Where they are: 3-5, third place in the NFC West

Where I predicted they would be: 5-3

What has gone right:

• Nate Burleson has recovered wonderfully from knee surgery. Burleson leads the team in receptions, yards and is tied for the lead in touchdowns. Through eight games he’s on pace for 90 catches and 1,124 yards, both would be career highs.
• Justin Forsett has looked great in limited action. Twenty rushes through eight games isn’t much, but Forsett is the only Seahawks running back that has met (or exceeded expectations). He’s averaging 7.3 yards per touch (rushes and catches).
• Matt Hasselbeck has remained reasonably healthy. Hasselbeck has always been good for the Seahawks, when he’s healthy. The QB has played in six games, totaling 10 TDs to four INTs.
• David Hawthorne has been outstanding while filling in for Lofa Tatupu. The second-year, undrafted linebacker has 44 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions this season. Tatupu’s presence is missed, but Hawthorne’s production has helped ease the pain.
• Damion McIntosh has filled in well on the offensive line. He’s not Walter Jones, but McIntosh has finally brought a little bit of stability to the line.

What has gone wrong:

• The offensive line has been decimated by injury, again. Walter Jones never came back and is now out for the season. Is this it for the best left tackle in NFL history?
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh has drawn his share of double coverage, helping to open things up for other receivers, but 417 yards at the mid-point of the season is slightly disappointing for such a big free-agent acquisition.
• Edgerrin James and Julius Jones have not added up to a decent running game. James is now gone and Jones has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.
• Deon Butler has not been a weapon. This one might be directly related to the offensive line problems, which have not provided the Seahawks’ QBs time to get the ball downfield to Butler. Butler has four receptions for 38 yards this season.
• Brandon Mebane and Cory Redding haven’t been the force they seemed to be during camp. The two have been decent, but not the standouts many were expecting.

What’s ahead:

This week’s game at Arizona is probably Seattle’s last chance to climb into the division race. Lose this game and the Seahawks are three games (plus a tiebreaker) out of the lead with seven to go.

Tough games at Minnesota (Nov. 22), at Houston (Dec. 13) and at Green Bay (Dec. 27) remain. So do winnable ones at St. Louis (Nov. 29), Tampa Bay (Dec. 20) and Tennessee (Jan. 3).