Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks vs. Bears on defense in Week 17

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks vs. Bears on defense in Week 17

The Seattle Seahawks relied on their dominant defense in Thursday’s 6-3 Week 17 victory over the Chicago Bears. While Geno Smith and the offense struggled to move the football, Mike Macdonald’s defense limited the Bears to three points and a pathetic 179 total yards of offense. Having analyzed the impressive performance in terrific detail, Pro Football Focus graded these three Seahawks defenders as their best performers.

Leonard Williams | 81.2

Leonard Williams had a field day with the underperforming interior of the Bears’ offensive line. The veteran alignment-versatile defensive lineman totaled six pressures, one off his season-high, and also enjoyed his fourth multi-sack game of the campaign, sacking Caleb Williams twice. Williams has been Seattle’s best defensive player this season.

Tyrice Knight | 77.3

The Seahawks used rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight as an occasional pass rusher to great success versus the Bears. The former UTEP standout helped overwhelm the line of scrimmage by accumulating four quarterback pressures. Knight also totaled six tackles and was fantastic in coverage, too, allowing just two receptions for minimal gains.

Boye Mafe | 74.0

Boye Mafe was another Seahawks front-seven defender that put forth a quality showing. The third-year second-round pick had three pressures, all classified as hurries. Mafe didn’t record any of Seattle’s seven sacks, but he routinely made the inexperienced Williams uncomfortable in the pocket.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks defense vs. Bears in Week 17

3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks defense vs. Bears in Week 17

The Seattle Seahawks may require a victory versus the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football to keep their postseason dreams alive. Unlike their previous two matchups, the Seahawks are considered heavy favorites against a lackluster Bears squad. We’ve compiled three bold predictions for Mike Macdonald’s defense.

Seahawks force 3 turnovers

The Seahawks did not force a single turnover in their Week 16 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings. Jarran Reed did record a strip-sack, but the Vikings recovered. Meanwhile the Bears committed two turnovers in their latest outing. Look for Macdonald’s opportunistic defense to tempt the Bears into multiple turnovers.

Leonard Williams dominates

The Bears’ offensive line is a disastrous unit. Left tackle Braxton Jones was one of their more effective blockers, but recently suffered a season-ending injury. The interior has especially struggled to protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams this season. Leonard Williams is capable of dominating Chicago’s guards and centers alike. Look for the veteran Williams to gain constant entry into Chicago’s backfield.

Bears are held to 17 or fewer points

The Bears are averaging a 26th-ranked 18.9 points per contest. Interim head coach and offensive play caller Thomas Brown has not improved the offense since replacing Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron. The Bears have scored 17 points or fewer in three consecutive contests. Seattle’s scoring defense should take advantage of this bounce-back spot.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks vs. Packers on defense in Week 15

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks vs. Packers on offense in Week 15

The Seattle Seahawks did not play a good-quality defensive game in Sunday’s primetime 30-13 defeat to the Green Bay Packers. Matt LaFleur’s offense encountered little resistance en route to scoring 30 points and posting nearly 400 total yards of offense. Nonetheless, these three Seahawks were their highest-graded players on defense, according to Pro Football Focus.

Boye Mafe | 80.0

Boye Mafe did not make the graphic because he didn’t play the minimum required 25 snaps, but it feels silly to discredit 22 snaps. That’s a decent workload, and Mafe maximized those opportunities, earning a stellar overall grade of 80.0. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher tied for the team-lead in QB pressures with three.

Dre’Mont Jones | 79.4

Dre’Mont Jones has steadily improved his form as the season’s progressed forward and that remained the case on Sunday Night Football. The veteran pass rusher recorded three stops and was effective both as a run stopper and pass rusher. Jones has been an impactful defender for Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde.

Leonard Williams | 69.3

Leonard Williams was a bit quieter than usual given his insane run of form, but he still accumulated a defensive-line-high five tackles. Williams pressured Packers quarterback Jordan Love twice. He also posted a defense-high five stops, matching what off-ball linebacker Ernest Jones IV achieved in this game.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Is this Uchenna Nwosu’s last chance to stick with Seahawks?

Is this Uchenna Nwosu’s last chance to stick with Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks activated EDGE Uchenna Nwosu off IR on Thursday. Nwosu will play against the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s Week 14 NFC West showdown. This upcoming stint may represent his last opportunity to prove he should stick with the Seahawks for the foreseeable future.

It’s been a difficult period for Nwosu since recording a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2022. The former USC standout missed more than half of the 2023 campaign due to a pectoral injury suffered in Week 7. The 2024 season has welcomed more challenges.

Nwosu suffered an MCL sprain in the preseason finale that kept him sidelined for Seattle’s opening four regular-season contests. The Seahawks never placed him on IR and he healed slightly slower than expected. Nwosu made his 2024 debut against the New York Giants in Week 5, but that only lasted 20 snaps. He exited with a thigh injury and was placed on IR. He’s been absent since.

