By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- (Sports Network) - Quarterback Seneca Wallace is undoubtedly overjoyed at the prospect of making his first NFL start on Sunday, though the fourth-year-pro probably would have picked better circumstances than these under which to make his debut.

Wallace's Seahawks will be facing the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, the notoriously noisy facility where Seattle has gone 2-18 since 1981.

In addition to Matt Hasselbeck (sprained knee), who Wallace will replace on Sunday, Pro Bowl running back Shaun Alexander remains out with a cracked bone in his left foot, robbing the quarterback of one of his best would-be weapons.

And it's not as if there will be a grace period for the diminutive Iowa State product. The Seahawks' 31-13 home loss to the Vikings last Sunday dropped them into a tie with the St. Louis Rams for first place in the NFC West, and another defeat would leave them subject to being overtaken in a division of which they worked so hard to assume control with a 30-28 win in St. Louis just two weeks ago.

Then, of course, there is the quality of the opponent. The Chiefs have been inconsistent in head coach Herm Edwards' first year on the job, but displayed their full capabilities in a 30-27 win over the Chargers last Sunday. Kansas City's backup quarterback-turned-starter, Damon Huard, moved to 3-2 since taking over for the injured Trent Green (severe concussion) in Week 2. Green has been cleared to practice, but will miss at least two more weeks.

The Chiefs currently sit in third place in the AFC West, two games back of division-leading Denver (5-1) and one behind second-place San Diego (4-2).

SERIES HISTORY

The Chiefs have a 30-18 edge in their all-time series with the Seahawks, but were 39-32 road losers when the teams last met, in 2002. Seattle has won two straight in the series since Kansas City earned a 19-7 home decision against its then-AFC West rival in Week 11 of the 2001 campaign. Seattle's last win at Arrowhead Stadium came in 1999, a 31-19 triumph. The Seahawks are 5-19 all- time in Kansas City.

Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren is 4-5 in his career against the Chiefs, including 4-3 since coming to the Seahawks in 1999. Kansas City's Edwards is 1-0 against both Holmgren and the Seahawks in his career, with the win coming for his Jets during the 2004 season.

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE VS. CHIEFS DEFENSE

Before replacing Hasselbeck early in the third quarter of last week's loss to the Vikings, Wallace's NFL claim-to-fame was catching a 28-yard pass to set up a touchdown in the first quarter of Seattle's NFC Championship win over the Panthers last season. He'll have to do significantly more than that this time around, and will also have to look better than he did against Minnesota. Wallace completed 14-of-25 passes for 134 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble versus the Vikings, and job number one on Sunday will be protecting the football. Job number two will be spreading the ball to wideouts Darrell Jackson (33 receptions, 5 TD), Deion Branch (15 receptions, 2 TD), and D.J. Hackett (8 receptions). Jackson had another huge game last week, catching seven passes for 136 yards, including a 72-yard first-quarter touchdown grab. Tight end Jerramy Stevens (knee) made his first appearance of the year but did not have a reception. Bobby Engram (18 receptions, 1 TD) has missed the last two games with a thyroid condition, and is questionable for Sunday. The Seattle line has allowed 21 sacks on the year, including four last week.

A Chiefs pass rush that managed to bring San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers down four times last week will try to rattle another inexperienced signal- caller from the get-go this Sunday. Ends Jared Allen (4 sacks) and Tamba Hali (3.5 sacks), who combined for three of Kansas City's four sacks, will harass Wallace only if they can get around Seattle tackles Walter Jones and Sean Locklear. Responsible for handling the Seahawks' litany of receivers will be a Chiefs secondary that recovered last week after being picked apart by the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger in Week 6. Free safety Greg Wesley (29 tackles, 2 INT) had a team-high eight tackles and an interception against the Chargers, while cornerback Patrick Surtain (29 tackles) made a big play in the form of a forced LaDainian Tomlinson fumble on the first drive.

Looking to help Wallace will be a Seattle running game that has struggled since Alexander has been on the shelf. Maurice Morris (224 rushing yards) has not been wildly effective in Alexander's absence, accruing 158 yards on 51 attempts (3.1 yards per carry) without a touchdown in his three starts. The Seahawks, who finished third in the league in rushing a year ago, currently rank 20th in that category (99.7 yards per game). Fullback Mack Strong (93 rushing yards, 14 receptions) has garnered the occasional touch out of the backfield this season.

