Inside Seahawks’ decision to pass on game-sealing play

Sep 9, 2024, 1:37 PM

Seattle Sports

There were many differences between the past and present regimes on display for the Seattle Seahawks during their season opener Sunday.

Bump: The play-calling change for Seahawks OC Grubb to make

One of the most stark contrasts in style came late in the game and helped Seattle walk off Lumen Field with a 26-20 victory over the Denver Broncos.

With 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the game, the Seahawks faced a third-and-6 from their own 34-yard line while holding on to a six-point lead.

In previous seasons under longtime head coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks likely would have went the conservative route. They would have run the ball in an effort to force Denver to call its last timeout, which would probably lead to punting the ball away, and the defense would be tasked with keeping the Broncos out of the end zone.

Instead, Macdonald went the more aggressive route, calling for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to dial up a pass play to get the first down and ice the game. The risk, however, was an incompletion would allow Denver to have a timeout while attempting a game-winning drive.

The risk paid off for Macdonald and the Seahawks, as quarterback Geno Smith connected with Tyler Lockett on a difficult nine-yard throw and catch that sealed the victory.

.@TDLockett12's one-handed catch sealed it. pic.twitter.com/OaTCMcmCYz

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 8, 2024

Macdonald explained what went into that decision during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday.

“We kind of code out our … four-minute third downs, based off the risk that we want to take and how we want to handle the clock,” Macdonald said. “And just with where Denver was with timeouts, it just felt like we needed to be aggressive in that situation.

“Ultimately, all these decisions are my decisions, so (I) just get that (message) to Grubb. I think I got it to him after the first-down call, and then he calls the rest of the drive accordingly.”

The first-year head coach later detailed the risk-reward aspect of the decision-making process.

“If we didn’t complete that pass, you’re looking at like 1:40 (left) with a timeout. They’re in a four-down situation anyways. That’s plenty of time to go down the field,” he said. “… If we ran it and they used the timeout, now you’re still looking at 1:40 but no timeouts. That’s still a lot of time to go down the field. So, we’re like, shoot, (it’s) basically the same situation. Let’s go try to put it away.”

Macdonald credited Grubb for dialing up the right call, and Smith and Lockett for their part in converting a tough play.

“I thought he made a great call. I just finished watching the play (on film), and it’s just a tremendous play,” Macdonald said. “… That (throwing) window was so small, and then the play that Tyler made … was just incredible.”

Catch the weekly Mike Macdonald Show at 9:30 a.m. each Monday morning after Seahawks Sunday games during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, or 9:30 a.m. the following weekday morning after non-Sunday Seahawks games. Listen to this week’s edition in the podcast at this link or watch the video at the top of this post.