The Arizona Cardinals' dominance against the Seattle Seahawks in recent seasons brought embarrassment for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on more than one level.
When the Seahawks beat Arizona last month, Hasselbeck mistakenly congratulated Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt at midfield, something he had come to do almost by habit.
"It was like a programmed response," Hasselbeck told reporters Thursday. "It was like I was used to saying that to him. It was just an accident."
Whisenhunt, though frustrated by his team's poor showing, handled the mistake charitably.
"He was kind about it, but I just felt stupid," Hasselbeck said. "They’ve done a nice job."
Hasselbeck has been around long enough to remember when the Seahawks dominated this rivalry. Arizona's struggles without Kurt Warner have given the rest of the division an opportunity. The Cardinals had won six of seven in the series before falling at Seattle, 22-10, with Max Hall and Derek Anderson at quarterback.
Seattle takes a 4-4 record into Arizona (3-5) on Sunday.
"We have an opportunity to take it back and I’m sure everybody in our division feels like they’re in the hunt," Hasselbeck said. "So, it’s just one of those things where it’s a championship game in a way for us."