Seahawks' improving line to face 'real problem' in Chandler Jones, Cardinals

KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 13: Offensive tackle Bradley Sowell #78 of the Seattle Seahawks gets set on the line against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half on August 13, 2016 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) less KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 13: Offensive tackle Bradley Sowell #78 of the Seattle Seahawks gets set on the line against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half on August 13, 2016 at Arrowhead Stadium in ... more Photo: Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images Photo: Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Seahawks' improving line to face 'real problem' in Chandler Jones, Cardinals 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Remember when the Seahawks' pass protection was by far the team's most pressing concern?

It wasn't long ago that the offensive line, which featured new starters in four of five positions in 2016, was considered Seattle's Achilles' heel and a possible disqualifier for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

After a shaky preseason slate seemed to confirm the worst fears surrounding the unit, things got even more dire after quarterback Russell Wilson suffered two major injuries in the first three games of the season. That understandably led some to speculate the line's suspect pass protection would put the now hobbled franchise quarterback in harm's way with alarming frequency.

But a funny thing happened on the way to disaster: the Seahawks stopped giving up sacks.

Yes, the running game has yet to get going, but Seattle currently ranks tied for seventh in the league in sacks allowed with just 10 through five games. To put that in perspective, the Seahawks gave up 22 through their first five games in 2015.

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The starting line, consisting of left tackle Bradley Sowell, left guard Mark Glowinski, center Justin Britt, right guard Germain Ifedi (replacing J'Marcus Webb in Week 4) and right tackle Garry Gilliam -- the only returning starter -- haven't faced off against slouches, either. A sample of some of the defensive stars the group faced through the first five games reads like a laundry list of top defenders: Miami's Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake, Los Angeles' Aaron Donald and New York's Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson.

But even while facing some of the toughest defensive fronts in football, the Seahawks have yet to allow more than three sacks in a game. In last week's 26-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, the line allowed Wilson to be sacked just once.

Much of the credit has to go to Wilson, whose injuries have actually forced him to get rid of the ball quickly. But there's no denying the group's overall effort in pass protection seems to be paying off. On Wednesday, offensive line/assistant head coach Tom Cable credited the unit's improved communication, giving special credit to Britt, who moved to center in the offseason after spending his first two NFL seasons at right tackle and left guard, respectively.

"We have a nice plan in terms of what we're trying to do -- putting everybody on the same page -- and I think we've grown that way," Cable said. "Justin certainly has impacted us at center and been able to help Russell with some of those things and we're doing just enough."

Cable said last week's effort versus the Falcons was the best by Sowell and Gilliam, who both struggled early in the season. The pair figure to be tested early and often this week, when the Seahawks (4-1) take on the Arizona Cardinals (3-3) in a primetime division showdown Sunday night.

After going 13-3 in 2015, the Cardinals didn't have a lot of glaring needs in the offseason, but they did make an effort to shore up a pass rush that ranked in the lower third of the league by trading for former New England linebacker Christian Jones in the offseason.

Jones, who had 12.5 sacks for the Patriots in 2015, has been as good as expected, with four sacks through six games. As an added bonus, the attention placed on him by opposing offenses has led to opportunities for 2015 second-round pick Markus Golden, who leads the team with six sacks in 2016.

The two outside rushers will provide a different kind of test for the Seahawks line, which has largely faced elite interior rushers through the first part of the season. In his Wednesday press conference from the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said the Cardinals, who currently rank tied for third in the NFL with 19 sacks, are "rushing the passer as well as anyone in the league right now."

"Markus has improved, he's just better," Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. "He's more consistently bringing the heat. He looks more equipped with his moves and all that. He's really a good physical guy anyway, but he's just learning. Six sacks at this early in the season, that's a big jump."

"Chandler Jones, he's a whole different package," Carroll continued. "He's a real tall and long guy, kind of like Aldon Smith, that type of an athlete. He's a real problem."

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