Deep Dive: How Seahawks’ surging defense found the ‘secret sauce’

It wasn’t quite the “Beast Quake,” but it was a moment that evoked some of the swagger and confidence that defined the Seattle Seahawks’ golden era.

Seattle Seahawks’ Coby Bryant pays ode to Beast Mode on pick-six

Midway through the third quarter of Seattle’s smothering defensive performance on Sunday, the Cardinals faced a fourth-and-1 at the Seahawks’ 40-yard line. All game long, Seattle’s defensive front had been wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage and stonewalling Arizona’s high-powered rushing attack.

So instead, the Cardinals tried to get dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray outside on a play-action rollout.

That didn’t work either.

Star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who was crashing in from the flat to defend a run up the middle, showcased his spectacular speed and athleticism by flipping around and chasing down Murray on the outside. As Witherspoon closed in, Murray lobbed an errant throw downfield.

Safety Coby Bryant intercepted it and raced down the sideline for a 69-yard pick-six, sending the Lumen Field crowd into a roaring frenzy. And as Bryant leaped across the goal line, he paid homage to Marshawn Lynch by mimicking the Seahawks legend’s iconic crotch-grab celebration.

Bryant’s pick-six highlighted a 16-6 win that vaulted Seattle into first place in the wide-open NFC West. And it was the defining moment in what’s been a massive three-game turnaround for the Seahawks’ surging defense.

“They’ve been playing their guts out,” Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. “I love seeing them play with that swagger – knowing their reads and playing fast.”

COBY BRYANT PICK-6 IN SEATTLE!

📺: #AZvsSEA on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/xVFRwEbk70

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024

After a rocky first half of the season, first-year head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense is now firing on all cylinders.

The Seahawks held the Rams to 19 offensive points in a Week 9 overtime loss, including just 283 total yards in regulation. Following a bye week, they held the 49ers to season lows of 17 points and 277 yards in a dramatic Week 11 win. And they held the Cardinals to a season-low six points and 298 yards in Sunday’s Week 12 triumph.

That’s an average of 14 points allowed per game over their past three contests – all against division rivals.

And as for the Seahawks’ much-maligned run defense, which was at the center of their defensive woes? It’s been suffocating. Over this three-game stretch, Seattle has surrendered just 82.7 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry – including just 66.7 rushing yards per game from opposing running backs.

“We can go out there and play with anybody,” Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “… I think we can be something special.”

It’s been a stark about-face from the first half of the season.

Through the first eight weeks, the Seahawks ranked near the bottom of the NFL in most defensive categories. They had allowed 23.1 points per game – including 29.2 points per game between Weeks 4 and 8. They were getting gashed on the ground, surrendering 148.4 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry.

The low point came in a demoralizing 31-10 loss to the Bills in Week 8. Buffalo moved up and down the field with ease, piling up 445 total yards and two touchdown drives of 90-plus yards. By the fourth quarter, with Seattle in the midst of its worst home loss in seven years, the typically boisterous Lumen Field crowd was already heading to the exits.

One month later, everything feels different.

With a combination of new personnel, a return to health from several key players, a growing sense of confidence and trust in their new-look schemes and a player-led meeting that’s sparked a Legion of Boom-esque tenacity, the Seahawks’ defense seems to be hitting its stride.

“A credit goes to our coaches and our players and everyone in the building of just understanding what we’re trying to build,” Macdonald said. “And when it’s not that way, then you just hammer away and go to work on our processes and try to figure out schematically what we’re good at – putting our guys in better situations.

“It’s just everybody working together all the time, staying together and trusting the process.”

A ‘force multiplier’ effect

During his success-filled run as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023, Macdonald developed a reputation as one of the league’s brightest defensive minds.

But it took a while for Baltimore’s defense to get rolling.

Over the first eight games of 2022, the the Ravens ranked 20th in points allowed per game. That’s on par with this year’s Seahawks, who were tied for 19th in scoring defense through the first eight weeks. But midway through Macdonald’s first season as Baltimore’s DC, the Ravens took off. Following a midseason trade for All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, Baltimore ranked second in scoring defense over the final 10 weeks of 2022 and then led the league in scoring defense in 2023.

In a fascinating parallel, Seattle’s defensive turnaround also occurred after Week 8. And it also involved a trade for an inside linebacker, with the Seahawks acquiring Jones in an Oct. 23 deal that sent season-opening starting linebacker Jerome Baker and a future draft pick to the Titans.

“I think the learning curve in Baltimore was very much my responsibility,” the 37-year-old Macdonald said. “I didn’t have a clear enough vision of what we were trying to do early enough. And then when we traded for Roquan and we decided to play a certain way, it kind of forced our hand.

