The Seattle Seahawks gave up just nine points to a red-hot Eagles squad on Sunday, bailing out a struggling offense and helping lead to a 17-9 victory and a trip to the NFC divisional round for the seventh time in the last 10 years.
Part of Seattle’s success on the defensive side of the ball simply came from being healthy, with 10 out of 11 starters (all but Mychal Kendricks) healthy and active for Sunday’s thriller.
While Jadeveon Clowney got more attention for his hit on Carson Wentz and his overall performance, it was the return of Quandre Diggs that helped steer Seattle’s defense toward victory.
“He’s just been such a steadying force ever since he’s played with us,” coach Pete Carroll said after the game. “We’ve played really well when he’s been with us and he just did it again. He just has a steadying presence about him and guys play better around him and it’s a great quality to have.”
Diggs recorded four combined tackles, a relatively quiet night, but his performance had a big impact on the rest of the defense – in particular Bradley McDougald, who finished with a season-high 11 combined tackles including two for a loss and one sack.
McDougald was able to play up near the line of scrimmage thanks to Diggs’ incredible sideline-to-sideline speed, a huge bonus for this team they would not have had with Lano Hill or Marquise Blair back in coverage.
The Seahawks need Diggs to remain a steadying force in their divisional matchup against the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday, which will kick off at 3:40 p.m. PT.
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