The Seattle Seahawks defense quieted the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football to improve to 7-0 on the not-so-young-anymore season. It was an exceptionally gratifying victory, considering —
— oh, the whole team? They’re 4-3. Just the Seattle defense is undefeated. “The Dark Side” may have their moments when they look and act mortal, but they cannot be beaten unless the call comes from the inside of the house. Specifically, in the form of three silly turnovers per game, or an unlikely fumble
in their own end zone that could’ve been prevented by running straight ahead, or some equally inexcusable meltdown like tossing two picks after the two-minute warning. All those self-destructive scenarios unfolded, and they all led directly to three roundabout losses.
The ’Hawks D has dropped exactly zero games all calendar year, extraordinary really, with November looming around the bend. I want to dive in today, forty percent through the season and three days after their latest preposterous triumph — not allowing an Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes team to enter the red zone — to the statistical thoroughness that defines their dominance. There should also be time to gently touch on a potential Achilles heel. Which might be fake.
It would be weblog malpractice, however, to shame the offense any further without conducting our weekly worship of the solar system’s best wide receiver. Jaxon Smith-MegatroNjigba has ascended into the national consciousness, somehow strengthened his case for repeating (!) as Offensive Player of the Year, and… there’s really nothing defenses can do about it?
Double him? Okay, they’re already doing that.
Triple-team him? That’s how you run out of players.
For the second time in two seasons, JSN is on pace to surpass Calvin Johnson’s all-time yards receiving record. All he’s managing so far is to lead the league in yards (843), first downs (43), touchdowns (8), and yards per touch (14.7). Put another way, if the stat contains the word “downs,” “touch” or “yards,” chances are Smith-Njigba is at the top, looking down on his subjects from the type of throne no Seahawk has occupied since 2005 Shaun Alexander.
With that out of the way, it’s time to shower the defense with superlatives, rinsing and repeating along the way. The Seahawks rank first or second in the following (deep breath, fill both lungs):
- Defensive DVOA
- Yards per play, 4.0
- Passing yards/game, 144
- Net yards/attempt, 4.4
- Passing first downs/game, 7.7
- Average depth of target, 6.3 yards
- QB knockdown percentage, 16.9
- Punts per play, .10
- Yards per carry, 3.5 (JAX 3.2)
- Pressure rate, 30.9 (MIN 35.7)
- Total first downs/game, 14.8 (MIN 13.2)
- Turnovers forced, 12 (GB 13)
- EPA/play, -0.17 (MIN -0.21)
- Third down conversion percentage, 28.0 (CHI 26.1)
- ANY/A, 3.5 (MIN 3.4)
The list goes on, but especially after watching them against the Chiefs, you get the picture tailored swiftly. It’s a complete defense, we knew they were trouble when they walked in, with nothing but champagne problems (I’m done now, it’s safe to read again).
If there’s a component important to winning defensive football, the Seahawks are at the top. They can’t be attacked through the air or the ground, they kill you on third down, and they’re coached by the best mind in the game. They’re 18 men deep. We know this because both starting safeties missed time, they rotate seven men across the d-line and their third inside linebacker is blossoming in relief of another starter.
One of my favorite toy stats in the list is punts per play. The .10 mark means opponents spend ten percent of their time punting. If they run 60 plays that’s six punts. Not exactly a recipe for points. In fact, only one other team this decade (the ‘23 Browns) has posted a mark as high.
Add in interceptions and fumbles, which the Seahawks cause on exactly five percent of plays, and you’re watching foes give them the ball right back fifteen percent of the time, or one out of every seven snaps. On average, the poor offense opposite Seattle runs six plays for a handful yards then doesn’t get to move the ball anymore, because they’re relieved of that duty.
However.
All season long there’s been a breaking point for the law firm of Witherspoon, Jones, and Williams (feat. jr. partner Nick E.). And that’s on possessions past the tenth drive. I have a pretty chart.
Note: the Patriots, Cardinals and Chiefs did not have an eleventh drive. Kneeldowns are omitted.
Four out of five times, past the tenth possession, Seattle’s defensive drive stats suffered substantially. The plays per drive doubled or more; the points per drive followed accordingly. In weeks 3-5, the difference was most acute. Hell, if the Seahawks never allowed an opponent to begin an eleventh drive, they might well still be authentically undefeated.
It kinda sucks, but that can be laid at the feet of the offense once again. Sam Darnold & Co. dominated time of possession by 13 and 12 minutes against the Cards and Chiefs and won handily; they split it against the Commanders and Chargers, two of the NFL’s weakest teams, and barely escaped with a 1-1 record.
Longer possessions for Seattle means fewer drives for everyone, which means fewer times for the opposing coordinators to scheme solutions. My working theory is not that the defense gets tired; they keep producing three-and-outs. Instead, it’s that all 32 coaching staffs employ capable men who are getting paid good money to win the chess match throughout the game. Usually from the Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay tree. (We will never be free from them.) Thus the best place for the Seahawks offense to start and help their defensive teammates is with ball security, bringing us full circle to the inescapable topic or turnovers. Maybe it really is all about the ball.
