GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seahawks owned the NFC West through much of Mike Holmgren's decade in Seattle.

His last game with the team comes Sunday against Arizona, the division's new champion.

The Cardinals, though, are not exactly storming into their first playoff appearance in a decade. Staggering is more like it. Since clinching the division title three weeks ago, Arizona has been blown out by Minnesota (35-14) and New England (47-7).

The Cardinals' image as a franchise finally emerging from the depths has taken a nosedive.

If Seattle wins Sunday, Arizona would be 8-8 for the second year in a row. The Cardinals would have lost three in a row and five of six heading into the postseason.

"I'm hurt because we haven't held up our end of the bargain," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "We worked very hard to build equity with our fans and with this town, and we haven't carried our end of the business the last two weeks."

Holmgren had an emotional home farewell last Sunday in Seattle, where the Seahawks (4-11) beat the New York Jets 13-3. He isn't sure how much that feeling will carry over to a road game in the desert.

"It would be pretty hard to match the emotion of last week," he said.

Seattle (4-11) has won two in a row for the first time this year and is aiming for a strong finish to a disappointing, injury-plagued season as Holmgren steps down and is replaced by lead assistant Jim Mora.

"The mood of the team is good," cornerback Marcus Trufant said. "I think we probably feel like we could have played a lot better this season and it's kind of sad that we're playing kind of better toward the end of the season. We have a good feel right now."

Seneca Wallace will get his fourth straight start at quarterback in place of injured Matt Hasselbeck. Wallace has a 108.9 passer rating in his last three games and has thrown a franchise-record 183 passes without an interception.

"I'm very proud of him, very proud," Holmgren said. "He got his chance to show people what he can do."

Wallace will face an Arizona defense that's caved in like a cheap tent the past two weeks, giving up 910 yards, 514 to the Patriots in the New England snow last Sunday.

"We've got to do a better job, we've got to prepare better and realize our time's winding down," defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "We've got to get us a win. We've got to get this bad taste out of our mouths."

Arizona's Kurt Warner is coming off his worst game of the season. Five days after being selected for the Pro Bowl, the 37-year-old quarterback hit six of 18 passes for 30 yards under extreme pressure from the New England defense before being relieved by Matt Leinart.

Warner said the Cardinals have to get mentally tougher and take individual responsibility to avoid the mistakes that have plagued them the last two weeks.

"We have to understand the mental part of the game," he said. "You win or lose games 95 percent of the time mentally as opposed to physically. We're talented enough, but we've been saying that for years."

The Cardinals look to get their potent passing game in gear again, even though they might not have wide receiver Anquan Boldin for the second game in a row because of a shoulder injury. It should help that they are going against a Seattle team that ranks last in the NFL in pass defense.

Whisenhunt acknowledges his team let up after clinching the franchise's first division title in 33 years.

"Even though I think our preparation has been good in practice at times, we haven't gotten the job done in the games. That's not indicative of who we are or what we've done this season," he said. "We're fortunate that we have an opportunity to rectify this week and hopefully in the playoffs."

Holmgren knows from experience how crucial momentum is going into the postseason. He rates it with home-field advantage and a team's health in terms of importance.

"You look at the (New York) Giants last year and the times we have caught fire on the teams I have coached," Holmgren said.

But the Cardinals still talk about how success will be determined by what happens after this week rather than this Sunday.

"Nobody remembers what your season record was," Warner said. "All they remember is what you do in the playoffs. I don't want to lose this week, I guarantee you that. I want to go out on a high note. But that's what's going to be the telling tale for this team. When we finally get to the playoffs, what do we do?"