New England Patriots Rushing Attack vs. Seattle Seahawks Run D
The New England Patriots will need to establish balance on offense against the Seattle Seahawks, and one of the team’s main goals on offense is, unsurprisingly, to have a nice run-pass balance. Their win over the Baltimore Ravens was an anomaly, as they pretty much exclusively went through the air in order to win their AFC Divisional round matchup. It was a combination of falling behind by 14 points at two different points in the game and the fact that the Ravens are much better at defending the run than the pass, which led to the Patriots going with an all-out aerial assault.
Unlike the Ravens, the Seahawks have an elite pass defense to go with an elite run defense, and their run defense, which allowed 3.4 yards per carry for the second-lowest average allowed in the league, was arguably superior. Even without Brandon Mebane bossing the middle of the defensive line, the Seahawks still have several excellent run defenders at all different levels of their defense.
Let’s start up front, since that’s where everything begins. The Seahawks only “weakness” in run defense is up the middle at DT with Mebane out, but that doesn’t matter since the ‘Hawks have defensive end Michael Bennett. We all know he’s one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers, but his disruptiveness also extends to the running game, where he’s consistently been one of the best performers in the game at his position. Even when he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bennett’s strong run defense always stood out.
Watching Bennett and Patriots star left tackle Nate Solder going at it will be a real treat, since they are two of the most athletic players in the trenches. Solder is also an excellent run blocker, though he hasn’t been as dominant in that regard as he was last year. These are two of the game’s best at their positions, and while most eyes will be peeled on them in the passing game, I’d like to see if Solder is able to handle him in the running game.
The Seahawks elite secondary and top-notch pass rush grab the headlines due to the team’s historic pass defense, but you can’t forget about the linebackers. Not only did one of them win the Super Bowl MVP last year- even if Kam Chancellor deserved it- but they are one of the best linebacker groups in the league today.
Bobby Wagner is a menacing run defender who led the team in total tackles, and there are few players who are better at getting downhill than him. KJ Wright, who received a well-deserved extension last month, is one of the NFL’s best all-around LBs and is arguably the most underrated player on the team. His play in coverage, speed, and athleticism help set him apart, but he’s also a really good sideline-to-sideline tackler who can also get downhill in a hurry. And where would we be without mentioning the insanely athletic Bruce Irvin, who is a sick dual-threat as a run defender and pass rusher?
In the secondary, the Seahawks have two very different run defenders at the safety position, and their differing styles of play make them an effective partnership against the run. Earl Thomas is one of the fastest players in the game, and that speed has also made him one of the most valuable safeties in the game with his ability to be a perfect center-fielder who can make stunning picks or sniff out deep passes.
Thomas, who used to miss too many tackles to be a solid run defender, has improved his run defense lately and is one of the best safeties in the game in pursuit due to his speed. He made some excellent plays against the run against the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago, as he was often the first man to the ball on outside runs.
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While Thomas uses his speed to redirect runs and get there before everyone else, strong safety Kam Chancellor almost functions as a linebacker on running plays. He’s just as athletic as Thomas, and what he loses in speed, he makes up for in strength. One of the most explosive safeties in the game, Chancellor is a hard-hitter and big threat in run defense who rarely needs an assisted tackle. Per Pro Football Focus, he led all safeties in run stop%, which isn’t surprising since he’s excellent at making plays and doesn’t rack up garbage tackles on a Seahawks defense that contains plenty of other top run defenders.
The New England Patriots run blocking wasn’t elite this past season, but it’s still solid. Ryan Wendell has finally bounced back as a run blocker, taking well to his new position at right guard with rookie Bryan Stork at center. Wendell’s pass protection still leaves something to be desired, but the Patriots will take the good with the bad.
LeGarrette Blount completely pulverized the Indianapolis Colts defense last week- as he did last postseason- but that’s not going to happen against the Seahawks. He forced plenty of missed tackles and generated significant yards after contact against the Colts, and he’ll have to get more than his blocking against Seattle. Eddie Lacy was trucking people all over the place when the Packers faced the Seahawks, but he still couldn’t crack four yards per carry; once you beat the first defender on the ‘Hawks, there’s always another one behind him.
Another difficult thing about facing the Seahawks run defense is the fact that there’s no specific weakness that can be exploited. The Seahawks defensive tackles aren’t the best at run defense, but their run D up the middle is still good because of the linebackers. Outside runs are also difficult because of the speed of the linebackers and safeties, and the cornerbacks do their jobs against the run.
The Patriots will have to stick with the running game, and since I don’t see either team jumping out to a big lead in what should be a more defensive game, the Pats should have opportunities to feed Blount a bit. It’s all about trying to stay balanced against the Seahawks, but, as Lacy showed us, you can run the ball well and with authority and still not gain enough ground. Against the Seahawks, running the ball is more about helping the passing attack than anything else. But every team that beat the Seahawks ran for over 100 yards, though the Carolina Panthers and Packers both had over 130 and still lost.