Winning in the Trenches?

by: Michael Steffes

One thing that the Seahawks seem to be doing better this year than they have last few years is winning the battle in the trenches. This was patently obvious yesterday.

The Seahawks currently rank 4th in the league in rushing yards per game. They are also rank 9th in rushing defense. For the second game in a row, the Seahawks' line has allowed only 1 sack, and both were fairly innocuous ones at that. Matt Hasselbeck has been upright and clean at the end of the games, aside from rolling on the ground to make a block or two. On the other side, the Seahawks have pressured the QB, getting 8 sacks vs SF and this week hitting Bulger and forcing a fumble early. The constant pressure forced Bulger into bad throws numerous times.

This exciting upward trend will be put to the test when the Hawks face the Giants, at which time we will get a much better idea of how the lines are really playing. The Giants have the 6th best rushing offense and the 8th best rushing defense. Their offensive and defensive lines are generally considered some of the best, most cohesive units in the game. ~END~