Nwosu hasn’t been consistently healthy since 2022. Since then, the Seahawks have wisely invested premium resources into the EDGE position, signing Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year contract worth more than $51 million, and drafting Boye Mafe and Derick Hall with back-to-back second round picks in 2022 and 2023. All three of those rushers have produced in Nwosu’s absence.

Nwosu is technically signed through 2026, but he doesn’t possess any guaranteed money remaining on his contract moving forward. General manager John Schneider could release Nwosu from his deal in the offseason and save nearly $15 million versus the 2025 cap if he designates the transaction as a post-June move, according to OverTheCap. The dead-cap charge would be a manageable $6.5 million. If the Seahawks wanted the funds immediately, a pre-June move would penalize them $13 million in dead money while creating $8.4 million in immediate financial flexibility.

The Seahawks are currently scheduled to be $6 million over the 2025 cap. That qualifies as the third-worst cap situation of any team in the league heading into the offseason. It’s a minimal amount that Schneider should easily navigate, but it makes creating funds via releasing players a borderline necessity.

Hall and Mafe are long-term pieces on affordable rookie contracts. Jones is signed through just next season and is an alternative potential cap casualty, buy why would the Seahawks choose to release Jones over Nwosu when the former has been healthy and productive? If Nwosu wants to make this a difficult decision for Schneider, he needs to stay available and impactful down the stretch of the 2024 campaign.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Seahawks defense set tone with dominant first half vs. Cardinals in Week 12 win

Seahawks defense set tone with dominant first half vs. Cardinals in Week 12 win

The Seattle Seahawks’ defense put forth a dominant showing versus their NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s crucial 16-6 Week 12 victory. Mike Macdonald’s defense was firing on all cylinders early. It turns out they set the tone during the opening half of Sunday’s triumph.

The Seahawks pressured Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on nine of his 20 dropbacks (45%) throughout the first half, according to advanced data collected by ESPN Research. That represented the highest pressure rate Murray has faced in a first half in the last two seasons. He predictably struggled under duress, going two-of-six for 27 yards and three sacks on those plays.

Overall, the Seahawks’ surging defense limited the Cardinals to six points, 49 rushing yards, and 300 total yards of offense. A Seahawks defense that’s consistently struggled to defend the run this season held Cardinals running backs James Conner and Trey Benson to 26 yards via 11 carries (2.36 yards per carry).

Arizona’s offense went a combined three-of-13 on third and fourth down attempts. Murray threw zero touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked on five total occasions.

The Seahawks have held consecutive divisional opponents to under 20 points. Back-to-back victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Cardinals have the 6-5 Seahawks suddenly sitting atop the NFC West after all three of their divisional contenders lost on Sunday. Macdonald’s in-form defense is powering Seattle forward.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Seahawks pass rush will need to find a way to bring Brock Purdy down

Seahawks pass rush will need to find a way to bring Brock Purdy down

The Seattle Seahawks defense is, once again, struggling. There have been times this year where the unit has looked suffocating, especially with their pass rush. Unfortunately, there are other times where they are simply non-existent… especially the pass rush.

One of those times was Seattle’s Week 6 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Once again, the 49ers had little trouble dispatching the Seahawks in yet another double-digit victory. Part of Seattle’s struggles was the fact they could not bring down quarterback Brock Purdy, although not for lack of trying. Purdy proved to be shockingly elusive in the Thursday Night Football showdown.

In his career, Purdy is a perfect 4-0 vs the Seahawks. He has thrown for 1,049 yards and eight touchdowns against only two interceptions. In the aforementioned Week 6 game, Purdy threw three touchdown passes. Last week, Purdy torched the Buccaneers’ secondary with 353 yards.

As much as many Seahawks fans don’t want to admit it, Purdy can be a strong quarterback at times, especially in this rivalry. If Seattle wants any shot at pulling off one of the bigger upsets of Week 11 – as the Hawks are underdogs by nearly a touchdown – they will need to find a way to actually bring the pressure home to Purdy and get him on the ground.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1360]

Seahawks’ pass-rushing metrics through Week 9

Seahawks’ pass-rushing metrics through Week 9

The Seattle Seahawks are tied for 15th in the NFL in sacks with 21 quarterback takedowns through nine contests heading into this weekend’s bye. Mike Macdonald’s defense has taken a by-committee approach to rushing the passer. Three Seahawks defenders have produced three-or-more sacks, with Derick Hall (5.0), Boye Mafe (4.0), and Dre’Mont Jones (3.0) sitting atop the team leaderboard.

Leonard Williams (2.5), Tyrel Dodson (2.0), and Jarran Reed (2.0) aren’t far off from joining that club. Williams actually leads the Seahawks in pressures with 28, and Mafe (27), Hall (26), Reed (26), and Jones (25) aren’t far behind, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s been a team-effort for Seattle’s front seven this season.

