The Seattle Seahawks’ new-look defense had a stellar showing in their season opener, limiting the Denver Broncos to just 231 total yards and 3.3 yards per play while keeping them out of the end zone until the game’s final minutes.
But with Seattle playing a brand-new scheme under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, there were bound to be some bumps along the way.
And in Sunday’s Week 2 clash against the New England Patriots, a pair of familiar Achilles’ heels resurfaced.
Seattle’s defense was gashed on the ground by New England’s backfield duo of Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, who combined for 177 yards rushing and 5.5 yards per carry. The Seahawks also got burned by tight end Hunter Henry, who had eight catches for 109 yards.
In recent years, those two areas were among Seattle’s biggest issues on defense. The Seahawks allowed the sixth-most yards per carry in the NFL each of the past two seasons. They also surrendered the seventh-most receiving yards to tight ends in 2023 and the second-most in 2022, according to Pro Football Reference.
“Scheme-wise, (there were) some things that, without getting into all the details, I’m putting that on my shoulders on how we prepare, how we call it, situations we’re putting guys in,” first-year Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during his press conference on Monday. “We can be better on that front, me in particular.
“And then on the other hand, there’s just old-school football fundamentals that we need to be better at in our front seven, our edge mechanics, how we’re taking on blocks, some of our run fits at the second level. Those things need to be improved. So I’d say it’s a combination of both.”
It was a step back from the season opener, when Seattle held Denver’s running backs to just 64 yards on 20 carries and Denver’s tight ends to just two catches for 12 yards.
“All the things that showed up in the first game that was positive, I thought we took a step back this game,” Macdonald said Monday during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports. “I think we ended up with like 10 missed tackles. The ball (was) getting out on our edge. So yeah, it’s like, ‘Hey, you never make it in this league.’ It’s a week-to-week prove it to me. That has to be the mentality. But 180 yards (rushing), it makes you sick to your stomach.”
However, the Seahawks’ defense came through when it mattered on Sunday.
With less than five minutes to play and the Patriots looking to extend a three-point lead, defensive lineman Leonard Williams and rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II combined for a 9-yard sack on third down that pushed New England back to the Seattle 30-yard line. Julian Love then blocked the ensuing 48-yard field-goal attempt, which kept it a three-point game and allowed Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith to engineer a game-tying field-goal drive.
In overtime, Seattle’s defense rose to the occasion again. With the Patriots facing a third-and-1, linebacker Tyrel Dodson and defensive lineman Jarran Reed combined to stuff the powerful Stevenson for no gain on a run up the middle. That forced a punt and gave the ball back to Smith, who then led the game-winning field-goal drive.
“We’re trying to set the tone defensively,” Love said during his postgame press conference. “We’re trying to create turnovers, we’re trying to stop the run, limit explosives. And some of those areas, we didn’t hit today. But in the moments that mattered most, … we bowed up and let our offense have a chance to win the game or tie the game. And they did.
“And so it’s just those moments. We have those little finishing details. We’re locked into those. But it’s just consistency, making sure when guys are subbing in and out, they’re playing at a high level that we need.”
Love noted that the defensive performance “wasn’t to our standard,” but that they it can help them in the long run as they continue to grow more comfortable in Macdonald’s cutting-edge scheme. Macdonald has quickly developed a reputation as one of the league’s brightest defensive minds after his success in Baltimore, where his scheme helped the Ravens rank third and first in scoring defense the past two seasons.
“Defensively, we were just inconsistent,” Love said. “A few series we were a quick three-and-out stopping the run, a few we were letting it split. And so that’s a good thing to be an ugly game for us and get out with a win, because that way we can improve on it.”