That being said, should we be worried about stale defensive game plans? Not necessarily, according to friend of the site cmikespinmove:
Mike Macdonald appears to be quite aware of the value of self-scouting and breaking tendencies. You don’t get to be a defensive genius without having some off-speed pitches. McVay and Shanahan have had to tweak their offenses to stay ahead of the defense; for example, McVay ran 11 personnel 95 percent of the time in 2018 when the rest of the league was at 60 percent. He then utilized 13 personnel (three TE) a full 30 percent of the time last season, more than twice as often as the next-highest coach. Macdonald won’t go stale or run out of ideas and tactics.
Finally, before we laud some predators, it should — and will be — noted that the Seahawks have already played:
- DVOA-leading San Francisco
- Mahomes’ previously undefeated Chiefs
- Both AFC title game participants from last season
The schedule has been treacherous, and still Seattle’s three losses have famously come by a total of eight points. A pick six sank them in Washington, Darnold set himself on fire late in Denver, and a no-call-personal-foul-JSN-drop parlay prevented them from forcing overtime against the Niners. Granted, those are things that cost you games for a reason, they’re egregious errors, but they’re also not representative of the team’s overall quality.
Everyone else has said this in some form or another, but dang, if you just turn it over one less time in each of those three losses and play regular sloppy instead of ultra sloppy, you’ve swept your way to 7-0 for reals and everyone is talking about how you haven’t even his your stride yet on offense.
Since this is a lookback on the first 40 percent of the season, a few predators have emerged as leaders, besides JSN, Destroyer of Worlds and Wrecker of Wills.
Ernest Jones and Nick Emmanwori
The best thing I can say about Jones? You feel like there must be two of him on the field because no matter where the ball goes, he crashes in. Whereas with E-Man, you can never say there’s two of him because he’s unmissable wherever he lines up. And it has been wherever. Defensive end, safety crashing into the box, corner running with Xavier Worthy step for step, or even causing Okada’s Week 7 interception by swallowing Mahomes whole on national television, in clear defiance of FCC regulations. Won’t somebody think of the children?
Byron Murphy and Jarran Reed
Right in the center of that defense, manning the A and B gaps or knifing through an overmatched lineman, it’s going to be the big body of either Byron or Jarran in the way. Murphy needed a year or two to develop while Reed, a full decade older, has the savvy that only comes from eleven years of experience. Together they’ve ensured that nobody — not Kenneth Walker even — runs on the Seahawks. The last time a RB reached 100 yards was two seasons ago, that’s been well publicized. What frequently isn’t is how much of that is due to the two men who spend most their time manning the middle.
There are a lot of clips like this:
Leonard Williams and Derick Hall(oween)
Frankly you could dress up as either on Saturday and frighten any opposing quarterback who answers the door. They co-lead the team with three sacks and nine QB hits apiece. Williams has seven of the team’s 40 (!) tackles for loss. He’s shooting to become the franchise’s most impactful free agent of all time. (Which may not be saying much, but don’t tell him.)
Additionally: it’s a coincidence, or it isn’t, that the Seahawks OL went from 17 QB hits allowed to TWO upon Anthony Bradford’s return to the starting lineup. Kinda depends if you believe in the power of body language.
Lastly, it would be oversightly to not mention John Schneider’s killer instinct since training camp opened. He went after and signed not one but two top corners to bolster the room in August when concerns were high, finished the Spoon contract, then traded for Quenton Nelson this week. He’s not content with standing pat, and with how quickly windows close in the NFL, his is a welcome attitude.
Hallow’s Eve Preyers
Speaking of Nelson, how does he fit? That’s a problem I’m willing to try and solve. They might not ask me, but should they, I’ll say the season is 17 games long, at a bare minimum. To assume everyone stays healthy is poor rostering. You always want more guards and tackles than there are starting positions. If your first backup is starter level, such as Josh Jones or Bradford, he’s gonna play at some point.
Ty Okada’s extremities. I mean, look at those feet and hands. His diving, divine pick of Mahomes on SNF showcased his cradling ability, and brought to mind his toe-tapping interception of Jayden Daniels in 2025! You bet your ass we have footage.
The Mahomes pick wasn’t obvious either. What a luxury to have a DB who turns difficult catches into takeaways.
George Holani started the ‘26 season with the most uninspiring 26-77-0 line through five games, then busted out a touchdown, a 13-yard run in Denver and a 12-yard zigzag reception on third down against the Chiefs. He’s not ever going to be RB1 but he’s suddenly useful, at the moment of the Seahawks’ greatest need.
Jason Myers is 14-of-15 on field goals and 16-of-17 on extra points. You want to bet the Niners and Rams wish they’d invested more in special teams? Eddy Pineiro is unreliable and unusable past 50 yards, plus he’s missed four extra points. The Rams are on their third kicker, el oh el.
Ultimately, as the stats suggest and the eye test confirms, the Seahawks can repeat but they’ll only go as far as the offense allows. Which will sputter, JSN or no, if Darnold continues to vacillate between brilliance and boneheadedness. The 2026 Seahawks would go all the way on the backs of their defense. Ultimately, however, they will go only as far as their perfect WR1, their still-enigmatic QB1, their Whoever Ends Up RB1 and their newly intriguing OL allow. Or disallow.
