Unheralded front four remains key to Seahawks’ relentless defense

The Legion of Boom grabs the headlines in Seattle. That tends to happen when three of the four players who man the secondary are multi-time All-Pros.

But poll the Steelers, and they’ll give you an earful about another position group that annually makes the Seahawks defense among the best in the NFL.

Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor get the accolades, but an active, albeit unheralded defensive line gives that secondary a chance to excel because they stop the run and apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Ahtyba Rubin and Brandon Mebane aren’t household names. They don’t have any All-Pro, or even Pro Bowl, designations. But what they do have is the full attention of the Steelers offensive line and offensive coaching staff.

“It’s going to be like a playoff game for us we feel like,” right tackle Marcus Gilbert said. “That group up front is dynamic. They have playmaking abilities. They win with their front-four guys the majority of the time without bringing pressure. I feel like they feed off that.”

The Seahawks have a top-10 defense against the run and are 11th with 25 sacks. Bennett and Avril each have 6 1/2 sacks. Among defensive linemen, Avril is fourth in the league with 39 quarterback pressures and Bennett is 10th with 32.

“I think the edge pressure that they have with their ends and their cornerback play is really a building block of what has been a very stable and a great defense for a number of years up there,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We have our work cut out for us.”

Gilbert and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva will have one of their stiffest tests of the season. Gilbert has not yet allowed a sack this season. He is having his best season both as a pass-protector and run-blocker.

Villanueva stepped in at midseason for Kelvin Beachum, who sustained a season-ending knee injury. He has allowed several sacks, but the Steelers have been keeping tight ends and running backs in to help him against elite edge rushers. That likely will be a part of the plan again Sunday.

“I think their front is the key to their defense,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “Their defensive ends, their inside guys, they move Bennett around, they create penetration and wreak havoc. When you play them there in Seattle it’s even bigger job because they obviously benefit from the loudness in there. I think that’s going to be the key to the game. Our guys up front, including the tight ends at times, the backs at times, they have to do a great job.”

Seattle is like Cincinnati in a lot of ways on defense. The Seahawks rush quarterbacks with their front four and don’t have to blitz much to apply pressure.

“They’re not complicated,” Haley said. “They show you what they’re doing, but they’re really good at it. It will come down to execution and winning at each spot.”

The Steelers enter the game with one of the most-balanced offenses in the league. DeAngelo Williams leads a rushing attack that ranks seventh in the NFL, and, with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, the Steelers have the receivers to test Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor.

In order to do that, Gilbert knows it’s on the offensive line to keep the Seattle front quiet.

“Those guys are special,” Gilbert said. “That group is relentless, and they get after the quarterback. That’s a group that has to be talked about.

“We know what we have in store for us. We have to account for them. We have to do a great job protecting and open up lanes for DeAngelo because we’re going into a hostile environment. They’re going to try to do everything to get this win. They’re in the same position as us. We want to win out, and they want to win out. That starts with this game.“