Seattle Seahawks Will Struggle Without Key Run Defense Anchor Brandon Mebane

The Seattle Seahawks have been playing without middle linebacker Bobby Wagner for four games. Yet they're still fielding the league’s fourth-ranked run defense.

The Seahawks have been playing without safety Kam Chancellor for the past two weeks, and his physical presence is often relied on to diagnose and erase runs. Yet they're still allowing only 79.8 rushing yards per game and 3.2 per carry.

Now the Seahawks will play the rest of this season without defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, which could finally lead to the toppling of their brick rushing wall.

Mebane was placed on the injured reserve Tuesday with a torn hamstring suffered during a win over the New York Giants in Week 10.

That's some interesting wording from head coach Pete Carroll. But we get it: The muscle is horribly torn, and Mebane’s life will be unpleasant for quite some time.

Also filed under unpleasant for the Seahawks now: run defense.

Mebane anchored Seattle’s run defense by being a pillar up front. He can shed blocks to penetrate inside, and he has the strength to occupy multiple offensive linemen, allowing the linebackers to do their dirty work unblocked.

His role is specific but vital, which is why Mebane saw the field this season primarily during obvious rushing situations. He was used on only 48.4 percent of the Seahawks’ defensive snaps, a tick down from 2013 (49.8 percent).

Keep that highly specialized usage in mind while considering these numbers: 289 and 10.

The first digit there is Mebane’s total (and final) snap count this season. The second is the amount of defensive stops he registered, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). For perspective, Michael Bennett is the only Seahawks defensive lineman who has more stops with 18. His snap count? 493.

Mebane’s season also finishes with 20 tackles, five of which were for a loss of yards. To see a snapshot of his impact we can look back to Week 9 when Oakland Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski was only a mere nuisance.

Early in the first quarter the Raiders were looking to establish the run. That effort was failing spectacularly, as their first six runs resulted in 10 yards and two of those attempts ended in their own backfield.

To start their second drive, Raiders running back Darren McFadden tried to run up the middle. But immediately he encountered a large, 311-pound problem.

Mebane had already pushed Wisniewski deep into the backfield when McFadden was taking his first step after receiving the handoff.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Forcing McFadden to cut and hesitate so deep in the backfield allowed reinforcements to swarm behind Mebane, eliminating any cutback lanes. But don’t worry guys, the big ol’ brute defensive tackle has this one under control.

When McFadden jumped and cut to the left Mebane threw Wisniewski. It was as violent as any battle between a tackle and center, but it also seemed so casual, like Wisniewski was just something in the way that had to be discarded.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The run went for only a one-yard gain, and it was one of many that resulted in misery for McFadden. He recorded only 20 yards on 13 carries, while overall the Raiders averaged 2.1 yards per attempt.

Kevin Williams will be Mebane’s primary replacement in run situations. He’s plugged many running lanes too while being named to six Pro Bowls, all while with the Minnesota Vikings. And he’s also a human house at 6’5”, weighing 311 pounds. But at 34 years old he doesn’t have nearly the same strength and burst off the line as Mebane.

It’s been difficult to find sympathy in the NFC West for teams dealing with a rampant injury virus. That describes all four teams, especially the division-leading Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers with middle linebacker Patrick Willis now out for the season.

But like Willis’ season-ending injury, this feels like a critical hit to an area that’s a core strength. Of the Seahawks’ seven remaining games, three are against top-10 rushing offenses (the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, and the 49ers twice). Seattle will also have to stop elusive Cardinals running back Andre Ellington twice (weeks 12 and 16) and the Eagles’ LeSean McCoy (Week 14).

Without Mebane that could suddenly be a brutal gauntlet, especially if Wagner also misses at least one more game as expected.