The Carolina Panthers physically punished the Seattle Seahawks on the ground in their win on Sunday, much to the delight of commentator Mark Schlereth. Carolina ran variations of the same play over and over, relying on their linemen to simply out-muscle their opponents. In the end, they totaled over 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns – which wasn’t the first or the second time that’s happened to Seattle this season.
After it was over Bruce Irvin called out the defense, saying all 11 players need to adopt his mentality.
The Seahawks were bossed around today by the Panthers.
Bruce Irvin wasn't happy about it.
"I got three kids at home so I'm not going to let another man put his hands on me… Until all 11 of us get that same mentality, it's going to be long for us."@KING5Sports pic.twitter.com/uz7Wt4e4dm
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) December 12, 2022
This is the right attitude to have for any defender and there’s something to be said for beating your guy. However, when the team keeps losing for the same reason it falls on the coaches to find a solution.
The sad truth is that aside from a strong four-game stretch from Weeks 6-9 this defense has been straight up bad otherwise, especially against the run.