“So I realize there’s parallels in when it’s happening in the season, but it was just under a little bit different circumstance. I think here we have a very clear vision of what we’re trying to achieve and we’re just hammering away at it and trying to make incremental improvements until it’s kind of coming to life.”

BIG CAT. 😤 pic.twitter.com/ICpNp4iJIM

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 24, 2024

Yet while the circumstances may be different, there’s no denying the impact Jones has made since coming to Seattle.

The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Jones has been a steadying presence in the middle of the defense, especially against the run. Last year with the Rams, he finished as the fifth-highest linebacker in Pro Football Focus’ run defense grading. It’s likely no coincidence that the Seahawks’ run defense has taken dramatic strides since his arrival.

When asked last week what’s been working with Seattle’s run defense, safety Julian Love immediately pointed to the 25-year-old Jones.

“I think number 13 is what’s working,” Love said, referring to Jones’ jersey number. “That dude’s a stud. We all really appreciate having him and he’s just such a good leader. He’s very steady, he communicates clearly, and above all, he’s a dog. He has a see-ball, get-ball mentality. When you have that, guys are playing off him.”

Macdonald called Jones a “force multiplier” for the way he elevates those around him.

“The game is slow for him,” Macdonald said. “There’s a poise there. There’s a confidence in how to play blocks, how to pace the ball. … He’s definitely one of our type of guys.”

‘Playing connected’

Jones isn’t the only in-season personnel change the Seahawks have made on defense.

Just a few weeks after trading for Jones, Seattle made the stunning move of releasing starting linebacker Tyrel Dodson. That cleared the path for rookie fourth-round draft pick Tyrice Knight to start alongside Jones, marking a complete makeover at inside linebacker from the season-opening Baker-Dodson duo.

Injuries also opened the door for Bryant at safety and former undrafted free agent Josh Jobe at cornerback. Both took their opportunities and ran with them. Bryant appears to have seized the No. 2 safety spot and Jobe has taken over the No. 3 cornerback role, despite safety Rayshawn Jenkins and cornerback Tre Brown both returning to health.

In addition, Seattle added defensive line depth by acquiring veteran Roy Robertson-Harris in a mid-October trade with the Jaguars.

Furthermore, the Seahawks have gotten healthy up front. Between Weeks 4 and 6, rookie first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy missed all three games, key edge rusher Boye Mafe missed two games and game-wrecking defensive lineman Leonard Williams missed one game. All three are now back and making their presence felt.

And after a revolving cast of lineups in the first half of the season, Seattle is benefiting from week-to-week continuity.

“We have consistency in the people that are on the field and the preparation, and we’re kind of getting into a groove of what we want it to look like on a day-to-day basis,” Macdonald said during this week’s Mike Macdonald Show on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“And so when that happens and you kind of hit those landmarks every day, that gives you confidence.”

First career sack for @Tyricek_. 💥 pic.twitter.com/yeU74y1EVx

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 24, 2024

It’s also resulted in an important level of trust.

According to Williams and Love, that trust wasn’t always there earlier this season. As the defensive struggles continued to mount, they said there was a temptation for players to take on more responsibility than just their individual roles. As a defensive lineman, for instance, Williams said there was a temptation to play multiple gaps instead of just “dominating” one gap. Love described a similar feeling.

“If you get gashed on a play, then (you think), ‘OK, let me strain. Let me do a little bit more to make sure it doesn’t happen,'” Love said. “When you do that, you are unsound in your defense. So there was a ton of that just snowballing into itself.”

Through a combination of personnel changes and a growing level of familiarity playing together, Seattle’s defense is building that necessary trust.

“I think being disciplined comes with trust – and that comes with doing a lot of good stuff consistently,” Macdonald said. “And now you start to see, ‘Hey, my teammates and the guys playing next to me are going to do their job. Therefore, I only need to do my job.’

“It’s all about playing the right way, playing connected,” he added. “That’s the secret sauce.”

An L.O.B. mentality

Veteran defensive lineman Jarran Reed played alongside the likes of Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas during the early part of his initial 2016-20 tenure with the Seahawks. That gave him firsthand experience with the lofty standard Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom set during its legendary run as one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.

“The way the guys practiced was at an elite level,” Reed said. “Every day, they were competing. The receivers and defensive backs were always chomping at each other. It was always so physical. … It was a doghouse. I kind of had to up my game, and practice was harder than the game.”

So after the Seahawks’ rock-bottom blowout loss to the Bills in Week 8, Reed led a meeting with some veterans and team leaders. He wanted to take what he learned and use that to instill an L.O.B.-like attitude among this group.

