Mark Schlereth picks the Seahawks to defeat the Falcons in Week 6 because of their ability to play zone defense, and Antonio Pierce believes the home-field advantage increases their chances even more. (0:39)

RENTON, Wash. -- K.J. Wright has a hard time hiding his disgust for dime, a personnel grouping that's comprised of six defensive backs and just one linebacker.

"What’s that word?" Wright said. "I don’t even know what that word is.

"You do see some teams put safeties where linebackers should be. That’s disrespectful, disrespectful to linebackers all across the country."

The Seattle Seahawks, of course, are not one of those teams. The defense has played a total of 233 snaps this season; on 229 of them, Wright and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner have been on the field together.

Defensive coordinator Kris Richard does not use a bunch of different substitution packages. Either the Seahawks are in their base 4-3 or they are in nickel with the Sam linebacker coming off the field and nickel corner Jeremy Lane coming in the game. Wagner and Wright, though, are constants.

"I don’t curse," said linebackers coach Michael Barrow. "Dime is like a curse word here. We practiced dime a couple times during the season, and when we called dime, I took a knee. I protested. It was funny because K.J. came off, and you see [Wagner], he took a knee too. So we were protesting, having fun with that."

Richard explained why he's comfortable keeping Wagner and Wright on the field in all situations.

"Bobby’s as fast as any DB that we have on the team," he said. "So what difference does it make if you put another DB out there? That guy can run. And K.J.’s one of our smartest football players. He’s one of the smartest football players I’ve ever been around. So it’s just good to have guys out there that are cerebral, that understand how offenses are trying to attack us."

Linebackers K.J. Wright (50) and Bobby Wagner are trying their best to keep Seahawks coaches from subbing them out in favor of defensive backs. Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Sports

The pair has played at an extremely high level through the first four games. Wright has a team-high 35 tackles and a pair of sacks. Wagner is second with 30 tackles. He also has a sack, two passes defended and an interception.

Their relationship began in 2012, when the Seahawks drafted Wagner in the second round, one year after selecting Wright in the fourth.

"We hit it off because we were the same age," Wagner said. "He wasn’t too far older than me. So when I was getting picked on by the older guys, he was like, ‘Just wait. You’ve got to make a couple plays, and then they’ll lay off of you.'"

Wagner is a two-time Pro Bowler, and while Wright hasn't yet earned the honor, he draws universal praise from his teammates and coaches. Cornerback Richard Sherman recently called him the most underrated player on the team.

"For a guy that traditionally sizewise would be more of an outside linebacker, with that length and that size being able to play Will linebacker in this scheme is just amazing," Barrow said. "It’s just a testament, we call him Spider-Man, just his spider instincts, just his feel, his production."

And Wagner?

"He’s got the best hands that I’ve ever seen," Barrow said. "Not just catching the ball, but also taking on blocks. I don’t know how he does it. He’s like Karate Kid: wax on, wax off."

Both players will be in the spotlight Sunday against the visiting Atlanta Falcons, a team that consistently hit on big plays in Week 5 by getting its running backs matched up against the Denver Broncos' linebackers in the passing game.

Wagner and Wright have done a tremendous job patrolling the middle of the field in zone coverage. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Seahawks are allowing just 86.3 yards per game on passes in between the numbers, the lowest mark in the NFL. Opponents are averaging just 5.4 yards per attempt on those throws, which is also a league low.

In the past, the Seahawks have had trouble covering opposing tight ends. This season, they rank 12th and are allowing them to total just 32.6 yards per game.

Off the field, Wagner and Wright are tight. They'll have linebacker nights where the players go out to eat or meet at someone's house to watch Thursday night football.

Barrow praised them for the way they've worked with some of the team's younger linebackers.

"When we played, a day off, we weren’t trying to come back in the building," Barrow said. "Those guys, they’re in the building on their day off on their own, just meeting. They’ve got the other guys with them, pulling them along. Rookies, they’re paying for their massages to make sure they’re all right. They’re just making sacrifices.

"I always say I want a friend in my life to tell me, ‘Hey man, your breath stinks. You’ve got a boogie in your nose.’ And those two guys, they know how to talk to and correct each other but also love each other."

On Sunday, in a game between the league's top-ranked offense and top-ranked defense, the Seahawks' ability to match up with the Falcons' running backs in the passing game could go a long way in determining the outcome.

Said Wagner, "This is one of those games to show why we don’t leave the field."