Minnesota and missed the rest of the preseason. His bulging disk was diagnosed and treated with injections and he opened the regular season as the starter, but he hurt his knee after a hit early in the Seahawks' loss to the New York Giants on October 5. He also received a helmet-to-helmet hit vs. the Arizona Cardinals. These injuries caused Hasselbeck to miss most of the 2008 NFL season. In the 2009 season opener, things did not start out well for Hasselbeck, who threw two interceptions in the first quarter. After that Hasselbeck dominated the rest of the way, completing 25 of 36 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns in their 28–0 win over the St. Louis Rams. During Week 2 of the 2009 NFL season, Hasselbeck fractured his rib against the San Francisco 49ers and missed the next two games against the Bears (Week 3) and the Colts (Week 4). During Week 5, playing the Jaguars, Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes in the Seahawks' second shutout of the season, beating Jacksonville 41–0. In Week 6, Hasselbeck played his career-worst, losing to the Arizona Cardinals with 27–3. During the final week of the season, Hasselbeck won the Seahawks' "Steve Largent Award." In 2010, the season started off strong for Hasselbeck, leading his team to a 4–2 record and victories over the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers. But the degree of Hasselbeck's health would prove to be inconsistent, with injuries leading him to sit out two games during the season, and leading the Seahawks to lose seven of their last ten. Nevertheless, Seattle would make the playoffs with their fifth NFC West division championship. Seattle became the first team with a losing record to host a playoff game, taking on the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints during wild card weekend. Despite being 11 point underdogs, Hasselbeck had one of the most memorable and clutch performances of his career. He threw for 272 yards, four touchdowns (a franchise postseason record) with one interception coming from a tipped ball, and a 113.03 passer rating, leading the Seahawks to victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. However, Seattle would go on to lose 35–24 in the divisional playoffs against the Chicago Bears. Hasselbeck still played well, however, with over 250 yards passing and three touchdowns. Playoff career Hasselbeck’s 11 postseason starts as a quarterback rank 16th all-time