“Jarran Reed kind of had that approach in mind,” Love said. “We want to have a dog mindset. We’re not the L.O.B. by any means. We’re not them, and obviously they’re not us. But it’s just some of those stylistic things that we want to incorporate.”

Specifically, that meant creating an “attack mentality” and a highly competitive practice culture.

“You should take it personally if somebody catches a ball on you in practice,” Love said. “Just that mindset, it helps you be sharper. Know that the (defensive backs) room is going to probably get on you if you give up a catch or just don’t finish a play. That’s kind of the standard.”

Hankins with the TIP DRILL. pic.twitter.com/OhutJjJeHF

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 17, 2024

Williams has noticed a shift in confidence during games.

“I just feel like that collectiveness, that cohesion, is just growing more and more on this defense,” Williams said. “You can tell when you look each other in the eyes that it’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got this.’ There were times in the beginning of the season (when) I didn’t feel that same thing when I would look a teammate in his eyes. There’s times where we were in a game and we were kind of down and I would look someone in the eyes and they didn’t have that same fight in them.

“And I feel like now we’re on that track.”

It wasn’t just the players who looked inward and made changes during a rough stretch of five losses in six games. Macdonald said that after their Week 9 loss to the Rams, he and the coaching staff used the bye week to do some self-scouting. That resulted in not only the Dodson release and some minor schematic tweaks, but also a more streamlined day-to-day process.

“I think as a staff, we have a clear process that’s a little more honed in earlier in the week, and we’re just operating well together going through all the cadences and hitting all those benchmarks you’ve got to hit throughout the week,” Macdonald said.

“And me, as the guy driving the ship, (that means) making sure that we’re not going in a 1,000 different directions. … That’s my responsibility to make sure that it’s focused and it’s clear, so we can get some clean rules to our guys that they can practice the whole week and talk about having confidence going into Sunday. So I’ve improved in that area.”

‘We’re building something here’

After Bryant leaped into the end zone for his pick-six on Sunday, the normally reserved Macdonald skipped down the sideline and unleashed a celebratory fist pump.

There were plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns over the first half of the season. But over this three-game stretch – and especially during Sunday’s suffocating performance against the Cardinals – the Seahawks’ defense has looked like the type of swarming, disruptive and shutdown unit fans had hoped for when Seattle made Macdonald the league’s youngest head coach this past January.

“You can’t just hit a button or call a certain play and it comes to life,” Macdonald said. “It’s this constant process of alignment on what we’re trying to chase, what we want this tape to look like and making sure we’re hitting our game emphasis – the things we think we need to do in order to win games.”

To make their defense come to life, the Seahawks had to stop the run. Their inability to do so over the first half of the season left Macdonald somewhat handcuffed, preventing him from the types of down-and-distance situations where he could dial up the creative pressures he became known for in Baltimore.

But over the past three games, Seattle’s once-porous run defense has suddenly become nearly impenetrable. The Seahawks held Rams running backs to just 68 rushing yards, 49ers running backs to just 92 rushing yards and Cardinals running backs to just 40 rushing yards.

“If you allow teams to run the ball, then they’re staying on their terms down the stretch of the drive,” Williams said. “(Now) we’re putting them in backed-up situations, and that’s when we’re allowing Mike to call his plays.”

LEO IS ON ONE. pic.twitter.com/jHVcbDVrlz

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 24, 2024

With its run defense clicking, Seattle’s pass rush has emerged. The Seahawks totaled five sacks and seven quarterback hits against Arizona on Sunday. They also impacted a number of other plays with their pressure, including the pick-six.

“Coach Macdonald, he’s been in his bag lately,” Witherspoon said. “He’s been on point with the calls, so we just go out there and execute. We’re just believing in what we’re doing now and we’re just sticking to what we do best. We just go out there and do it.”

The key now? To keep doing it over the long haul.

“We’ve done it kind of off and on throughout the year, and (now) we’ve hit the three-game ramp here,” Macdonald said. “And so, what kind of defense do we want to be? Do we want to be hot and cold? Or is this our calling card? Is this the standard that we’re gonna live up to every week?

“And the guys know the answer to that and where they feel. But that’s definitely what the mentality needs to be.”

If the Seahawks can turn this three-game stretch into a launchpad for a new era of fearsome defense in the Emerald City, the franchise’s future looks awfully bright.

“It just shows you we’re building something here,” Seattle quarterback Geno Smith said. “We talk about complementary football. We talk about championship-level football.

“When you’ve got a defense that plays the way they play – when they’re shutting down offenses the way they are at a high rate week after week – it’s going to give you a shot to win every single game.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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