THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks need a few stops on 'D' — as well as some more healthy bodies

Pete Carroll insists the Seahawks defense will get better.

Do we agree?

Watching that 44-34 pasting that the Hawks absorbed in Buffalo — the most points ever allowed by a Carroll team in Seattle — it’s a little hard to imagine that such a paper-thin defense is going to become the 1985 Chicago Bears anytime soon.

Fair enough.

But can the Seahawks get enough stops to be, like, average?

With the way Russell Wilson and the offense can move the ball, “average” on the other side of the line might be a ticket to the Super Bowl.

Don’t laugh.

There are some very good teams in the NFL this year — but most of them are in the AFC.

You wouldn’t have to be one of football’s all-time great squads to get there via an NFC title.

Seattle is still within a heck of a shout if the defense can slow teams down just enough to let Russ cook.

CARROLL came up with this verdict after the nightmare in Buffalo…

“We just need the guys to play together, and to get healthy.”

Here’s the argument Pete is making: The first-unit secondary has been together for exactly one full game, the season-opening win over Atlanta — in which it allowed the Falcons 25 points, and almost all of their yardage in a hopeless fourth quarter.

Since then, it’s been a catastrophe on the back end.

At Buffalo, for instance, both corners (Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar) were hurt, and so was nickel back Ugo Amadi.

Griffin and Amadi were inactive with hamstring issues, while Dunbar tried to play on a bum knee and got torched by Bills QB Josh Allen.

According to Pro Football Focus, Dunbar failed on eight of nine targets (for 99 yards) and missed two critical open-field tackles.

Bottom line, you can play defensive back with a wrapped-up hand, a sore neck or even bad ribs…

But on a bum leg?

Credit to Dunbar for giving it try, but he was only out there because there was no one else.

D.J. Reed came off the practice squad to play nickel, while backup right corner Tre Flowers switched sides to spell Griffin, and a complete unknown (Linden Stephens) showed up for several snaps to rest the ailing Dunbar.

We haven’t even mentioned that star safety Jamal Adams, just back after a month out with a groin injury, played all four quarters when the plan was to ease him back gently.

Adams was game (he had a sack and a half), but also committed a crucial illegal contact penalty as things wore on — simply because he just couldn’t move his feet anymore.

IT SEEMED like good news that the Seahawks had seven sacks in Buffalo — especially after getting just nine through the first seven games.

But that was fool’s gold.

With the secondary unable to cover properly, Seattle had no choice but to throw the kitchen sink at Allen.

Besides Adams’ sacks, linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright each had one.

There’s your hint that the Seahawks were forced to blitz WAY too much (eventually getting killed on a couple of screen passes).

Speaking of linebackers, Jordyn Brooks had just one tackle and sometimes was late reading plays.

You’d expect that from a rookie, but the point is that without Wagner and Wright blitzing as though their lives depended on it, Brooks would have had help — and likely not been put in such difficult spots.

I’M MORE than willing to agree with Carroll that this defense can be much better — especially with newcomer Carlos Dunlap (a sack and three tackles for losses) offering real pressure from his rush end spot.

But like a lot of situations in this brutal league, it’s going to come down to health.

The Seahawks desperately need Griffin back at left corner.

If he can play full-speed against the Rams, perhaps they can survive with Flowers moving back over to the right, and maybe giving Dunbar a full week to rest that knee.

It would be help to have Amadi return at nickel, too.

Everything works in concert on defense, so…

If there’s decent coverage and support in the secondary, the Hawks can rush with just four most of the time and let those great linebackers do their thing.

If all that happens, Carroll will be proven right.

If not, then…

Jared Goff may look a lot like Josh Allen.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “Moments, Memories and Madness,” his reminiscences from several decades as a sports journalist, runs each Sunday.

Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball, once per month during the offseason.