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_NFLAuthentic DeAnthony Thomas Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. 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According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts.BARCELONA, Spain -- Atletico Madrid needed a second-half goal from midfielder Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion to eke out a 1-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, becoming the overnight leader of the Spanish league as it resumed following the winter break. Atletico built a provisional three-point advantage over Barcelona before the defending champion hosts Elche on Sunday. Barcelona then visits Atletico in the following round. "We will have to wait and see if Barcelona wins tomorrow to stay leader, as it is accustomed to doing," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Also, Valencias new manager, Juan Antonio Pizzi, debuted with a 2-0 victory at home over crosstown rival Levante. Almeria routed visiting Granada 3-0 to climb four points clear of the relegation zone, and Real Betis remained bottom of the table after a drab 0-0 draw at Valladolid. Atletico dominated possession but was held in check by Malagas five-man defence until Simeone sent on forwards Adrian Lopez and Cristian Rodriguez to join Diego Costa and David Villa up front for the final half hour. Diego Costa failed to add to his league-leading 19 goals, but the striker turned playmaker to unlock the hosts stingy defence in the 70th. Diego Costa slipped the ball to Adrian, whose rebound off goalkeeper Willy Caballero fell for Koke arriving late to rifle through the crowded area and into the back of the net to claim the winner. "They played a great game in defence but eventually we earned the victory with my goal. That is important for us to take three points back home," Koke said. "The team believes in what it is doing." Atletico moved eight points clear of third-place Real Madrid before it hosts Celta Vigo on Monday. Atletico continued to base its title challenge on Spains best defence, which again left its opponent withoout a clear scoring opportunity.dddddddddddd It has conceded a competition-low 11 goals through 18 games. The loss was the first in four rounds for Bernd Schusters Malaga, leaving it in the middle of the standings. Schuster defended his strategy of trying to stop Atletico by playing with three central defenders, which arguably hurt its efforts in attack. "If somebody believes they can play Atletico as equals with what we have, then go ahead, Ill pay them to do it," Schuster said. "They are better than we are and didnt need a great game to beat us." Pizzi replaced the fired Miroslav Djukic over the two-week league break, and Valencia responded with a convincing win in the city derby against Levante at its Mestalla Stadium. After Pablo Piatti drilled in a clearance to put Valencia in front three minutes before halftime, forward Sofiane Feghouli dribbled through the defence and chipped the ball home via the crossbar in the 73rd to put the result beyond doubt. "We are happy, of course, but it is too early to take balance of the team," Pizzi said. "Im in favour of processes that take a long time. But yes, it helps that we were able to do what we wanted to do the first time. Now we have to work to improve and correct our mistakes." Pizzi will face a tough second test on Tuesday when Valencia hosts Atletico in the Copa del Rey. Almeria forward Aleix Vidal led the way past Granada by crossing for Sebastian Dubarbiers opener and adding a goal of his own after Jose "Verza" Garcia converted a penalty. Betis draw at Valladolid gave the Seville-based side its second point away from home this season. Also on Sunday, its: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla vs. Getafe, and Osasuna vs. Espanyol. Villarreal plays at Rayo Vallecano also on Monday. ' ' '