Injuries test the depth of the Seahawks’ secondary

Published 1:30 am Sunday, November 20, 2016

SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks’ secondary made Sunday afternoon difficult for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, but the injury bug exacted some revenge on the the Legion of Boom in Seattle’s 26-15 win over the Eagles.

Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman each intercepted Wentz at critical times in Sunday’s game, but their starting mates in the defensive backfield — cornerback DeShawn Shead and free safety Earl Thomas — suffered hamstring injuries that cut their respective afternoons short.

That pressed into service the likes of safety Steven Terrell, and defensive backs Neiko Thorpe and DeAndre Elliott. It also meant nickel corner Jeremy Lane played the majority of the snaps on defense.

“We got a ton of depth, we got a ton of guys that can play,” Sherman said. “You’d hate to see the bottom of our roster because it’s just as good as our top.”

That depth was on display as the depleted secondary helped hold Wentz, the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL draft, to 23-of-45 passing for 218 yards, with two scores and two interceptions.

Lane slid to the outside cornerback spot in the Seattle’s base defense, then moved back to the slot in his usual nickel position when Thorpe entered on obvious passing situations.

“I think it might have impacted the play-calling a little, but guys stepped in and we just communicated,” Chancellor said. “It’s a brotherhood here, so we just make sure that we get guys lined up. We help and if we see things, we alert guys and the rest of it is up to that player. You have to lean on your fundamentals and execute everything you learned at practice.”

Chancellor ended Philadelphia’s hopes of cutting into Seattle’s 16-7 halftime lead when he jumped to intercept a Wentz pass at the Seahawks 35-yard line with 16 seconds remaining before intermission.

“We didn’t want them to score before the half because we knew they were getting the ball coming back out (after halftime),” Chancellor said. “It was just a play that we’ve seen and we executed it. The guys up front got a great rush, we got a good push up front and we rallied together at the end.”

A Jon Ryan punt pinned Philadelphia on its own 2-yard line following Seattle’s first possession of the second half. On the second play from scrimmage, Wentz took a shot downfield with Sherman and Thomas flanking Eagles receiver Bryce Treggs. As Sherman hauled in the over-the-shoulder interception, Thomas reached down and grabbed his left hamstring.

Thomas went to the training table and did not return. Terrell spelled him at free safety for the remainder of the contest.

“(Thomas) is a huge playmaker, he’s a huge factor back there, but Steven Terrell came out there and played disciplined, sound football and that’s what we needed,” Sherman said. “He went out there, made the tackles he needed to make and made some huge plays. You just gotta get more comfortable and we trust him as much as we trust Earl. Obviously we hate to have Earl down, but we trust Steve.”

Thorpe also saw plenty of action as the game wore on before cramping up late in the contest. That meant Elliott took snaps late in the contest as Thorpe was being tended to on the sideline.

A fourth-year cornerback who went undrafted out of Auburn, Thorpe primarily makes an impact on special teams. On Sunday, he was asked to do much more.

“That just comes with preparing each week as a starter, even though my role right now is special teams,” he said. “I’m still on the depth chart on defense, so when my number is called, I’m ready.”

Follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.