After Breakthrough Outing, Seahawks Seeking Defensive Consistency Facing Chargers

RENTON, Wash. – Following weeks of subpar play on the defensive aspect of the soccer, the Seahawks took a constructive step ahead in a Week 6 house victory over the Cardinals, limiting their NFC West foe to a single subject purpose on offense.

Getting into the sport yielding practically 31 factors per recreation with the Thirty second-ranked run protection within the NFL, Seattle held Arizona to beneath 4.5 yards per play and stopped them on 4 out of 5 fourth down conversions. After permitting two 100-yard rushers within the earlier week to New Orleans, whereas Kyler Murray managed to hit the century mark, a extra aggressive defensive position led by Poona Ford bottled up Eno Benjamin and non-quarterbacks averaged lower than 2.5 yards per keep on the afternoon.

After weeks looking for solutions on protection, coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt lastly discovered an answer, at the least for one week. Gearing up for an additional robust opponent with a top-tier quarterback in Justin Herbert and loads of weapons round him, he needs to see the Seahawks come again on the street and pitch one other sturdy outing towards the Chargers on Sunday earlier than proclaiming they’ve righted the ship.

“It’s consistency. We have to see our guys come again out and proceed to play properly,” Carroll instructed reporters on Friday. “We did nice on third down and fourth down was stupendous final week. We obtained off the sphere a bunch. All the pieces was like how we wished to see it aside from the quarterback working far and wide. So, it’s consistency in all areas. I simply need to see the blokes come on again and do what they’re able to doing.”

Final Sunday, Seattle achieved nice defensive success towards Arizona by turning up the warmth on Murray, sacking him six occasions with six totally different gamers and producing a complete of 20 quarterback pressures. Mixing in well-executed stunts with their defensive position together with occasional hearth zone ideas sending safeties or linebackers as blitzers, the previous No. 1 total decide was beneath fixed duress.

In consequence, Murray could not discover his rhythm as a passer all afternoon, throwing for less than 222 yards with no landing whereas the Cardinals averaged 4.4 yards per go play. He additionally dedicated a pair of pricey turnovers, dropping a fumble within the crimson zone courtesy of rookie slot cornerback Coby Bryant and throwing an interception to fellow rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen within the closing moments.

For Carroll, the collective effort from his workforce was a very long time approaching the heels of weeks of dismal play and everybody had their fingers in on the dominant efficiency in a roundabout way, form, or type.

“There wasn’t a heroic efficiency by anyone,” Carroll remarked. “Our guys performed like they have been able to. We unfold the sacks; it wasn’t one man that led the cost, everyone did it. The fellows on the backend did a pleasant job retaining every thing in entrance of us and difficult stuff.”

If the Seahawks need to show the protection has really turned the nook, Herbert and the Chargers will current a wonderful litmus take a look at. Whereas they struggled themselves offensively in a 19-16 win over the Broncos on Monday Evening Soccer and have been marred by their very own inconsistency partly attributable to accidents, Herbert ranks within the prime six in passing yards and touchdowns, main an offense that is still able to lighting up scoreboards.

Enjoying the previous six weeks with out his prime receiver Keenan Allen and coping with his personal rib damage, Herbert has saved his workforce afloat by being tough to convey down and breaking out of sacks like a younger Ben Roethlisberger. Regardless of being pressured an NFL-high 99 occasions per Professional Soccer Focus, he is solely been sacked seven occasions, tied for the league-low amongst certified quarterbacks.

Coupling his capacity to flee strain and underrated athleticism with a cannon arm, Herbert has a penchant for extending performs, placing nice stress on linebackers and defensive backs attempting to cowl for a protracted time period and opening the door for explosive throws downfield. Even with Allen out, he ranks third within the NFL with 13 completions of at the least 20 yards.

Admiring Herbert for his toughness, bodily instruments, and aggressive mindset, Carroll in contrast him to a different gifted younger quarterback wreaking havoc within the league in Payments MVP candidate Josh Allen.