The advanced analytics are in-line with these tangible results. The Seahawks have posted a league-average 41% pass-block-win-rate (PBWR) so far this season, ranking 17th in the NFL through nine weeks, according to data provided by ESPN Stats & Info. Seattle has been effective at getting after opposing passers.

Williams has posted 15 pass-rushing-wins out of 100 reps, also per ESPN. Williams’ 15% PRWR ranks third-best (tied with Calais Campbell) among all qualifying defensive tackles, trailing just Zach Allen (21%) and Chris Jones (20%). There’s no denying his production this season.

Applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks hasn’t been Seattle’s issue this season. The 4-5 Seahawks are entering a Week 10 bye. When they return, a productive, all-hands-on-deck pass rushing unit will attempt to aid other areas of struggle.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Seahawks’ run-stopping metrics through Week 9

Seahawks’ run-stopping metrics through Week 9

The Seattle Seahawks have struggled to stop the run this season. Entering their Week 10 bye, the defense is currently ranked 27th in defending the run, allowing opposing offenses to produce 139.4 rushing yards per game. Missed tackles and gap discipline have been recurring issues across the front seven.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider recently made a notable change to the run defense. Schneider acquired linebacker Ernest Jones IV in a trade with the Tennessee Titans in exchange for 2025 draft-pick capital and fellow linebacker Jerome Baker. Despite losing to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9, their starting back Kyren Williams was limited to 69 yards and 3.1 yards per carry. Jones has already improved Seattle’s run defense.

The season-long metrics still leave plenty to be desired. As things stand, the Seahawks have posted a run-stopping-win-rate (RSWR) of 29%, 23rd-best in the league, according to data collected by ESPN Stats & Info. That ranking aligns with what Seattle’s undisciplined run defense has put on tape.

Opposing backfields are rushing for 4.8 yards per carry against Seattle’s defense. That’s tied for the sixth-most yards per carry average allowed by any defense in the NFL. Mike Macdonald’s unit has forfeited a middling nine rushing touchdowns this season.

The Seahawks must defend the run with better efficiency when they return from their Week 10 bye. Acquiring Jones has slightly pushed the needle in a better direction. Using the off-week to course-correct their gap-sound discipline issues could lead to more desirable results versus the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks players on defense vs. Rams

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks players on defense vs. Rams

The Seattle Seahawks were defeated 26-20 by the Los Angeles Rams in overtime on Sunday. The defense forced the Rams offensive into seven three-and-outs and limited them to 366 total yards of offense. Pro Football Focus had the following three Seahawks defenders as their highest-graded talents on that side of the ball versus the Rams.

Ernest Jones IV | 83.4

Ernest Jones IV was PFF’s fifth-highest graded linebacker in Week 9. He scored even better as a run defender, earning a third-highest 85.7. Jones IV recorded five pressures, three stops, and two pressures. The sideline-to-sideline linebacker has been an excellent addition to the defense following his acquisition in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.

Boye Mafe | 73.4

Boye Mafe has been a steady performer all campaign long. The 2022 second-round selection accumulated two quarterback pressures and two tackles versus the Rams. Mafe was also a force multiplier as a run defender, scoring a steady 73.4 in the run defense department.

Devon Witherspoon | 73.3

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was credited with allowing five receptions on eight targets for 52 receiving yards against Matthew Stafford. His overall defensive grade of 73.3 was his third-best individually graded game of the season. Witherspoon has yet to allow a touchdown catch this year. He’s allowing just 8.7 yards per catch in 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Seahawks Week 9 injury report: DK Metcalf still not practicing

Seahawks Week 9 injury report: DK Metcalf still not practicing

The Seattle Seahawks have a must-win game this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams. It will determine if they can stay competitive for the division lead, or fall to dead last in the NFC West. Unfortunately, after Wednesday’s practice, they have quite a lengthy injury report.

The most concerning name is of course star wide receiver DK Metcalf, who is not practicing. Metcalf missed last week’s game against Buffalo due to a Grade 1 MCL sprain he suffered in Week 7. Metcalf did not practice last week, and is starting off the week with the same status.

Some good news is the fact Abe Lucas and George Fant remain limited participants. It may be a while before either see the field, but these are encouraging signs for their progression forward.

The full injury report from Wednesday’s practice can be seen below.

Did Not Participate:

  • WR DK Metcalf – Knee
  • WR Laviska Shenault Jr. – Knee
  • CB Devon Witherspoon – Foot
  • DE Leonard Williams – NIR/Rest

Limited Participation:

  • T George Fant – Knee
  • T Abe Lucas – Knee
  • WR Tyler Lockett – Oblique
  • LB Dre’Mont Jones – Shoulder
  • CB Nehemiah Pritchett – Ankle
  • NT Cameron Young – Knee
  • TE Noah Fant – Groin
  • G Laken Tomlinson – NIR/Rest

Full Participation:

  • T Michael Jerrell – Shoulder
  • LB Boye Mafe – Knee
  • CB Tre Brown – Ankle
  • CB Riq Woolen – Ankle

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1360]