Vikings staying grounded
MINNEAPOLIS — The last time the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings faced off, Daunte Culpepper completed so many long passes that he may well have needed to ice his arm afterward.
Don’t expect the same in the rematch today.
Based on the way Seattle’s run defense has played lately, the Vikings might not have to throw a single pass to win.
A little Onterrio Smith left. Some Onterrio Smith right. And, if the game tape of Seattle’s recent loss to Dallas provided any clues, a whole lot of Onterrio Smith straight down the middle.
“If I was them, I would,” Seahawks defensive tackle Cedric Woodard said of the Vikings running the ball a lot today. “One guy (Julius Jones of the Dallas Cowboys) had 198 yards against us in the last game, so why wouldn’t you think you could run the ball?”
The struggles of the Seahawks’ run defense have been even more frustrating when considering where the unit started the season. Seattle went through one stretch, including the final three regular season games of 2003 and a playoff game earlier this year, when it went seven consecutive games without allowing a team to rush for 100 yards.
Over the past four weeks, the Seahawks have seen three running backs — the St. Louis Rams’ Steven Jackson (139), Buffalo’s Willis McGahee (116) and the Cowboys’ Jones (198) — eclipse the century mark against them.
In the 12 games between Dec. 14, 2003, and Nov. 7, 2004, Seattle allowed just three teams to rush for more than 100 yards. Three have done it in the past four weeks.
The Seahawks have allowed more rushing touchdowns in the past four regular-season games (nine) than they had in the previous 19 (eight).
The statistics are staggering, yet not completely surprising.
Injuries have knocked the starting outside linebackers out of the lineup — Anthony Simmons for the past three games, and Chad Brown for the last two. With backups D.D. Lewis (injured reserve) and Tracy White (pulled hamstring) also sidelined, Seattle has had to rely on middle linebackers Solomon Bates and Niko Koutouvides to rotate at one outside position.
The other starter outside has been Isaiah Kacyvenski, who has a team-high 25 tackles over the past three games but has also struggled at the point of attack on occasion.
It’s not just the linebackers, though. Seattle’s defensive line hasn’t been as stout since starting defensive tackle Rashad Moore started having shoulder problems. His injury began to cause problems in the St. Louis game four weeks ago, and he was taken out of the starting lineup the following week against Miami.
Seattle has given up an average of 154.3 rushing yards in the four games beginning with St. Louis, compared to just 96.4 in the previous eight.
“I don’t know the key,” Moore said of the Seahawks’ run defense. “I ain’t got it. I don’t have the key. I just play what’s called.
“Ask Ced. Ced’s the veteran of the group.”
That would be Cedric Woodard, a fifth-year veteran who has been hobbled by a sore left knee the past week. Woodard has started all 12 games this season, and he and Moore provide a stout pair of run defenders when playing together.
“Rashad and I play really well together,” said Woodard, who missed practice time due to a sore knee last week. “He knows where to be, and I know where to be.
“We kind of got used to each other last year, but the injury situation shook a few things up. Now it’s going to be me and him again, so hopefully we can get some things together and get this run problem solved.”