Stacy Rost: Defense wins championships? Seahawks are counting on it

“Defense wins championships” is a phrase we repeat often without always managing to convince ourselves.

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It’s not for a lack of evidence. The Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom dismantled Denver’s top-ranked offense in Super Bowl 48, Tampa Bay’s disruptive defensive line made Super Bowl 55 a pressure-filled nightmare for Patrick Mahomes, Bill Belichick game-planned Super Bowl 53 into the lowest-scoring affair in Super Bowl history, and the 2024 Super Bowl champion Eagles’ stellar offense was still buoyed by the league’s top-ranked defense. We celebrate the hardest hitters from the best units in the most violent sport, but can also overlook their impact when it comes to counting on something a little shinier: a high-flying offense.

I love touchdowns! You love touchdowns! We all love touchdowns! Quarterback is the single-most important position on the field, and both stability and undeniable talent there is what sways belief in a team more than anything else. And I agree with it! You could hardly count the Chiefs out until they were mathematically eliminated because of Mahomes. A horrible Bills run defense isn’t keeping people from wondering whether Josh Allen can lead the Bills to their first championship.

And that’s probably why there’s some lingering, and understandable, doubt about the Seahawks’ ability to win it all this season.

The 49ers’ offense is on fire, averaging 42 points per game over their last three contests, and doing that in primetime generates plenty of hype. What Kyle Shanahan has done with this group after a rash of injuries is remarkable. He and Sean McVay are two of the best play callers in the league, and both of their quarterbacks have appeared in a Super Bowl alongside them before. Seattle’s hasn’t. Sam Darnold has a single playoff appearance, and he looked dreadful against a suffocating pass rush. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is in his first year with the Seahawks. The offense turns the ball over more than every team outside of the Vikings. Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be an Offensive Player of the Year candidate, but that side of the ball is short a few young weapons.

No one is disputing the Seahawks’ threat as a contender, but you can see why critics might be hesitant to go all in. After all, flaws are easier to spot when the question is under center.

But this is where we all remind ourselves to pay closer attention to those other matchups. “Christian McCaffrey could be Offensive Player of the Year” sounds sexier than “the 49ers are generating fewer pressures than the Raiders,” but it doesn’t make it less relevant for Saturday night’s de facto NFC West title game between San Francisco and Seattle. The 49ers dropped an impressive 42 points against the Bears on Sunday night, but did so against the 22nd-ranked scoring defense.

The 49ers’ odds of looking quite as lethal against the Seahawks? Less likely. Seattle has one of the league’s best defenses. They haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 25 consecutive games. They’ve allowed the second-fewest points per game, behind only Houston. They allowed a pass play of no more than 8 yards from a Panthers team that dropped three 30-plus yard passing touchdowns on the Rams. Those turnovers from the Seahawks’ offense? They could very well cost Seattle in the playoffs… but they haven’t yet. Darold has thrown four interceptions and lost two fumbles in the last five games, and yet he’s 5-0. But he also led a game-winning drive in overtime against the Rams. In fact, he’s got four game-winning drives this year.

It’s the recipe Seattle’s counting on. You may not always believe defense wins championships, but the Seahawks’ best shot this year depends on it.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Seahawks Playoff Update: What happens if Seattle loses to 49ers
• 49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir again calls out Seahawks’ JSN
• How much does Rashid Shaheed injury hurt Seattle Seahawks?

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