KIRKLAND — More than a few people thought time had run out on Drew Bledsoe, that the strong-armed but relatively immobile 33-year-old quarterback could no longer thrive against today's speedy NFL defenses.

But given time to prove his critics wrong, Bledsoe has done just that.

As he leads the Dallas Cowboys (4-2) to Seattle for a key NFC game against the Seahawks (4-2) today, the former Washington State star is playing perhaps the best football of a career that began when Bill Parcells drafted him first overall for the New England Patriots in 1993.

Bledsoe, who was born in Ellensburg and raised in Walla Walla, returns to Qwest Field for the third time in a year, including a trip here with the Buffalo Bills last November and an exhibition game between the Cowboys and Seahawks in August.

He comes back as the league's third-rated passer (100.4), one spot above Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck, and has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 1,663 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. That puts him on pace for 4,435 yards, 29 TD passes and 11 interceptions — which would make this statistically the best season of his 13-year career.

Not bad for a guy the Buffalo Bills thought was washed up.

"Drew's got a little chip on his shoulder. He's got something to prove, so he's working hard at it," said Parcells, the Cowboys coach who signed Bledsoe after the Bills let him go in February.

Bledsoe's arrival in Dallas had none of the pomp and circumstance that accompanied his being drafted first overall by the Patriots in 1993 or being traded from the Patriots to the Bills in 2002.

"It was a very different situation for me," he said. "There was a little skepticism about whether I still had something to offer. So I kind of came in with something to prove rather than with just this mantle of 'savior of a franchise' pushed on me. It was more like, 'OK, well, let's see what this guy's got.' So far it has been good.

"It certainly is motivating to come in to a situation like that where you're a little bit of an underdog for a change. I still feel like I can play the game at a really high level. I don't feel like my skills have diminished at all. So to be able to come in here and have a team around me that's allowed us to have some success has really been fun."

He has had a lot of help from a cast of skill players that is the best he has had since his first year in Buffalo, when he had Eric Moulds, Peerless Price, Jay Riemersma, Travis Henry and Larry Centers.

Terry Glenn, Bledsoe's teammate under Parcells in New England, has 29 catches and ranks third in the NFL in yards per catch (20.1) and fourth in receiving yards (582).

Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten has 28 catches for 317 yards, veteran receiver Keyshawn Johnson has 27 for 348 and second-year player Patrick Crayton had 18 for 272 before suffering an ankle injury Sunday against the New York Giants. The foursome has caught 10 of Bledsoe's 11 TD passes.

"We've got a lot of good players. We've got some playmakers offensively," Bledsoe said of a group that constitutes the league's No. 6 passing attack. "I've been able to kind of distribute the ball around and have a lot of guys make plays."

In Buffalo the past two years, he wasn't able to do that. That's when time truly ran out on Bledsoe — on every play. He did not get the protection he needed.

"The big thing that's changed for me is the amount of time I've had to throw the ball," he said. "When I've got the time to go through a progression and get to my fourth receiver and sometimes even my fifth receiver, that allows me to be very efficient.

"Quarterbacks in this league," he said, "you've got to have a good team around you if you're going to be successful. Thankfully I'm in a situation where through the first six games I haven't been hit a whole bunch. ... It certainly is helping me to feel younger, come in on a Monday morning and feel fresh.

"I'm sure that the Seahawks are going to do everything they can to try to make sure I don't feel like that this coming Monday. But to this point in the season, the guys have done a great job around me."

That could change with the loss of left tackle Flozell Adams, who suffered an knee injury last Sunday and is out for the season. The new left tackle will be Torrin Tucker, who lost the right tackle job to rookie Rob Petitti in the preseason. Bledsoe said the Cowboys will have to change their protection scheme, using tight ends and running backs to help Tucker block Seahawks end Grant Wistrom.

But even that development hasn't put a damper on Bledsoe's resurgent season. After a miserable end to his Bills tenure, he is very happy to be in Dallas.

"It's another opportunity for me, and so far it's working out well," he said. "I feel like this team is ready to challenge, and I feel like we can play with pretty much anybody. As much as I was disappointed to be shuffled out of Buffalo, this has worked out to be a really great situation."

Chris Cluff: 206-464-8787 or ccluff@seattletimes.com

Drew Bledsoe is among the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks in career completions and passing yards, and he is in the top 20 in touchdown passes. Dan Marino holds the records in each category. Below is a look at where Bledsoe stands in his 13th season.

PASSING TDS

Bledsoe: 232

Rank: 18 (tied with Steve Young)

Marino: 420

QBs Bledsoe could pass this season: George Blanda (236), Jim Kelly (237), Len Dawson (239), Y.A. Tittle (242), John Hadl (244) and Boomer Esiason (247).

PASSING YARDS

Bledsoe: 41,471

Rank: 8

Marino: 61,361

QBs Bledsoe has passed this season: Johnny Unitas (40,239) and Joe Montana (40,551).

QB Bledsoe could pass this season: Dan Fouts (43,040).

PASSING COMPLETIONS

Bledsoe: 3,573

Rank: 7

Marino: 4,967

QB Bledsoe could pass this season: Fran Tarkenton (3,686).

Vinny Testaverde has 3,656 completions, so he and Bledsoe likely will end up fifth and sixth on the list by the end of this season.