RENTON, Wash. - The run of stout defence started with slowing down Arizona, followed by the handcuffing of San Francisco on Thanksgiving night.But the best defensive performance of Pete Carrolls tenure came Sunday when Seattle ground Philadelphias high-speed act to a halt that kept the Seahawks in the thick of the NFC West race.Shutting down Philadelphia and holding the Eagles to 139 total yards was the cap to a three-week run of defence by Seattle the NFL has not seen since 2011.Its returned Seattle to the top of the NFL in total defence and has the Seahawks statically almost equal with last seasons Super Bowl winning unit.The Seahawks are giving up 274.5 yards per game this season. They allowed 273.6 per game last season.The fact Bobby (Wagner) has returned has been significant and also I think Kam (Chancellor) really rounding into full health is helping us too. Hes feeling great and playing like crazy, Carroll said on Monday. I think the camaraderie of those guys being back in there and feeling right has been resounding, you can really feel it.Seattle has allowed 507 total yards in the past three games. According to STATS, Inc., its the fourth-fewest yards allowed over a three-game span by any NFL team since 2006. The Seahawks held Arizona to 204 total yards, the 49ers to 164 and the Eagles to 139.What makes Seattles accomplishment more impressive is the quality of competition faced compared to the three teams that posted better total numbers.The New York Giants gave up 422 yards over three games in 2009, but did it against teams with a winning percentage of .111. The 2011 Houston Texans allowed 494 yards to opponents with a .421 winning percentage and the 2009 New York Jets gave up 497 yards against opponents with a .273.Seattle? They beat the Cardinals when they were 9-1, knocked off the 49ers at 7-4 and handled the 9-3 Eagles. The combined winning percentage of the three: .758.The Seahawks have a chance this week hosting San Francisco to be the first team since the 2011 Texans to have three straight games holding opponents to under 200 total yards.Weve tackled really well, really well for some time now. In the last couple years that has been a real sign of our performance and stuff, but it has been really consistent and noticeable, Carroll said. I think thats all part of the intensity and the pursuit thing — it really pays off. You dont notice a guy miss one when the other guys hits.While the return of Wagner and Chancellor has been crucial, the Seahawks are also playing their top players more snaps. Seattle cut down on its defensive rotations beginning with the Arizona win.Defensive end Michael Bennett played 98 per cent of the defensive snaps against Arizona, 81 per cent against San Francisco and 93 per cent against the Eagles. Bruce Irvin played every snap against both Arizona and San Francisco before playing 30 of 46 against the Eagles.Cliff Avril and second-year defensive tackle Jordan Hill have both seen their snap counts increase, while Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith hasnt seen the field on defence in the past three games.Seattle has found the rotations that work and are not about to tinker with the roll the Seahawks are on.Even when people said we were playing bad, we were still ranked as the third-best defence and we stopped some of the best offences, Bennett said. We are getting guys back and hitting our stride. We are playing good football and we are winning and thats all that matters.NOTES: C Max Unger (ankle/knee) and TE Cooper Helfet (ankle) are both going to try and practice this week, Carroll said. Helfet has missed two games while Unger has been out the past three. Carroll said Helfet is ahead of Unger in his recovery. ... CB Tharold Simon suffered a dislocated finger against the Eagles, but Carroll said hes fine. ... Reserve DE Demarcus Dobbs suffered a legit ankle injury. Carroll had no prognosis on how long Dobbs might be out. Seattle could use FB Will Tukuafu on the defensive line if needed.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLNBA Jerseys Outlet .com) - Former FBI director Robert Mueller said his investigation found no evidence that the NFL saw the elevator video of Ray Rice striking his then-fiancee before the tape was released in September. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys .Mila Kunis was a guest on Kimmel last night and revealed a surprising side of herself that comes out when she watches sports. It turns out screaming something vulgar at professional athletes is therapeutic for Kunis. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . That Ginette Reno can sing. Fake NBA Jerseys . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener.ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Wild defenceman Keith Ballard was hospitalized Tuesday night following a hit into the boards by New York Islanders left wing Matt Martin.The Wild announced Ballard was conscious while he was taken to Regions Hospital for evaluation and observation.Coach Mike Yeo said after the Wilds 5-4 victory that he had no further update on Ballards condition.Ballard passed the puck at mid-ice midway through the second period and tried to turn away as Martin charged toward him at a straight-ahead angle. Martins forearm was raised for contact, and Ballard was slammed into the glass partition separating the benches above the wall.Pinned awkwardly, Ballard fell, and his head bounced hard on the ice. At one point, he appeared to be convulsing back and forth as medics hustled out a stretcher, just a few feet in front of concerned players and coaches on the Wild bench.But Ballard was able to get up after a few minutes and walk slowly to the locker room with assistance. Defenceman Nate Prosser said he believed Ballards face hit the dasher board because he saw blood on it. Ballard had cuts on his face.All I can do is really pray for him right now, and hopefully hes feeling all right, Prosser said.ddddddddddddProsser was yelling at the Islanders bench after the hit. Speaking to reporters in the locker room after the game, Prosser had to stop to compose himself a couple of times.Thats something we never want to see in this sport, Prosser said.Wild forward Thomas Vanek, who spent part of last season with the Islanders, said he doesnt believe Martin intended any malice. He did, however, call the move a dumb decision by Martin.I was actually on the forecheck, and the next thing I know he was in a lot of pain, obviously. Its something I dont wish upon anyone, Vanek said, adding: It was sickening, but we took the emotions the right way and deserved to win.Martin was unavailable for comment. Islanders coach Jack Capuano came to his defence.Its tough for Matty. Obviously, hes not that type of player. I didnt see it on the video from the bench. It looked like he may have turned at the last minute, Capuano said, adding: Just hoping that hes OK.The Wild had a Wednesday morning flight scheduled for San Jose, where they will play on Thursday night.Hopefully Keith is well, and well move on and have him back as soon as possible, captain Mikko Koivu said. ' ' '