What more can be said about the Seattle Seahawks' defense? They do not know what it means to take a day off, and that was further evident in Week 12's 30-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
It was a game that, had Seattle's defense finally slipped up and caved in, it would have been understandable. When you have significant pieces sitting out due to injuries, sometimes, losses can be explained.
Then again, if the San Francisco 49ers can be 7-4 and could be 8-4 going into next weekend, while they are dealing with the massive loss of Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, for instance, then Seattle cannot have explanations, only pathways to victories.
This is what Seattle's defense accomplished on Sunday. Yes, it may have come against the Titans, who are one of, if not the worst, teams in the NFL. That said, what Seattle's defense did show was that, even with key players out, the next-man-up mentality is the core to their success, even if that next man up is a practice squad player like Patrick O'Connell.
Seahawk's defensive depth steps up in absence of key starters, proving why it's still at the top of league
Patrick O'Connell — it's okay if you're not familiar, given that he hasn't had many opportunities to play with the main squad. On Sunday, though, his chance arrived, and the practice squad regular made good on Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's decision to call his jersey number.
Seattle was without Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight, giving O'Connell the chance to come in and do some damage, and he did not disappoint. O'Connell posted his first-ever NFL quarterback sack, and also contributed eight tackles (five assisted), a quarterback hit, and a tackle for loss.
O'Connell was everywhere for the Seahawks — only Drake Thomas and Nick Emmanwori had more tackles in the game.
O'Connell is a testament to how deep Seattle's defense runs, but the next-man-up mentality has been Seattle's defensive story all season. It's why Thomas has exploded this season to Seahawks stardom, and the same can be said for Emmanwori. Similar to the 49ers, the Seahawks are thriving — living in the reality that whoever steps in to replace a starter, no beats are missed.
Of the players who stepped up on Sunday who aren't normally there, O'Connell happened to be the one who shone the most with his sack, and what should be asked now is: Is he making a case to be moved up for the foreseeable future? Macdonald may have insinuated this while heaping a ton of praise on O'Connell for his huge day.
"It's funny, we have an ongoing joke on our ready squad that you can't block Paddy O (Patrick O'Connell) daily. So I'm glad he had his opportunity today, and happy for him. He went out and played winning football for us and made some great plays, so I'm excited to watch the tape and see what he did."
Macdonald added, "It's that feeling that we talk about throughout the year of when guys have opportunities to go, you're excited to go see them play. These guys have earned opportunities to play for us in critical games, and so I was excited to see these guys play. It's great; it's not like, "Oh, shoot, 'so-and-so' is out." It's like, okay, great, let's roll with Paddy O. Let's play. Let's go."
Seattle's defense has relied on grit all season, and guys like O'Connell are no exception. It would be nice to have everyone healthy again, and hopefully that happens soon. Either way, healthy or not, the Seahawks continue to impress defensively, and as for O'Connell, perhaps this wasn't the last we saw of him.