Josh Weinfuss, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Bobby Wagner's return was the spark Seattle's defense needed

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona Cardinals don’t know what it’s like to play the Seattle Seahawks without linebacker Bobby Wagner this season.

But they wish they did.

Since the middle linebacker returned from a toe injury against Arizona in Week 12, the Seahawks’ defense has been the best in football, allowing a league-best 6.8 points and 188 yards per game in its last four games. During that stretch, Arizona has scored 12.5 points per game (31st in the NFL) and gained 293.3 yards per game (27th).

While the Seahawks benefited from getting safety Kam Chancellor and cornerback Byron Maxwell back from injuries while Wagner was gone, it was Wagner’s return that was the catalysts for the defense’s recent tear.

“I think that’s part of it,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “I think Bobby’s really helped us. I just think it’s kind of the way the season’s gone. Sometimes you find a connection that makes sense, and I think Bobby’s been in the middle of it for a long time.

“It was great to get him back.”

It was needed, too.

After a 3-2 start, the Seahawks went 3-2 without Wagner. Heading into Week 12, at 6-4, the Seahawks were teetering on sliding out of the playoff race. Since Wagner's return, however, they’ve won their last four and, with a win Sunday, can clinch the NFC West and are in play for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Seattle struggled to contain the run and get to quarterbacks without Wagner:

  • When he was out, the Seahawks gave up 2.2 touchdowns per game, compared to 1.5 when he’s played this season.

  • Quarterbacks completed 65.6 percent of their passes without Wagner on the field and 61.9 percent when he’s played.

  • The Seahawks have held offenses to 3.24 yards per rush with Wagner, better than the 4.04 yards per rush they gave up without Wagner.

  • With Wagner, Seattle has averaged 2.44 sacks per game. Without him, that dropped to 1.4.

Wagner, who has 35 tackles and one sack in his last four games, said Seattle’s defensive resurgence was simply a matter of getting healthy.

“There were a lot of guys who were playing out of position because of our injuries and stuff like that, so getting everybody back to where they’re comfortable, back to what they’ve been practicing all offseason, and just getting our chemistry and stuff back [has been the difference].”

Confidence also has been a factor, Wagner said, and it’s been growing weekly since the Seahawks beat Arizona 19-3 on Nov. 23.

Seattle has allowed a league-low 27 points in its last four games – better than any four-game stretch the Seahawks had last season. The best four-game stretch was allowing 43 points in Weeks 13-16 in 2013.

“We’ve kind of recaptured the intensity that it takes to play at a really high level,” Carroll said. “We saw glimpses of it early in the year, and we had games where we played really well, and we had games where we didn’t play really well.

“We just hadn’t found consistency yet. It seems like in the last month or so, we’ve done a little bit better, and we’re hoping to put one more game along those same kind of lines, and see if we can get ourselves a win at [their] place.”

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