The Chiefs have struggled against the run at times this year, ranking a mediocre 24th in NFL rushing defense (123.7 yards per game), but looked good in holding the Chargers' Tomlinson to 66 yards on 15 carries last week. Linebackers Kendrell Bell (20 tackles, 1 sacks) and Derrick Johnson (41 tackles, 1.5 sacks) combined for 15 tackles in the win, while Ron Edwards (8 tackles) paced Kansas City's interior linemen with three tackles and his second sack of the year. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell and strong safety Sammy Knight each have 32 tackles on the year, which is tied for second behind Johnson's 41.

CHIEFS OFFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS DEFENSE

Chiefs fans breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when running back Larry Johnson (489 rushing yards, 25 receptions, 6 TD), who had been struggling to regain his Pro Bowl form of 2005, rushed for a season-high 132 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries against a Chargers defense that had previously been stingy against the run. Johnson, who is now averaging 3.7 yards per carry, had been held to a combined 62 yards on 31 carries in his previous two outings. Backup rusher Michael Bennett was active in Week 7 after missing time with a hamstring injury, but did not get on the field.

Trying to stop Johnson will be a Seattle defense that had major trouble slowing down Minnesota running back Chester Taylor in Week 7. Taylor carried 26 times for 169 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks, including a back- breaking 95-yard run in the third quarter. Middle linebacker and leading Seattle tackler Lofa Tatupu (45 tackles, 1 INT) was quiet in the loss, registering just five tackles. Interior linemen Rocky Bernard (10 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Marcus Tubbs (7 tackles, 0.5 sacks) also failed to consistently corral Taylor, though Bernard did make his presence felt with a sack and forced fumble against Brad Johnson.

Huard (1163 passing yards, 7 TD, 5 INT) is owed a great deal of credit for holding the Chiefs together in Green's absence, as the career backup has put up an impressive 96.7 passer rating in the most extensive continuous action of his career. The 33-year-old signal-caller was an efficient 15-of-27 passing for 232 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers last week, suffering just one turnover (a fumble) and absorbing only two sacks against a furious San Diego pass rush. Huard threw touchdown passes to wide receiver Eddie Kennison (18 receptions, 2 TD) and tight end Kris Wilson (5 receptions, 1 TD), but it was perennial Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzales (27 receptions, 1 TD) that had the biggest day for a Kansas City pass-catcher. Gonzales caught six passes for 138 yards in his best game of the 2006 season to date. No. 2 receiver Samie Parker (20 receptions, 1 TD), who had logged five catches in each of the Chiefs' previous two games, had only one reception against San Diego.

The Seahawks secondary has been a particular Achilles heel this season, giving up big plays in bunches. In an effort to stem the tide, Holmgren this week made a change to the starting lineup, replacing struggling strong safety Michael Boulware (24 tackles, 2 INT) with Jordan Babineaux (15 tackles). Babineaux will be among those paying attention to Gonzales over the middle, while cornerbacks Kelly Herndon (33 tackles) and Marcus Trufant (22 tackles) will have primary responsibility against Kennison and Parker. Seattle has five interceptions through its first six games, but none by a cornerback. The pass rush has been better, with outside linebacker Julian Peterson (40 tackles, 6 sacks) at the forefront of a unit that has logged 20 sacks on the year. Peterson had 12 tackles and a pair of sacks against Minnesota, while fellow outside linebacker Leroy Hill (32 tackles) recorded his second sack of the season in the defeat.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Wallace is a much different quarterback than Hasselbeck. Though he has a strong arm and can make all the throws required in Seattle's West Coast attack, he's also known as something of a playmaker who can freelance and do things with his feet. Trouble is, that change in style will likely require an adjustment period for the rest of the offense, and the Seahawks are probably not going to move the ball with any consistency against a speedy Kansas City defense. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs have to protect Huard from a strong Seattle pass rush. If they can, look for the quarterback to make some big plays down the field on a Seahawks secondary that has been vulnerable to the big-hitter.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Chiefs 26, Seahawks 14