“He’s an unimaginable athlete and participant. I’ve listened to his interviews and stuff over the offseason simply to attempt to get to know who he’s and the way he handles stuff. He’s a extremely collectively child too,” Carroll stated of Herbert. “A giant man that may transfer round, get exterior of the pocket, and strike you lifeless. He has the entire throws and the entire arm expertise and power that you’d ever want. He’s a extremely good competitor too. The truth that he obtained banged up earlier within the 12 months and simply saved combating by means of it, that was a tough damage that he fought by means of, so you need to give him credit score on all ranges.”

Away from Herbert, the Seahawks will even should cope with one of many NFL’s greatest do-it-all working backs in Austin Ekeler, who continues to by some means fly beneath the radar regardless of his immense manufacturing as a runner and receiver.

Previously an undrafted free agent signee out of Western Colorado, Ekeler ran for a career-best 911 yards and 12 touchdowns whereas including 70 receptions, 647 yards, and eight touchdowns as a receiver. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound again has picked up the place he left off by means of six video games this season, already speeding for 349 yards and 4 touchdowns whereas main the Chargers with 41 receptions out of the backfield.

Such dynamic backs have given the Seahawks main matches previously, with Saints star Alvin Kamara lately speeding for over 100 yards and ripping off a 54-yard achieve on a display screen go in a 39-32 win towards them in Week 5. Understanding his significance within the Chargers’ offense and his strengths creating yardage after contact and after the catch, linebacker Jordyn Brooks is aware of he and his teammates should swarm to him in droves and get him to the bottom with efficient gang tackling.

“He’s only a good total again,” Brooks assessed. “He can run the ball, he’s nice at route working and catching the ball, after which they get him out in area. He makes guys miss. His construct, he’s a like a bowling ball, in order that’s why I say now we have to deal with properly and get him all the way down to the bottom.”

On the skin, receiver Mike Williams has been Herbert’s go-to goal. His manufacturing has been hit or miss with three video games of 100-plus yards receiving sandwiched round three video games with beneath 15 receiving yards, however his 6-foot-4, 218-pound body and high-pointing capacity on the catch level might serve him properly towards the 6-foot-4 Woolen, who hardly ever covers receivers of comparable measurement.

If Allen, a perennial 1,000-yard receiver famend for his exact route working, manages to play after lacking six video games with a hamstring subject, Carroll expects Seattle’s activity to be far harder defensively.

“Keenan has been doing it for a very long time,” Carroll stated. “He’s a fantastic catcher, nice timing man, nice come by means of man and conversion man. If he is enjoying, he helps them out enormously.”

Former Seahawks tight finish Gerald Everett, who left in free company and signed a one-year cope with the Chargers, additionally may very well be an issue for a Seahawks protection that ranks within the prime three for receptions and receiving yards allowed to tight ends thus far this season.

With so many weapons to probably cope with and a quarterback able to elevating the play of everybody round him, Seattle’s protection will face a frightening mission attempting to copy its success from per week in the past, significantly enjoying with out the 12s at Lumen Area. However after seeing the group play to the extent he believes they’re constantly able to reaching, Carroll stays assured they will take one other step ahead after their sturdy displaying from per week in the past in a troublesome street setting.

“It is a actually vital week for us to come back again from the sport we had final week and play properly and attempt to construct off of what we did. We’re making progress in some areas, now we have so many areas that now we have to proceed to develop. Guys are working at their stuff, teams are working at their stuff, and that is simply vital. Now we have a extremely good matchup going towards a first-place workforce and they’re good. That is going to be a extremely difficult recreation for us.”

Hey, 12s! Get your Seahawks Tickets from SI Tickets … HERE!

Need the most recent in breaking information and insider data on the Seahawks? Click on Right here to subscribe to AllSeahawks.com’s Publication.

Comply with All Seahawks.com on Twitter and Fb