Too often, people assess a game by the records of the two teams playing or just by the last time they played one another. All Seahawks fans should know that a team can be totally different from one week to another based on things like injury and location/time of the game. The Hawks and Saints played nearly two months ago, and a lot has changed.
DEFINITE DIFFERENCES
* Venue: Qwest Field
* Players that missed first game, but will play this week: Colin Cole, Reggie Bush, Michael Robinson, Marcus Trufant (injured early and replaced by Walter Thurmond), Mike Williams (missed large chunks of game with injuries)
* Players that played in first game, but are out this week: Deon Butler, Roy Lewis, Kick Returner Courtney Roby, Long Snapper Jason Kyle, Ladell Betts, Junior Siavii
LIKELY DIFFERENCES
* Players that missed first game, but should play this week: Jeremy Shockey
* Players that played in first game, but are questionable to play this week: Chris Ivory, Jimmy Graham
POSSIBLE DIFFERENCES
* Players that missed first game, but might play this week: Charlie Whitehurst, Pierre Thomas, Malcolm Jenkins
* Players that played in first game, but might not this week: Matt Hasselbeck, Marques Colston
Additionally, there are some miscellaneous items that are unlikely to repeat themselves from the first game. Matt Hasselbeck through 44 times for 366 yards. Drew Brees threw for a season-high 382 yards. The Saints scored a TD on five straight possessions. The Saints fumbled twice and lost none. The Seahawks fumbled twice and lost both. Drew Brees had two interceptions, while Matt Hasselbeck had none. Marques Colston had a season-high 113 yards, and TE Jimmy Graham had a season-high in catches and yards.
I’ll analyze which of these differences matter the most later. For now, make you own assessments and add any I’ve missed in the comments section.