(Betting Express) - The Seattle Seahawks suffered a tough loss to San Francisco last week, despite a strong performance from Shaun Alexander, who carried the ball 25 times for 96 yards and a score.

"I thought we had a chance to win the game, and we just didn't play well in certain spots," Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren said. "We had a couple of key penalties that have hurt us all season.

"The loss hurts, but we're going to show up to work. We had a short work week. It's still in the beginning stages of the season, actually. Our record isn't very good right now, but we can salvage this. We're just going to plow forward."

The Seahawks will play another divisional game this week when they travel to St. Louis to take on the 1-5 Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.

In order for Seattle to get back in the win column, the team must cut down on its penalties and turnovers. QB Trent Dilfer completed 21 of his 31 passing attempts for 212 yards and threw a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions against the 49ers. Both picks led to points for San Francisco.

"I think turnovers always make a difference," Holmgren said. "They scored on the first one, for a field goal. Then, the second one we were moving the ball down, and had a first down, and then we were penalized on the throw to [tight end Itula] Mili, and tried to make up for it, but we had a turnover there.

"We can't afford to cough the ball up. We have very little margin for error."

This week, the Seahawks will return to the ground game. Alexander, who has proved to be a franchise back, plays like an elite back when he gets decent blocking from his offensive line. In his short career, Alexander has rushed for 100 yards five times, and the Seahawks have a perfect record in those contests.

After a very slow start to the season, Alexander's numbers have improved. He has also become a threat as a receiver. He's caught 21 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. The Seahawks will need to use Alexander for all he's worth this week because it's important to keep the Rams' offense on the sidelines as much as possible, even without Warner at the helm.

When Dilfer does throw the football, look for the Seahawks to work out of a three-receiver set. Last week, Dilfer's favorite target was crafty veteran Bobby Engram, the team's No. 3 wideout who caught six passes for 85 yards.

"Engram is a good player," Holmgren added. "He has a little more experience. That's a good example of someone who's played the game a little bit longer, and he can function very, very well in this offense. He's a bright guy, who knows how to play the game, and the little subtleties of getting open over the middle. He did it for us last year, he's done it this year, and I'm glad we have him."

Seattle also will need contributions from the starting receivers Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson. Both talented wideouts have shown flashes of brilliance so far, but Dilfer needs the duo to become more consistent.

"I don't say this to get anybody off the hook or anything...we're starting a lot of people, especially on offense, without a lot of experience, and that's just a fact," said Holmgren. "It puts a lot of burden on Trent, because he has to be kind of the 'dorm father' to those guys. It's a tremendous responsibility to play the game and play his position, but I like the way we played against the Niners and hope it continues into this one in St. Louis."

COMING UP: The Seattle Seahawks will visit the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.