Brock Huard makes prediction for Seahawks’ defense in 2025

When looking at the final stats, the Seattle Seahawks’ defense finished as an above-average unit in Mike Macdonald’s first season at the helm.

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The Seahawks tied for 11th in scoring defense (21.6 points allowed per game) and ninth in actual scoring defense (20.2 points allowed per game, excluding non-offensive scores by their opponents). They were 10th in defensive EPA, according to the statistical site RBSDM.com. And they were 14th in total yardage allowed per game (332.7).

However, the full-season stats only tell part of the story. In reality, it was a tale of two halves.

Over the first nine weeks, Seattle’s defense struggled through some major growing pains. But at the season’s midway point, the unit underwent a dramatic turnaround. With a combination of new personnel, a return to health from several key players and a growing sense of confidence and trust in Macdonald’s cutting-edge scheme, the Seahawks’ defense evolved into one of the league’s best over the final nine weeks.

Just how good was Macdonald’s group over that span? Between Weeks 10 and 18, Seattle was fifth in scoring defense (18.4 points allowed per game), tied for third in actual scoring defense (17.5 points allowed per game, excluding opponents’ non-offensive scores), fifth in defensive EPA and fourth in total yardage allowed per game (304.8).

In other words, the Seahawks’ defense was firmly a top-five unit over the back half of the year. And looking ahead to 2025, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks Macdonald’s group can build on that foundation and sustain that level of play over an entire season.

“I think Year 2, with more time on task, with a couple additional pieces, with everybody basically coming back defensively and hopefully adding a difference-maker third cornerback, this could be a top-five defense in the league,” Huard said during Wednesday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“I think they could take that step from being No. 11 last year to a top-five defense next season with the personnel and the time together.”

If that were to happen, the Seahawks would be following a strikingly similar path to what Macdonald accomplished during his massively successful two-year stint as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023.

Over the first eight games of 2022, the Ravens scuffled through some growing pains ranked 20th in scoring defense. Then they made a midseason trade for All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, similar to Seattle’s midseason trade for linebacker Ernest Jones IV this past October. And then, almost exactly like what happened in Seattle, the Ravens’ defense found its stride and ranked second in scoring defense over the final 10 weeks of 2022.

As for the following year? The 2023 Ravens became the first defense in NFL history to lead the league in scoring defense, takeaways and sacks.

During an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy last month, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell discussed what Macdonald accomplished in Baltimore and how it could signal a second-year leap for his defense in the Pacific Northwest.

“Think about Mike Macdonald in Baltimore,” Barnwell said. “He was pretty good his first year. But in Year 2, that defense took a major leap. They were one of the best defenses we had seen in recent memory. And it wasn’t with superstars. I mean, yes, they had great players. But Kyle Hamilton took a step forward in Year 2. Nnamdi Madubuike went from being kind of a good player to being a franchise-caliber defensive tackle in Year 2. And then all the guys they signed off the street – Kyle Van Noy, Jadaveon Clowney – those guys were free agents heading into the summer and they played meaningful roles for the Ravens in the regular season and postseason.

“So to me, I think the idea is (that) all those players on the Seattle defense who looked promising this year, they take a step forward in Year 2 and they feel better about the scheme in Year 2. I think that’s the hope.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full conversation with ESPN’s Bill Barnwell at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story. 

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