A rough game against the Dallas Cowboys cost the Seattle Seahawks their title of having the best run defense in football. DeMarco Murray really had his way with the defense, pounding through seams created in the line and posting another impressive statistical game.
Dallas rushed for 163 net yards against the Seahawks , with Murray collecting 139 of them on just 22 carries. He also racked up the longest run that Seattle has given up this year with a nice 32-yard scamper that put the Cowboys back in scoring range. Before that run, the longest one against the Seahawks this year had been only 21 yards. Tony Romo added 13 yards and Phillip Tanner had 11 more yards on the ground, making up the yardage almost any time they needed it.
Coming into the game against Dallas, Seattle gave up just 3.2 yards per carry. That average went up to 3.4 per carry, and knocked the team into third place in that specific ranking. The Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens pulled ahead of Seattle, and maybe it is ironic that the Seahawks have to face the Ravens on Nov. 13. Marshawn Lynch is going to have a hard time rushing for 135 yards like he did against the Cowboys front line.
Hopefully it isn't the run defense that fans have to focus on as the only bright part of the current season. Things are starting to look dismal in the standings, even as Seattle shuts down opposing running backs. It's hard not to wonder if the defense is even better when the team is trying to hold a lead, but that scenario hasn't come up yet. Seattle has not led any of the first eight games at halftime, and that is a trend that doesn't lead to many wins in the standings.
It appears that the defensive line is one area where the Seahawks are ready to compete for the next few years, and that when the team heads into the 2012 NFL Draft the focus can stay mostly on fixing the offense. Maybe that is a secondary silver lining to a season that is starting to regress.
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*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a lifelong fan of the Seattle Seahawks that continues to hold out hope that the team is heading in the right direction with a new coach, a weak NFC West, and some great young players on defense.
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