The 3-1 Seattle Seahawks have fielded one of the league’s best defenses through four contests. Mike Macdonald’s unit ranks eighth in yards allowed per game (283.8) with splits of seventh-best (167.5) in passing yards and 14th-best in rushing yards (116.3). There are also advanced metrics that paint a picture of Seattle’s early-season defensive performances.
ESPN Analytics developed pass-rush-win-rate (PRWR) and run-stop-win-rate (RSWR) metrics to analyze how often defensive linemen win their reps. The Seahawks currently rank 14th in the league in both metrics. Macdonald’s defense is posting a 43% pass-rush-win-rate, and a 31% run-stop-win-rate through four weeks.
Furthermore, there are individual Seahawks defenders faring well in various metrics. Ascending superstar pass rusher Boye Mafe ranks fourth-best among all qualifying EDGE defenders in pass-rush-win-rate (PRWR) by winning 30% of his reps. He trails just Myles Garrett (36%), Aidan Hutchinson (34%), and Trey Hendrickson (34%) in that metric.
The Seahawks also have two edge defenders on the run-stop-win-rate (RSWR) leaderboard. Mafe places seventh at 35%, and sophomore defender Derick Hall ranks 10th at 33%. Other players on the list include DeMarcus Lawrence (37%) and Maxx Crosby (37%), so Mafe and Hall are keeping good company here.
Macdonald has completely transformed this Seahawks defense since his arrival. Young studs like Mafe and Hall are thriving under Macdonald’s tutelage. The advanced stats back that statement.
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