How real is Seahawks’ top-5 pressure rate from Week 1 win?

Sep 12, 2024, 9:35 AM | Updated: 1:50 pm

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald after a 26-20 victory over Denver on Sept. 8, 2024. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

(Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

BY CAMERON VAN TIL

Seattle Sports

The grand unveiling of Mike Macdonald’s cutting-edge defensive scheme could not have gone much better for the Seattle Seahawks, whose new-look defense compiled a stifling performance in their season-opening 26-20 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Why the Seattle Seahawks’ defense has Daniel Jeremiah raving

The Seahawks allowed just 231 total yards. They kept Denver out of the end zone for the first 57 minutes. And they surrendered just 3.3 yards per play, their fewest in a game since Week 17 of the 2018 season.

One of the biggest keys was Seattle’s ability to pressure rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Seahawks recorded pressure on 30.6% of Nix’s dropbacks, which was the fifth-highest rate in the NFL for Week 1. Even more impressive was that it came without a heavy dose of blitzing. According to PFR, Seattle’s 20.4% blitz rate ranked just 23rd out of 32 teams in Week 1.

We brought the pressure.

📺 Re-watch the game on NFL+ » https://t.co/tcUGulCSg0 pic.twitter.com/lWFbiqJLxg

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 12, 2024

Another metric had the Seahawks ranked even higher. According to The 33rd Team, Seattle recorded a pressure on a league-high 44.9% of its pass-rush snaps.

Was the Seahawks’ pass-rushing success a Week 1 mirage aided by Nix and the Broncos? Or was it a sign of things to come in Macdonald’s scheme? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard was posed that question in Wednesday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“Absolutely, a big chunk of it was Bo Nix … but I think it’s also the onslaught of different guys (in Seattle’s pass rush),” Huard said. “As I have said over the course (of the offseason), I felt like this is a top-10 defensive front.

“I think it’s more real than fake,” he added.

Why the pressure is real

As Huard pointed out, the Broncos have a good offensive line. They returned four of their five starters from last year’s unit, which helped Denver finish fifth in Pro Football Focus’ pass-block grading.

“Denver’s O-line is the highest-paid O-line in the league,” Huard said. “Their two guards are really good players. Two tackles are totally capable players. And (the Seahawks) absolutely got after them from beginning to end. And the depth was a big, big piece of that.”

A case in point was how well-dispersed the pressure was.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams led the way with four quarterback hits, while edge rushers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall each had a sack and two QB hits. Pro Football Reference also had rookie first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy, defensive end Mike Morris and cornerback Devon Witherspoon registering QB hurries. PFF credited edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones and linebacker Jerome Baker with multiple pressures as well, giving Seattle a total of nine players who registered a pressure.

With solid depth, the Seahawks may be able to keep their pass rushers fresher through more rotations.

On Sunday, five of Seattle’s top six pass rushers played no more than 65% of the defensive snaps: Williams (65%), Jarran Reed (62%), Jones (58%), Murphy (58%) and Hall (45%). Mafe was the only one above that mark, playing 87% of the snaps.

“I felt like this group could go seven or eight deep, and that’s what you need to do,” Huard said. “When this (Seahawks pass rush) was humming and really good in ’12 and ’13 and ’14, how many percentage of snaps were Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, those guys playing? About 55-60%. Michael Bennett was a little bit more because he could slide up and down the line.

“But you saw it the other day. (They were) staying fresh.”

Furthermore, the Seahawks achieved their pass-rushing success even while missing one of their most talented pass rushers in Uchenna Nwosu, who is out with a knee injury that he suffered in the preseason finale. Nwosu tied for the team lead with 9.5 sacks in 2022 before missing 11 games last year with a season-ending pectoral injury.

Seattle didn’t place Nwosu on the physically unable to perform list before the season, which requires a player to sit out at least four weeks. That indicates the Seahawks think Nwosu has a chance to return prior to Week 5.

“You did all that even without Uchenna Nwosu, who you know is going to bring some impact,” Huard said. “… I think it’s safe to say this is going to be a top-10 pressure team in the league. I really do.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.