For the first time in nearly a decade, the Seattle Seahawks have one of the most imposing defensive units in the NFL. The turnaround has been a complete team effort. To name a few, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt, Bobby Wagner, Devon Witherspoon and Jarran Reed all deserve a lot of credit. Outside of Witherspoon’s meteoric rise, the biggest surprise this season has been the development of fourth-year linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Speaking of Brooks, he may have had the best game of his career against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. In case you missed it, Brooks was everywhere making stops – looking less like an inside linebacker and more like a determined ninja assassin popping up out of the shadows to bring down ball-carriers of all types.
In the end Brooks had tallied nine tackles – although it felt like a lot more – tying Bobby Wagner for the team-high this week. Brooks also had two tackles for a loss, a QB hit and a PBU, outshining even his future Hall of Fame teammate.
Brooks’ efforts – especially his dramatic improvement in coverage – have been a major contributor to Seattle’s defensive success lately. Over the last three weeks they have held their opponents to just 10 points per game – the kind of defensive-dominance not seen since that one night in Arizona.
After the game Brooks admitted that playing defense for this team recently has been fun.
Jordyn Brooks on the recent play of the defense, “It’s been fun. Dudes been getting hit.” pic.twitter.com/9Z2xVZb7ky
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) October 22, 2023
Through six games Brooks has totaled 57 combined tackles (five for a loss), and 2.5 sacks. If he continues to play at this level throughout the season, he should make his first Pro Bowl. To do all this coming off an ACL tear less than a year ago is a powerful achievement.
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