Seahawks' 2009 schedule announced

The NFL announced the full 2009 regular season schedule Tuesday afternoon. The Seattle Seahawks open the regular season at Qwest Field against the division-rival St. Louis Rams.

Seahawks’ opponents went a combined 117-139 last season.

Seattle also hosts the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals, while traveling to the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts before the team’s Week 7 bye.

After the bye week, the Seahawks travel to play the Dallas Cowboys, then host the Detroit Lions. Week 10-Week 13 features an important stretch of four games for the team’s playoff hopes. In the span, the Seahawks play three their final division games.

Non-division games in the second half of the season include: against the Minnesota Vikings, at the Houston Texans, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at the Green Bay Packers. Seattle ends the regular season at home against the Tennessee Titans.

Seattle has three straight November road games against Arizona, Minnesota and St. Louis in Weeks 10-12. Schedule makers had to account for the Sounders and the MLS Cup, played Nov. 22 which forced a road game in Week 11.

The most difficult stretch of games may be Week 4 through Week 8 when the team faces the Colts, Jaguars, Cardinals and Cowboys. The good news is that the team gets two of those games at home (Jaguars and Cardinals) and has a bye week before playing the Cowboys.

All of the Seahawks games are currently on FOX, except Week 17 against the Titans. That game will appear on CBS.

The Seahawks start the preseason against the San Diego Chargers. Then they play the Denver Broncos (preseason Week 2), the Kansas City Chiefs (preseason Week 3) and the Oakland Raiders (preseason Week 4).

Key games at first glance:

Week 6 – The Seahawks will try to reclaim NFC West supremacy when they meet the Arizona Cardinals for the first time in 2009. Seattle had won the West for four seasons before the Cardinals took the division title last season.

Week 2 – Seattle needs to get off to a fast start in a game they should win against the 49ers. Extra motivation? New Seahawks coach Jim Mora worked in San Francisco as a secondary coach and defensive coordinator.

Weeks 10, 12 and 13 – This is the last chance Seattle gets to make progress in the division standings. The team faces the Cardinals, Rams and 49ers in this period.

Full schedule:

Preseason 1 – at Chargers

Preseason 2 – Broncos

Preseason 3 – at Chiefs

Preseason 4 – Raiders

Week 1 – Rams

Week 2 – at 49ers

Week 3 – Bears

Week 4 – at Colts

Week 5 – Jaguars

Week 6 – Cardinals

Week 7 – BYE