The Seattle Seahawks stuffed the Chicago Bears attempts to run all day last Sunday, forcing Jay Cutler to beat them, which he couldn’t. The girth up front for the Seahawks has been a huge positive this year, allowing them to both generate a pass rush and plug the gaps in the running game.
The Seattle Times’ Danny O’Neil featured the play of the Seahawks defensive line today in his article for the Times.
The Bears rushed the ball seven times in the first quarter. Four of those carries resulted in gains of 2 yards or less, prompting Chicago to abandon any intention of running. The Bears handed the ball off to a running back only once in the second quarter, just twice in the third.
He goes on to mention the Bears rushed for only 61 yards on Saturday and 24 of those came on one big run in the third quarter.
Why has Seattle’s second-best rush defense — allowing only 2.9 yards per carry — been so good this season? Much of their effectiveness can be attributed to the size up front.
Led by 311 pound Brandon Mebane, the Seahawk defensive line boasts an average weight of 304 pounds this year, with three players checking-in at over 300 pounds.
It’s safe to say the Seahawks won’t be getting pushed around much this season.