Tough defense and Alexander take Seahawks to the Big Game
We’re on the road to Super Bowl XL, or 40, as sane people would write it. After getting bumped out of the wild card round in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Seattle put it all together in 2005. Alexander ran for 1,880 yards and an even more incredible 27 touchdowns, and was named the league MVP. Hasselbeck also had his best year as a pro to that date. He threw for 3,459 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions. The Seahawks led the league in scoring with 452 points. But just as important to their 13-3 record and Super Bowl run was the defense.
In Holmgren’s first season the Hawks gave up 298 points, good enough to rank eighth in the NFL. Cortez Kennedy and Chad Brown wreaked havoc on opposing teams. But Kennedy would retire after 2000, and Brown only had a couple of healthy seasons left. Seattle’s defense wouldn’t bounce back until – you guessed it, 2005. They didn’t have a lot of household names, but what they had were hard hitters.
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Rookie middle linebacker Lofa Tatapu led the team in tackles, added four sacks, and made the Pro Bowl. He was the only Seattle defender to make that squad, but the Hawks were loaded with heavy hitters. Michael Boulware was an aggressive strong safety who was third in tackles, led in interceptions with four, and chipped in with two sacks of his own.
Speaking of sacks, the Seahawks led the league in 2005 with 50, thanks to players like Bryce Fisher and Rocky Bernard. Seattle ranked seventh in points allowed that season, a big improvement over the previous seasons. The Seattle defense came up big in the playoffs as well. They held Joe Gibbs’ Washington team to just 10 points in the opening round. Alexander only had six carries in the game, but it was truly never in doubt.
Then the defense held the high-scoring Carolina squad to 14 points in the conference championship. Alexander trampled the Panthers in this one with 34 carries, 132 yards, and two touchdowns. That defense was instrumental in their playoff run, until it finally faltered on the biggest stage of all. It just happened twice, but that was enough.