Seahawks’ run defense expenses them vs. Steelers, might expense them playoffs

The statistics are both agent of where the Seattle Seahawks stand with one regular-season videogame staying and likewise awkward for a Pete Carroll-led defense.  

Since Week 11, the Seahawks haveactually enabled a league-worst 1,102 hurrying lawns and a league-high 13 hurrying goals. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers were definitely mindful of those numbers, which is why they leaned on the 1-2 punch of running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to bring the group to a 30-23 triumph over the Seahawks at Lumen Field on Sunday.

Harris endedup with 122 hurrying lawns and 2 ratings while Warren included 75 backyards and a rating. Pittsburgh hurried for 202 hurrying backyards and endedup with a season-high 468 overall lawns versus Seattle’s defense.

According to Next Gen Stats, Harris got 118 of his hurrying backyards after contact, the second-most in a videogame in his profession.

The Seahawks dropped to 8-8 with the loss, and now requirement to beat the Arizona Cardinals next week on the roadway, along with getting some assistance from other groups to make the playoffs for a 2nd straight year.

The Steelers enhanced to 9-7 on the season and stay in the AFC playoff hunt heading into the last week of the routine season. The Steelers clinched their 20th successive season with a .500 or muchbetter record, leaving them one year shy of matching the longest stretch of its kind in NFL history.

Pittsburgh is 8-2 in one-score videogames this season.

Last offseason, Carroll and the Seahawks made moves in the draft and complimentary company to enhance the group defensively. And while at times those moves have showed productive, Seattle has fellback down the backstretch. Now with their season on the line, the Seahawks will face one of the finest running groups in the league next week in the Cardinals.

“The concepts that we stand for and teach, we’re going to come back to them onceagain and see if we can pull it together,” Carroll informed pressreporters after the videogame.

On Sunday, the Steelers successfully utilized heavy workers to run the football. With a huge, physical back in Harris leading them, Pittsburgh utilized at least 2 tight ends on 18 tries for 88 backyards and 2 ratings.

“They simply got into a groove in that 13 workers [one running back, three tight ends] and huge bodies and attempting to run the ball,” Seahawks security Julian Love stated. “And as the videogame goes on, guys get more aggressive, attempting to push to make plays, make stops. And that’s when spaces start to open up more when you’re not remaining within yourself.” 

Last season, the Seahawks dealtwith a comparable circumstance in Week18 Seattle had to defeat the Los Angeles Rams, and then they got assistance when the Detroit Lions went to Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers in the last videogame of the routine season. 

Quarterback Geno Smith understands anything can takeplace at this point of the season.

“We’ve still got chances in front of us,” Smith informed pressreporters after the videogame. “And so, noone is going to feel sorry around here. We’re going to choice it up and keep going.” 

Smith endedup 23-of-33 for 290 passing lawns, with 2 goals and no interceptions, publishing a 106.9 passer ranking. However, Smith did provide up a fumble on a strip sack by Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig with Seattle tracking by a goal with more than 7 minutes staying in the videogame. It was Seattle’s initially turnover in 3 weeks and led to a Chris Boswell 21-yard field objective. 

The Seahawks likewise had to offer with running back Kenneth Walker III reinjuring his shoulder and having to leave the videogame, along with center Evan Brown (concussion) and right dealwith Abe Lucas (knee).

Receiver DK Metcalf chose up the slack offensively, endingup with 5 receptions for 106 getting backyards, however the Seahawks had difficulty developing balance with the running videogame.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a years, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.