawk, the veteran signal caller turned back the clock and turned in a vintage performance to guide his team to a stunning 41-36 wild card victory over the defending champion Saints.
While fans will always remember this game for Marshawn Lynch's "Beast Quake" run, Hasselbeck set a new playoff career-high with four touchdown passes. After throwing an interception on Seattle's opening possession, he connected on back-to-back scoring tosses to tight end John Carlson and then gave the Seahawks their first lead with a 45-yard scoring strike to receiver Brandon Stokley. Moments into the second half, he extended the lead to 11 points with a 38-yard dime to Mike Williams. He finished the historic upset completing 22 out of 35 passes for 272 yards and a 113.0 passer rating, ending his decade in the Pacific Northwest in style.
