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Dec 20, 2017, 9:37 AM | Updated: 10:32 am
(AP)
The Seahawks gave up 244 yards rushing on Sunday against Los Angeles, the most they’d allowed on the ground in seven years.
That’s not a sign of danger entering this week’s game against the Cowboys, who are getting Ezekiel Elliott back after a six-game suspension, so much as a full-blown emergency.
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What are the Seahawks going to do to shore up their run defense?
Well, coach Pete Carroll said they already started to do it.
“They ran the ball for under 4 yards a carry in the second half,” Carroll said, “because we fixed some things that we went in wanting to do, but we got a little bit anxious, tried to get after the quarterback too much and got out of our run lanes and gave them some stuff.”
That “stuff” included a 57-yard touchdown by Todd Gurley on third-and-20 with less than a minute left in the first half.
That was more yards than Gurley gained in the entire game in Week 5 against Seattle when the Seahawks held him to 43 yards rushing and 7 yards receiving, his fewest yards from scrimmage in any game this season.
On Sunday, Gurley rushed for 152 yards, which was the most yards the Seahawks allowed to an opponent since Jamaal Charles gained 159 yards against Seattle in November 2014.
In some respects, Elliott and Dallas will provide a measurement of whether Seattle had a bad half of football against the Rams and Gurley or if the Seahawks’ defense is bottoming out.