The Seattle Seahawks hung on to defeat the New England Patriots on Sunday night, but they may have suffered a major blow to the front seven.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the team fear's outside linebacker Bruce Irvin suffered a torn ACL. Schefter added Irvin will undergo more tests to get a clearer determination.
Seahawks fear that OLB Bruce Irvin tore his ACL, per source, and he will undergo more tests to confirm if fears are warranted.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21, 2020
This would be a pivotal loss for the Seahawks, particularly considering Irvin was one of their major offseason additions on the defensive side of the ball.
Irvin had a bounce-back season with the Carolina Panthers in 2019, finishing the year with 8.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. The Seahawks brought the veteran back to the place he started his career in 2012, and hoped he might account for some of the production lost in the absence of Jadeveon Clowney.
Indeed, the 32-year-old had gotten off to a solid start with the Seahawks in 2020. Irvin had three combined tackles (one for a loss) and a pair of quarterback hits in a Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He tallied another two combined tackles and a quarterback hit in Sunday's win over the Patriots.
However, if Seattle's worst fears are true, Irvin's season is over, and the Seahawks will need to rely on depth in terms of setting the edge.
Seattle has allowed an NFL-worst 970 yards and 831 passing yards through its first two games, primarily due to the absence of a consistent pass rush. The Seahawks have just three sacks–two of which came from safety Jamal Adams–and opposing quarterbacks like Matt Ryan and Cam Newton have had plenty of time to dissect the secondary.
The job will get even tougher for the defense in the event it is confirmed Irvin suffered a torn ACL.
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