Seahawks' Once-Vaunted Defense Now Looking Like Liability in Hunt for Playoffs

The Seattle Seahawks' once-vaunted Legion of Boom defense has gone bust this season. 

This year's squad doesn't resemble a Super Bowl contender. At this point, it's far from the intimidating team that played in the previous two championship contests. 

While the team's offense, particularly its offensive line, receives most of the blame, the Seahawks defense is a shell of itself. 

Some will argue, "But Seattle's defense still ranks among the league's best in total defense even after the Carolina Panthers contest."

A rebuttal is simple: The same defense that once terrorized opponents and even perhaps warranted nomination as the best unit of all time continues to let down the entire team when it's been needed the most. 

Opponent	4th-quarter lead	Final Score
Rams	31-24	34-31 (OT)
Packers	17-16	27-17
Bengals	24-7	27-24 (OT)
Panthers	23-14	27-23

Seattle held a fourth-quarter lead in every game it lost this season. While the unit looks the same with staples such as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Bobby Wagner leading the way, its level of play has dramatically dropped. 

Even if the Seahawks defense is still statistically considered one of the league's top units based on total defense, it's still falling well short of the team's established reputation. 

Through six games, Seattle surrendered 319.5 yards per game. In 2014, the team gave up 267.1 yards per game. During the franchise's Super Bowl-winning run, this same defense allowed 273.6 yards per game. 

Four seasons have passed since the Seahawks played this poorly as a unit on the defensive side of the football. 

These issues stem from complacency, lack of consistency and poor communication. 

All of these problems began after yet another trip to the Super Bowl. Some can't handle success. Others experience success and expect more. 

For the Seahawks, success meant decisions needed to be made for all of the reasons CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb noted: 

After two straight Super Bowl appearances, the saying "It's a business" became reality. 

Starting cornerback Byron Maxwell signed a six-year, $63 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. 

Linebackers O'Brien Schofield and Malcolm Smith signed with new teams in the offseason. 

Pro Bowl strong safety Kam Chancellor held out through the first two games in search of a new contract despite two years remaining on his previous deal. 

Even veterans like Tony McDaniel and Kevin Williams weren't retained so the organization could fit other players under the salary cap. 

Injuries also added to the team's issues on top of the franchise's personnel decisions. 

Sherman and Thomas came into training camp this season dealing with injuries suffered during January's Super Bowl. Nickel corner Jeremy Lane is still recovering from his injuries which occurred during the same game. 

Instead, the team is now relying far more heavily on names like Cary Williams, DeShawn Shead, Ahtyba Rubin and rookie Frank Clark. Other than Shead, who barely contributed during the last three seasons, none of these players was a part of the team a year ago or helped build the Seahawks' defensive reputation. 

Plus, a new play-caller took over for former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn became the Atlanta Falcons' head coach this offseason and quickly turned around his new program. Meanwhile, the Seahawks' current defensive coordinator, Kris Richard, hasn't experienced the same level of success as Quinn or even former assistant Gus Bradley early in his tenure. 

Each of these feed into this year's lack of consistency. 

As such, there have also been breakdowns in communication even among the team's stalwarts. 

This was never more evident than during the team's 27-23 loss Sunday to the Carolina Panthers at CenturyLink Field. 

With the Panthers trailing 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Cam Newton prepared for his final drive. The fifth-year quarterback had 2:30 to work with and 80 yards to go. 

Prior to Carolina's final drive, the Seahawks held Newton to 13-of-29 passing for 180 yards and a pair of interceptions. Yet, the Legion of Boom wilted against Superman. 

Newton was 7-for-7 passing for 89 yards as he led his team to the game-winning score.

What's even more disturbing than letting a previously struggling quarterback slice and dice the team's secondary on his way to a victory was how the Seahawks gave up the game-winning touchdown. 

For those who don't watch the Panthers offense on a weekly basis, the unit lacks talent at wide receiver. After Kelvin Benjamin went down with a season-ending knee injury in preseason, Ted Ginn and Philly Brown became Carolina's top two wide receivers. Neither exactly strikes fear in opposing defenses. 

The only real offensive threat in the passing game is the Panthers' Pro Bowl tight end, Greg Olsen. 

Who was the target running wide open down the seam for the game-winning touchdown? The one player that should demand at least two defenders at all times. 

ESPN's Louis Riddick remained stunned after Newton connected with Olsen for the 26-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining: 

A closer look at the play, as shown below by SB Nation, revealed some type of miscommunication by the defense's star players. 

Neither Sherman nor Thomas decided to cover Olsen: 

The mental lapse between the two All-Pro performers didn't go over well with their teammates, as seen in a video provided by the NFL's official Twitter feed: 

The problem might have stemmed from poor communication from the sideline. Apparently, the secondary received two different calls from the coaching staff before the play.

"It just was confusion about what call we were in," Sherman said after the game, per the News Tribune's Gregg Bell. "There were a couple calls being signaled in that were different. And the game's at a fast pace, so you have to make a decision." 

Whether the players or the coaches ultimately made the mistake, the result speaks for itself. The Seahawks are now 2-4 and looking at a massive uphill battle just to make the playoffs. 

Although, it appears unlikely the team will be in the postseason for the fourth time in four seasons. 

The Associated Press' Tim Booth provided the odds, via Stats.com, of the Seahawks still making the playoffs after such a poor start: 

In the final 10 games, Pete Carroll's squad faces the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers twice. Another contest against the St. Louis Rams, who defeated Seattle to open the season, still remains. 

Plus, the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns will be difficult games based on the way the Seahawks are currently performing. 

With the Cardinals already establishing a two-game lead in the division and the Falcons currently claiming one wild-card slot based on their 5-1 record, there will be plenty of competition within the rest of the NFC to secure the final playoff spot over the the next two-and-a-half months. 

Right now, the Seahawks simply aren't worthy of being discussed as a playoff contender. The team, specifically its defense, has performed well below expectations. 

In order to turn around this season, the Seahawks defense must find a way to re-establish its reputation as one of the NFL's best. Otherwise, the Legion of Boom will be sitting on its collective butts watching the playoffs in January. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.