Takeaways finally ‘come to life’ for Seahawks’ defense

In hindsight, Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love’s words now seem prophetic.

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“We’ve gotta get more turnovers,” Love said after the Seahawks’ loss to the 49ers on Oct. 10, at which point they had generated only one defensive takeaway in their past five games.

“We’ll work it obviously in practice and then the ball will come to life,” he added. “And once it does, they come in bunches.”

Indeed, they came in bunches.

The Seahawks came up with three defensive takeaways over a seven-minute span in the fourth quarter of their 34-14 road win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The highlight was Boye Mafe’s strip-sack fumble and 36-yard scoop-and-score from fellow edge rusher Derick Hall, which stretched Seattle’s lead to 17 points and essentially slammed the door shut on the Falcons’ comeback hopes. Safeties Julian Love and Coby Bryant then followed with interceptions on Atlanta’s ensuing two possessions to polish off the turnover spree.

“That’s kind of how a defensive flow can go,” Love said after Sunday’s win, which snapped a three-game losing skid. “If we stop the run and get things done (on) early downs, the ball starts to come alive for a secondary. And once it became a dropback pass game, that’s when we could take over a little bit.”

THAT’S A DEFENSIVE TD!!! pic.twitter.com/O3atYPnaM7

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2024

The Seahawks (4-3) entered the day with just four defensive takeaways and 10 turnovers through their first six games, giving them a minus-six turnover differential that was among the worst in the league. It was particularly glaring in their primetime loss to San Francisco, when they lost the turnover battle 3-0.

Seattle flipped the script on Sunday, winning the turnover battle 3-0.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald pointed to his team’s ability to stop the run in the second half, which helped open up pass-rushing opportunities such as Mafe’s strip-sack. Run defense has been a major problem for Seattle this season and continued to be an issue in the first half. But the Seahawks buckled down after the break, limiting the Falcons to just 39 yards rushing on 16 carries over the final 30 minutes.

“If you force them into more passing situations, you can start to affect the quarterback a little bit more,” Macdonald said. “And again, (turnovers) are a team stat. So our offense did a great job of kind of pushing the envelope, responding, keeping us with the lead as the game started to wind down there, and (we) forced a pass and tried to create some pressure on the quarterback.”

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The key play came early in the fourth quarter, with Seattle holding a 10-point lead and Atlanta facing a third-and-9 from just inside midfield. As Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped back to pass, Hall provided the initial pressure with a bull rush and forced Cousins to move out of the pocket to his left. Mafe then raced in, launched himself toward Cousins and knocked the ball free just before the veteran QB entered his throwing motion.

Hall did the rest, scooping up the loose ball and scampering down the sideline for a fumble-return score that extended the Seahawks’ lead to 31-14.

“Obviously, give credit to Boye being able to get there, get home and then get the ball off of him,” said Hall, who said it was the first time he’d scored a touchdown since high school.

“Just the main thing is like, don’t miss the scoop, because I knew there was so much green grass,” Hall added with a laugh. “… It’s a blessing being able to have those opportunities.”

Picked off by LOVE! pic.twitter.com/a0WHSc1dW6

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2024

The scoop-and-score play continued a strong season for Hall and Mafe, who were both second-round picks in recent years. Hall, a 2023 second-rounder, entered the day with a team-high five sacks. Mafe, a 2022 second-rounder, registered his fourth sack with the forced fumble.

Defensive ends Leonard Williams and Dre’Mont Jones also took down Cousins to give Seattle three sacks on Sunday.

Macdonald said the pass rush got a boost from the return of rookie first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who missed the previous three games with a hamstring injury.

“You’ve got everybody healthy now, so you’re able to get a rotation and kind of keep the (snap) numbers to where you want it,” Macdonald said. “So that’s big. And then Murphy, just what he’s able to do to push the pocket. It’s a team pass rush. Kirk does such a great job of getting the ball out on time, so trying to kind of get into his second and third read, and then the pocket kind of swarmed from that point.”

After Hall’s scoop-and-score, Love intercepted a high pass from Cousins that deflected off wide receiver Drake London’s hands. A few minutes later, Bryant picked off an overthrown pass from Cousins.

It was Bryant’s first career interception. The 2022 fourth-round pick saw his playing time increase Sunday, with starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins, starting cornerback Riq Woolen and reserve cornerback Artie Burns each sidelined by injuries.

“I’m not surprised,” Macdonald said of Bryant’s performance. “This guy just keeps playing at a high level. And the game, it’s slow for him. He just sees how plays progress. It just seems like he’s in the right spot all the time on these overthrows and patrolling the deep area of the field.”

COBY 🎱

The third takeaway from our defense! pic.twitter.com/DCMYrJXgG1

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2024

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• How Seattle Seahawks’ Derick Hall has emerged in second season
• Can Murphy’s return help Seattle Seahawks’ struggling run defense?
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