Well, after a week off, the Seahawks return to action in Dallas, still chasing the elusive .500 mark.

The Hawks and their fans still have a horrible charred taste in their mouth from getting burned by Arizona in Week 6, and if they have any designs on the playoffs, they need to start winning right away.

Of course, there are a few impediments to doing that this week – namely, the fact that the Hawks will start their fifth offensive tackle and be without their starting middle linebacker.

Despite losing Lofa Tatupu, the good news is the Hawks regain the services this week of linebacker Leroy Hill, cornerback Marcus Trufant and guard Rob Sims.

Sims steps back into his left guard spot, and the man next to him will be Damion McIntosh this time – making this the fifth different offensive line the Hawks will have started this season.

Matt Hasselbeck will be hoping this unit performs better than the line did last Thanksgiving, when an injured Walter Jones gave up two sacks to DeMarcus Ware and the Cowboys sacked Hasselbeck five times total and hit him a bunch more in a 34-9 embarrassment. It was the last game Hasselbeck played that season and perhaps the last Jones will ever play.

McIntosh was signed two weeks ago to replace Kyle Williams, who struggled in one start replacing Brandon Frye, who was injured in his third start placing Sean Locklear, who lasted only two games as Jones’ fill-in. Sims returns after missing two games with a sprained ankle, and this will be his third game this season next to center Chris Spencer, who missed the first two games with a quadriceps injury.

The line’s performance is the biggest question mark entering this game. The Seahawks will likely help McIntosh as much as possible against Ware, using tight end John Carlson and the running backs.

One positive is that only one of the linemen who played so poorly last Thanksgiving will play in this game, and Ray Willis is at right tackle instead of right guard this time. He and rookie right guard Max Unger are the only two linemen who have played every game this season.

One small break the Hawks might get is that Dallas nose tackle Jay Ratliff is playing with a bruised knee. It might give the Hawks a chance to run it inside – something they tried only once in their 27-3 loss to Arizona.

Two weeks ago, the Cowboys looked like they might be beatable in this game. They were coming off a four-game stretch in which they lost to the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, and they had struggled to beat Carolina and Kansas City. They looked ripe.

Then came last week, when they demolished Atlanta 37-21 at home. Now the Seattle defense will have its hands full against Tony Romo, Miles Austin and company. Trufant returns just in time to give the secondary help against Miles, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. And Hill is back just in time to help neutralize tight end Jason Witten.

It’s a tall order for guys just coming back from injury, and it’s probably too tall of an order for Seattle at this point, especially given the fact that Romo is heating up and has won 11 straight starts in November.

Three and out: Q&A

Q: How much impact will Trufant and Hill have?

A: Certainly not as much as if they had been playing all season. Trufant is going to play in nickel situations, coach Jim Mora said. Hill will step back into the defense next to David Hawthorne, who now replaces Tatupu as the middle linebacker for the rest of the season. If Trufant and Hill play beyond expectations, the defense will be that much better for it. Of course, it all starts up front with the line getting some pressure on Romo.

Q: Which offense will show up: the one that croaked against Arizona or the one that scored four touchdowns in a 41-0 win over Jacksonville?

A: It won’t be the latter, and hopefully it will be a better offense than the one that set records for futility against Arizona. The key is to use quick-hitting plays – hard-hitting running plays up the middle and fast passes. And use misdirection with play action and QB rollouts. The Hawks have to succeed on first downs and not put themselves in long-yardage downs.

Q: Can the Seahawks make the playoffs if they lose this game?

A: Probably not. They really need to steal a couple on the road to have any chance. And if it’s not this one, they’ll have to win three of their final five road games – four of which will be very tough.