Quandre Diggs is a great teacher for the young secondary school students of Seattle

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Quandre Diggs spent as much time this season teaching as playing free safety.

While that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, this season was challenging in a different way for the anchor of the Seattle Seahawks defensive backfield.

It was difficult to repair a Seattle defense that had been on a rollercoaster of success and failures for the majority of the season. It was also challenging to play alongside five different safeties, including two rookie cornerbacks.

“It’s definitely tested me and it’s definitely made me better on how I’ve got to approach certain guys and how I have to be on my P’s and Q’s every day,” Diggs said. “Because those guys are looking up to me and looking at me for answers a lot of the times.”

Despite all the difficulties, Diggs has finally found himself in Seattle. He is playing in the postseason now for the third consecutive year since he was traded to them during the 2019 season. If Seattle is to beat San Francisco in Saturday’s NFC wild-card matchup, Diggs will need another huge day.

It will help Seattle’s defensive overall that strong safety Ryan Neal is expected to play after missing the final three games of the regular season with a knee injury.

“I’ve been waiting forever,” Neal said. “It has been painful watching my boys go out and have fun without me, but I’m glad to be back here just trying to make my way back.”

Diggs had five solid safeties, but Neal was the strongest and most reliable. It was expected that Diggs would be assisting Jamal Adams in Seattle’s backend, but Adams suffered a devastating knee injury which ended his season. Josh Jones temporarily took over the position, but Neal was soon able to take control for most of the season.

In Week 13, Neal’s knee injury caused a halt to his plans. He was able play it through for two more games but the quick turnaround time between Sunday and Thursday only aggravated his knee problem and kept him out of action for the last three weeks.

Seattle used Johnathan and Teez Tabor as a team to play with Diggs while Neal was out. And it’s likely with Neal still not fully healthy that some combo of all three are used against the 49ers.

“He’s been a really active part in what we do and has a great spirit in what we do,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of Neal. “I’m really happy that he will get back and we will have a nice little rotation there at that spot if he makes it all of the way.”

Of course, the Seahawks aren’t in the playoffs if not for Diggs. That’s a general statement about this play this season — he earned a third-straight Pro Bowl honor — but also for one specific play in the overtime win over Los Angeles last Sunday.

After Seattle failed on the first possession of overtime, only a field goal was needed by the Rams to win and end Seattle’s playoff hopes. Van Jefferson, wide receiver for the Rams, ran open on a long route. The play call confused Seattle’s defense and Jefferson was uncovered waiting for the pass from Baker Mayfield.

“As I saw the play develop, I was sitting there looking and was like, ‘Oh God. There are eight people in protection and it’s a two-man route. He’s going to be back there cooking steaks,’” Seattle defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said. “My eyes transitioned back there, and I saw 12. I was like, ‘Oh no.’”

But Hurtt also saw Diggs sprinting to make up ground and when Mayfield’s throw was slightly underthrown, Diggs was able to make a game-saving interception.

“It was phenomenal. Ball skills is a unique trait that I think doesn’t get talked about enough on the backend and Quandre’s ball skills are through the roof. He’s unbelievable with that,” Hurtt said.

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