Seahawks’ defensive turnaround culminates in sixth straight win

The play didn’t decide Seattle’s comeback victory over St. Louis.

No, the fumble Earl Thomas forced in the fourth quarter was much more important than that.

More than any other play in Sunday’s game, that moment embodied the reasons the Seahawks reeled off six straight wins to finish the regular season. From the relentless play of this defense to the unity that Seattle has demonstrated to the Seahawks’ utter refusal to concede so much as an inch this past month – let alone the fourth-quarter touchdown that Rams running back Benny Cunningham was so close to scoring until Thomas came crashing in to force a fumble.

“Any other person in the league probably would have slowed down and let him score,” linebacker Bruce Irvin said.

Not Thomas, though. And not this defense, either, as Thomas knocked the ball loose as Cunningham extended it toward the pylon, forcing a fumble that bounced out of the end zone for a touchback that returned the ball to Seattle.

The play didn’t impact much more than the final accounting of Seattle’s 20-6 victory over St. Louis. Even if the Rams had scored a touchdown, the Seahawks would have held a seven-point lead with 6 minutes remaining.

The play did more than clinch the victory. It showed the pride the Seahawks needed to get back to this point. Yes, pride. Specifically, the pride of this defense that allowed the fewest points in the league for each of the previous two years yet midway through this season was playing fairly average. Not bad, mind you. The Seahawks ranked No. 5 in total defense after eight games, and they have never allowed more than 30 points in a game this season.

But the defense wasn’t applying the kind of pressure it had to opposing quarterbacks that it did a year ago, either. It wasn’t forcing turnovers, either, and teams like the Chargers and the Cowboys had utterly controlled the ball against Seattle.

It’s what happened since then that tells the story of Seattle’s season, though. A turnaround that was more about spirit than strategy, according to coach Pete Carroll. More personal than personnel.

“Really, this was an emotional change,” Carroll said. “As much as you can look at all the Xs and Os and all the other stuff you want to look at, this was an emotional shift that took place.”

One that was most evident in Seattle’s defense, which in this case has given up a total of 39 points over the last six games.

“We’ve played for a long time now, playing pretty darn good football,” Carroll said. “It’s really been the elevation of the defense for the most part.”

You could argue that Seattle is two long Jamaal Charles runs from riding a 10-game winning streak into the playoffs. Instead, it’s a six-game streak in which Seattle has held four of those opponents without a touchdown.

And while it has helped Seattle getting linebacker Bobby Wagner back from a foot injury that cost him five games as well as strong safety Kam Chancellor becoming as ferocious as ever, the Seahawks’ defensive renaissance is more about how they’re playing than who is playing.

“This game is so emotional,” Carroll said. “It’s so tied to the energy of the game that it calls for. That connection, that chemistry is so crucial to play at this level.”

It’s that emotion – that energy – that propelled Thomas on that fourth quarter play. The Rams’ faced third down on Seattle’s 6 when Cunningham caught a pass and appeared headed toward the end zone as cornerback Byron Maxwell tackled him only to have Thomas dive in with a play that may not have decided Sunday’s game so much as it defined the reason the Seahawks won their sixth straight.

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