Arizona 24, Seattle 13

SEATTLE, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Thomas Jones emerged in the first regular season game at Seahawks Stadium Sunday and ended Trent Dilfer's winning streak.

Jones rushed for a career-high 173 yards as the Arizona Cardinals became the unlikely team to snap Dilfer's 15-game win streak with a 24-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the first game between the teams as NFC West rivals.

Considered an underachiever after being selected in the first round of the 2000 draft, Jones had 112 yards in the second half, during which Arizona outscored the Seahawks, 21-3.

"We feel good about the fact that we were able to play physical football and when the time came that we had to get after people, that's what we did in the second half," Arizona coach Dave McGinnis said. "At halftime, the offensive line said to me, 'put the game on us coach.'

"I'm proud of the way we played."

Jones capped a six-play, 79-yard drive with a career-high 58-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 10-10 with 11:59 left in the third quarter.

Jones' previous career-high had been 70 yards against Dallas on Sept. 10, 2000. Last season, he rushed for 380 yards and had 54 yards last week in the opener at Washington.

"The offensive line did a great job of making holes all day and I got great blocks downfield," Jones said. "David Boston got a great block on Shawn Springs that led me to the end zone.

"This is the first year that I know, I'm going to be the guy. Nobody gets 1,500 yards by rushing the ball six times a game."

Overall, Arizona rushed for 249 yards and was the second straight team to rush for more than 200 yards against Seattle.

Oakland had 221 rushing yards against the Seahawks in the season opener.

Playing in his first game after missing most of the preseason and the season opener with a sprained knee ligament, Dilfer completed 29 of 47 passes for a career-high 352 yards and a touchdown.

Dilfer's winning streak was the fourth-longest in the NFL since 1950. He needed one victory to tie Ken Stabler for the third longest.

Arizona took the lead for good, 17-13, when MarTay Jenkins returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown with 12:41 remaining.

Seattle took a 13-10 lead on Rian Lindell's 19-yard field goal with 12:52 left in the third quarter. But 11 seconds later, Jenkins burst up the left side and dodged cornerback Willie Williams and sprinted to the end zone.

Dilfer was sharp in the first half, completing 14 of 18 passes and leading Seattle on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in an one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Itula Mili.

But in the second half, Dilfer stalled inside the red zone twice.

Midway through the third, Dilfer got Seattle to the Arizona nine, but he threw two incomplete passes in the end zone. Darrell Jackson, who had career highs of 10 catches for 174 yards, juggled Dilfer's short pass on second down, and on third down, Dilfer overthrew Koren Robinson.

Forced to go for the field goal, Matt Hasselbeck fumbled the snap and after scrambling, he was tackled.

On Seattle's next possession, Dilfer needed just one yard to score. But the drive stalled when rookie tight end Jerramy Stevens dropped a pass in the end zone, forcing Lindell to kick a field goal.

"I was overly excited and I lost control of my emotions," Dilfer said. "I couldn't settle myself down and I wasn't able to make plays. We couldn't get in the end zone when we were down there. I take full responsibility for this loss."

Arizona's Jake Plummer was 10 of 22 for 107 yards. He capped the scoring for the Cardinals by directing a 13-play, 90-yard drive that spanned 7:36 and resulted in a four-yard touchdown pass to Frank Sanders with 3:52 remaining.

"We made too many mistakes defensively today," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "But on offense we didn't capitalize on our own opportunities. This league isn't very forgiving. You have to make the most of your chances."