By Tim Korte
The Associated Press

SEATTLE - The bright lights come on, the cameras roll, and Shaun Alexander takes off running. Or at least it seems that way.

Seattle's running back has had some of the biggest games of his three-year career on national television. And there's another on tap, with the Seahawks (1-3) playing San Francisco (3-1) on Monday night.

Alexander can't explain how it happens.

"I have the same attitude toward the game whether I have five touchdowns in one half or five touchdowns in the whole game," he said with a laugh.

It was a reference to his last game, when he set an NFL record with five first-half touchdowns and finished with 139 yards in a Sunday night showdown against Minnesota only two weeks ago.

Last year, Alexander had 266 yards and three TDs in a Sunday night game against Oakland. In a Monday night game as a rookie, he had 74 yards and one TD on 11 carries while splitting time with Ricky Watters.

Against the 49ers, Alexander can reach another NFL record. With three TDs, he would tie Marshall Faulk of St. Louis with eight touchdowns in consecutive games. Faulk did it Dec. 10-18, 2000.

No player has ever scored nine touchdowns over two games.

Alexander's strong efforts on national television stand out even more considering he has averaged 52.2 yards in his 36 NFL games. Over Seattle's first three games this season, he gained 36, 36 and 37 yards.

"I don't change anything," Alexander said. "I do everything the same. When you get the right guys around you and you're in a big-game kind of atmosphere, things just happen well."

Having the right guys around Alexander, however, has been a problem this season for the Seahawks.

Pro Bowl tackle Walter Jones missed the first two games over a contract dispute, and the Seattle line still needed another week after Jones returned before Alexander's breakout performance against the Vikings.

That game, though, didn't mean Seattle has stabilized its running game. Standout left guard Steve Hutchinson broke his leg against Minnesota, and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren had to make changes before playing San Francisco.

Chris Gray is moving from right to left guard, and reserve tackle Floyd Wedderburn will make his first start since 2002 at Gray's usual spot.

"It's not easy," Gray said. "It's like being right-handed, but trying to write something left-handed. You know what it's supposed to look like, but it takes some practice before you can do it."

The Seahawks believe the bye they had last week provided enough time to find the groove they enjoyed the week before.

"The extra week helps, in terms of continuity and timing," quarterback Trent Dilfer said. "I think they'll play well together. Losing Hutch is tough, be we have to have the same mentality up front."

Alexander isn't concerned about any disruption in the offensive rhythm.

"It's Monday Night Football," he said. "Everybody's going to play their best game. It's going to be all right."

The Seahawks will try to slow San Francisco's potent offense, which is coming off its best performance of the season.

With Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow splitting time at running back, the 49ers rank fifth in the NFL at 153.8 yards rushing per game. There's scrambling quarterback Jeff Garcia and speedy receiver Terrell Owens, able to dissect opponents with open-field running.

"What helps us, especially these last two weeks, is we've been able to run the ball effectively," Garcia said. "When you're able to run the ball, it starts to create better opportunities in the passing game."

Solid with the ball, San Francisco is equally strong on defense. The 49ers have allowed only 60 points this season, the fourth-lowest total in the league.

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