As Bennett unloads on reporter, Chancellor calls for composure

The Seahawks' season-ending 36-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday was marked by several after-the-whistle exchanges between opposing players, and after the game strong safety Kam Chancellor said it needed to stop if Seattle is to regain its championship form.

In a postgame interview with Q13 Fox, Chancellor said Seattle's offense played well enough to win but called out his defensive teammates for misplacing their energy during the contest.

"One thing I told the defense is that every game that we argue, every game where on the field it was a bunch of arguing, trying to fight the other team, we lost," Chancellor told Q13's Ian Furness. "I told them that humility sets in. You've got to remain poised. You've got to remain humble throughout all the battle."

Chancellor didn't name names, but defensive end Michael Bennett, who suffered a serious knee injury in the teams' first matchup with Atlanta after Falcons tackle Jake Matthews hit him with a low block, was involved in a number of dustups after plays.

Bennett briefly left the game after suffering what looked like another lower body injury early in the third quarter, shouting at the Falcons offensive line as he left the field. But he missed just a couple of plays before re-entering the game and engaging in a shoving match with tackle Ryan Schraeder following a 1-yard touchdown run by Atlanta's Devonta Freeman.

"He got tackled or something, he thought," head coach Pete Carroll said after the game. "He got nicked a little bit. He was fine."

Chancellor, who had to restrain Bennett after the incident with Schraeder, said opponents' style of play didn't excuse a lack of discipline.

"It's never what they're doing," Chancellor said. "They can cheap-shot, they do whatever they want, but at the end of the day they've still got to line up again and play the next play. Let them do that, keep your focus. Keep your energy and move on to the next play. We get too caught up in that and it takes away from our focus, it takes away from our game, but we've got to remain together."

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 14: Kam Chancellor #31 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after a play against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on January 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) less ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 14: Kam Chancellor #31 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after a play against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on January 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter ... more Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Image 1 of / 111 Caption Close As Bennett unloads on reporter, Chancellor calls for composure 1 / 111 Back to Gallery

In the postgame locker room, Bennett took out his frustrations on a reporter when asked about the team's lack of success in getting to Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who tossed three touchdown passes in the win.

"Don't tell me I didn't do my job, (expletive)," Bennett said, according to The (Tacoma) News-Tribune's Gregg Bell. "Get the (expletive) out of my face. ... I just put my heart on the (expletive) field, don't (expletive) play with me. Get the (expletive) out of my face, then. Try me again and see what happens."

Chancellor said his teammates need to first acknowledge that the lack of discipline is a problem before trying to fix it, adding that it was up to each individual on the team to do some self-examination during the offseason.

"Fighting the other team outside of the whistle, that's when it takes away energy and it drains you," he said. "That stuff will drain you. You exert enough energy throughout the whistle. After the whistle it's just wasted energy, and that's what we need to cut out of our game."

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