Seahawks' defense rides to the rescue in Detroit

DETROIT — You can almost hear the crackling panic in the streets.

What's wrong with the Seahawks? What happened to the pass protection? Why can't Shaun Alexander run free? Why can't they put the ball in the end zone?

You can practically hear the clucking of tongues, the gnashing of teeth, the pounding of fists and the dyspeptic roar of upset stomachs.

How can a team allow two blocked field goals? How can it struggle against the Detroit Lions, who won all of five games last season? Where did the Super Bowl Seahawks go?

The answer to all of these questions, the answer that can calm the angst and ulcers, is that these are exactly the games that Super Bowl teams win.

"In the NFL you got to win five or six games when you don't necessarily play your best football," said Seahawks defensive end Bryce Fisher. "And this was one of them."

This 9-6 Seahawks win on the season-opening Sunday was a glass-half-full win. A war of attrition that good teams win.

Three years ago, two, maybe even early last season, the Hawks couldn't win games this difficult.

They couldn't win without getting into the end zone. They couldn't win with Alexander averaging fewer than 3 yards a carry. They couldn't win with defense.

This is a franchise that has built a reputation over the past half-decade by gaining yards and scoring points. It was an offensive machine and a defensive jalopy.

Seattle on the defensive

Only three times has Seattle limited its opening opponent to fewer points than it did Sunday against the Lions:

0

Sept. 6, 1998

Seattle 38, at Philadelphia 0

0

Sept. 7, 1986

Seattle 30, Pittsburgh 0

0

Sept. 3, 1984

Seattle 33, Cleveland 0

6

Sept. 10, 2006

Seattle 9, at Detroit 6

6

Sept. 9, 2001

Seattle 9, at Cleveland 6

7

Sept. 12, 2004

Seattle 21, at New Orleans 7

7

Sept. 4, 1994

Seattle 28, at Washington 7

10

Sept. 7, 2003

Seattle 27, New Orleans 10

14

Sept. 4, 1988

Seattle 21, at Denver 14

17

Sept. 9, 1990

At Chicago 17, Seattle 0

17

Sept. 4, 1983

At Kansas City 17, Seattle 13

18

Sept. 5, 1993

At San Diego 18, Seattle 12

"When I first got here it was all about the offense and nobody really talked about the defense," said Rocky Bernard, a four-year veteran defensive end. "But now we've got guys on the defense that definitely can make a name for themselves."

In a game that was as ugly as a heavyweight bloodbath, the Seahawks won with the kind of defensive aggression they have slowly honed over the past 13 months.

"When you travel, when you go on the road, you have to make sure you packed your defense," Fisher said. "And we packed our defense."

Toothpaste. Underwear. Cellphone. A change of clothes. And an ill-tempered defense. The Seahawks packed properly for this trip.

Their defense allowed them to survive all of the sloppiness — the two blocked field goals, the Alexander fumble. They overcame the aggravating injuries — left tackle Walter Jones' sprained left ankle, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's battered ribs.

They won despite allowing five sacks. They won, even though the offense only marched inside the Lions' 30-yard line once in the second half.

"If our defense plays like this, we're going to win a bunch of games," said Alexander, who was held to 51 yards on 19 carries. "It sets the tone. It's like, 'Hey, even if it looks bad, we can still win.' "

They don't have to play pretty every week anymore. They can win without jumbo numbers from Hasselbeck. They can win even when Alexander doesn't score.

At long last, they have a defense that can pick up the offense on a dog-day afternoon like this. This defense finally has come together. It's a defense that, this season, can steal headlines from the offense.

"I think our defense really feels like we can be something really good if we're solid about our stuff," Fisher said. "We've got great leadership in our linebacker corps. We've got great rotation on our defensive line, cornerbacks who can cover and safeties who can hit. Those are good ingredients to play good defense."

Super Bowl teams win these kind of games. Fistfight games that almost feel like they belong in the Roman Colosseum. Super Bowl teams have shutdown defenses.

The Hawks sacked Jon Kitna three times. They forced a fumble. They held Detroit to only 38 yards on the ground and allowed only one drive of more than 50 yards.

This was a Steel Curtain kind of game. A Purple People Eaters kind of win. Call this defense the Cascade Crunch.

"There's a lot of fight in these dogs," linebacker Lofa Tatupu said. "We always have a chip on our shoulders. Other teams look at us on paper and they think, 'OK, they're undersized. We're going to set the tempo, run the ball and push them out of there.' But we take a lot of pride in stopping offenses."

Sometimes pride isn't pretty. Sometimes it's as ugly as 9 to 6.

But on those days when the offense is sputtering and kicks are getting blocked and the whole game is played with the grace of a demolition derby, you can ride pride over the rough spots in the long season.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists