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ARLINGTON, Texas – Matt Hasselbeck came close to matching Tony Romo almost completion for completion, passing yard for passing yard and touchdown pass for touchdown pass.

But that’s where the similarities between the two quarterbacks ended Sunday afternoon at Cowboys Stadium.

While Romo was able to smile his way through another post-game news conference after yet another win by the Dallas Cowboys, Hasselbeck was left to try and explain another Seahawks loss.

“I know I’m feeling physically drained, emotionally drained, a bit frustrated and probably searching for answers, too,” Hasselbeck said after the Seahawks had dropped a 38-10 decision to fall to 2-5 – the exact opposite record for the Cowboys.

It’s not just that the Seahawks are losing; it’s how they’re losing.

 While their victories have been shutouts, the losses have come by – in order – 13, 6, 17, 24 and 21 points.

“There has to be a reason that we’re losing the type of games we’re losing by the margin that we’re losing by,” wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. “It’s just unbelievable.”

That it is. How else do you explain Hasselbeck coming so close to Romo’s numbers in completions (22 to 21), passing yards (249 to 256) and TD passes (two to three), but the score not reflecting it?

Coach Jim Mora laid the blame on accountability and promises that the spiraling downturn in the team’s fate will not continue.

“I tell you what I just told them,” he said, nodding toward the locker room. “We have to become accountable. All of us have to become accountable, starting with me.

“The only why we’re going to get better is if we do that. And it starts with self examination.”

But on this day, before a crowd of 80,886 at the Cowboys’ palace of a playing field, the problems were apparent and too numerous to overcome.

While the Seahawks scored first and last, the Cowboys outscored them 38-7 in between – with too much help from the Seahawks. Cornerback Marcus Trufant, playing for the first time this season, was flagged for three pass interference penalties and – you guessed it – each came on a Dallas touchdown drive. Justin Forsett, who does not fumble, did just that on the Seahawks’ second possession to set up the Cowboys’ second touchdown.

Before the foibles had subsided, Romo had thrown TD passes to Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Sam Hurd; Marion Barber had scored on a 2-yard run; Patrick Crayton had returned a punt 82 yards for a score; and Nick Folk had kicked a 40-yard field goal.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, got the TD passes from Hasselbeck to fullback Justin Griffith and wide receiver Deion Branch – the first of the season for each player – and an Olindo Mare field goal.

“We just couldn’t keep up with them,” Hasselbeck offered in what was more of a sigh than a statement.

That happened, in part, because on the Seahawks’ first five possessions of the second half they totaled 26 yards on 11 first-down plays – and 16 of those came on one pass.

“If we just keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to get the same results,” Hasselbeck said when someone tried to point out a few positives from the effort. “So we’re just got to pick it up, big time.”

Hasselbeck labeled the problems that pestered his team “juvenile errors,” adding, “Things you would expect in a preseason game.” Except that this was the Seahawks’ seventh game of the regular season.

“If we’re winning, the bad plays don’t look as bad,” Houshmandzadeh said. “But we’re losing and that’s just how it is.”

It’s a situation that left Mora to quote some advice he got last week from his junior high football coach.

“He said, ‘Adversity turns weak people into victims, and it turns strong people into competitors,’ ” Mora said. “And we’re going to find out who’s strong and who’s weak.”