KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Joey Galloway has Mike Holmgren's attention.

	Joey Galloway made two crucial catches in the fourth quarter of Seattle's win over Denver.

With a four-catch, 88-yard performance in Seattle's 20-17 victory over defending Super Bowl champion Denver, Galloway showed his coach and bargaining nemesis that he's a unique player.

Galloway's achievement came with three days of practice. He missed training camp, the exhibition season and the first eight Seahawks' games in his 100-day contract holdout.

"He made two great catches. They were important catches in the outcome of the game," Holmgren said after his Seahawks took a two-game lead in the AFC West.

Playing 22 plays, Galloway had major catches of 39 and 28 yards to help set up a field goal and the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as Seattle won its fourth game in a row to improve its record to 7-2.

Not since 1984, when they won 12 of their first 14 games, have the Seahawks had such a good start.

Holmgren made a promise to the six teams left on Seattle's schedule; Kansas City (two games), Tampa Bay, Oakland, San Diego, Denver and the New York Jets: They will see a lot more of Galloway.

For example, Holmgren anticipates Galloway to be in about 30 plays next Sunday in Kansas City. He said Galloway reported he was not sore Monday after Sunday night's game against the Broncos.

"We'll make a real concerted effort to use him in certain situations and do certain things with him," he said. "We couldn't do that last week."

Holmgren said he didn't make up his mind about using Galloway against Denver until Saturday, when he activated him. He was worried about getting Galloway injured in the game after his 100-day holdout.

"I was going back and forth whether to even suit him up at all," he said. "I'm glad I did, though. That was one of my great decisions."

As the Seahawks general manager, Holmgren had to go head-to-head against Galloway in Galloway's bid for a contract extension. Holmgren finally pulled Seattle's $35 million offer for seven years off the table and Galloway decided to end his holdout last week.

Holmgren tried not to make the business end of his job personal.

"Look, no one has to sell me on how good a player he is," Holmgren said of Galloway. "I know he's a good player."

With Galloway back, the Seahawks have a receiving corps that includes Derrick Mayes, Sean Dawkins and Mike Pritchard. Charles Jordan was inactive for the Denver game. Mayes leads the Seahawks with 38 receptions for 528 yards and seven touchdowns, and Dawkins, who caught the winning touchdown pass from Jon Kitna against the Broncos, has 484 yards and four TDs on 30 catches.

Seattle beat Denver for the first time since 1995, ending a six-game losing streak against the Broncos. In the Chiefs, the Seahawks face an AFC West rival that has beaten the Seahawks 14 times in their last 16 games since 1991, including eight straight defeats at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Seahawks will go to Kansas City with their defense hurting, too. Three members of Seattle's front four are ailing. Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Sinclair has a pulled groin that caused him to miss the Denver game.

Defensive end Phillip Daniels left the Broncos' game in the third quarter with a pinched nerve in his neck, but later returned. Defensive tackle Sam Adams reinjured his left knee in the opening quarter of the Denver game and didn't return.

Linebacker Darrin Smith has a pulled groin.

And Pro Bowl cornerback Shawn Springs reinjured his bruised shoulder and missed much of the third quarter.