Cards seem to have their swagger back

SEATTLE — Darnell Dockett could see it in Matt Hasselbeck’s eyes and body language.

By the fourth quarter of Arizona’s dominating 27-3 victory over Seattle, the Seahawks quarterback had surrendered. He was tired of being hit, tired of running for his life, tired of looking for receivers who were never open. If there was a trap door at Qwest Field, he would have used it.

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“He just started bailing out of there,” Dockett said. “He wasn’t even looking at his receivers. I don’t think he likes playing against us.”

Remember the Arizona team that played in the Super Bowl last season? The one that was disturbingly absent the first four games of this season?

Well, it finally showed up Sunday. And in the process, the Cardinals re-established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC West.

Yes, they’re tied with the San Francisco 49ers for first place.

And yes, the 49ers own that Week 1 victory over Arizona. But there’s no question which team is better – when it shows up to play.

“This was one of those games where we kind of remembered what we’re capable of,” guard Deuce Lutui said.

That belief echoed throughout the locker room, from coach Ken Whisenhunt praising the Cardinals for playing a complete game to defensive end Bertrand Berry saying, “This game will give this team a lot of confidence.”

If it doesn’t, there’s something seriously wrong inside the Cardinals’ heads.

Arizona didn’t just beat Seattle for the third straight time. It manhandled the Seahawks. Even if Seattle isn’t the team it once was – and has been besieged by injuries, particularly on the offensive line – the way the Cardinals controlled every aspect of the game was impressive.

Essentially, the game was over at the end of the first quarter when Arizona led, 14-0, and the sellout crowd booed their beloved Seahawks.

“You know, when you have your foot on someone else’s throat, you leave it there,” linebacker Chike Okeafor said. “You push it in if you need to, but you don’t take it off.”

That hasn’t exactly been the Cardinals’ way of doing things. Just a week ago, they blew a 21-0 lead to Houston.

But the Seahawks couldn’t even sniff a comeback because the Cardinals’ defense played as if it was collecting a bounty for every big play it made.

Seattle had just 128 total yards. Its 14 rushing yards were the fewest in franchise history. It was 0 for 11 on third-down possessions. Hasselbeck was sacked five times.

Wait, there’s more.

The Seahawks had 12 possessions; seven of them were three-and-out. Their only points came after a fake punt that went for 42 yards. Oh, and the Arizona pass defense that ranked last in the league? Hasselbeck completed 10 of 29 passes for 112 yards.

In 21 years of covering the Cardinals, I’m not sure I remember a defense playing a better game.

“I do know Matt Hasselbeck will be soaking in the hot tub,” Okeafor said.

Even safety Adrian Wilson, who considers satisfaction to be the mortal enemy, gave a thumbs-up. Asked how tough the defense was, Wilson paused, smiled and said, “We are OK.”

Particularly impressive was the way the defense responded at the start of the second half. Rather than relax and let Seattle back into the game – as it did against the Texans – the Cardinals held the Seahawks to three straight three-and-outs.

“Every game we’ve been kicking butt in the first half but we don’t come out in the second half with that switch back on,” nose tackle Bryan Robinson said. “We’ve let the light dwindle. So our whole thing today was to keep that switch on and keep the pressure on them because they don’t seem to like it.”

The game was so one-sided that when the Cardinals took over at the Seattle 15 with 6:34 left, Whisenhunt called three straight passes because, “There were some things I wanted to look at.”

Translation: He knew the Seahawks had no chance to come back so he had the luxury to experiment.

“These things are all strides,” said quarterback Kurt Warner, who was nearly an afterthought despite completing his first 12 passes and finishing 32 of 41 for 276 yards and two touchdowns.

“To come up here, and win up here two years in a row, that’s saying something.”

The Cardinals may get knocked around in Newark, N.J. next Sunday by a New York Giants team that was embarrassed by the New Orleans Saints, but that won’t change the reality that emerged here in Seattle.

In the NFC West, there’s Arizona.

And then there’s everyone else.