After Seattle’s primetime shellacking of the Washington Commanders last week, the Seahawks have been the toast of the town (that town being the National Football League and its pundits). Terms like contender
and Super Bowl run have been thrown around adjacent to Mike Macdonald’s ascending team… for great reason in a seemingly wide-open year in the league.
The most recent NFL dynasty, the Kansas City Chiefs, haven’t looked quite as dominant lately. The Chiefs sit at 5-4, good for 3rd in the competitive AFC West. While Patrick Mahomes and crew may be feeling more dangerous after getting WR Rashee Rice back in the fold, it seems they are looking for even more of a spark to get back to the big game. Adam Schefter reports that Seahawks pass rusher Boye Mafe was in KC’s crosshairs.
Wow. We all heard and read the incessant trade rumors that were enveloping both Boye Mafe and as Riq Woolen, but the fact that the Seattle Seahawks were buyers instead of sellers at the deadline feels like a vote of confidence in this roster and coaching staff. Some will argue that the Hawks should’ve gotten what they could’ve out of a player in the final year of his rookie deal, but what if this team goes far?
After a year where the Philadelphia Eagles marauded through the NFL playoffs on the backs of a deep rotational pass rush, more and more teams seem to be employing this tactic. It was that same Philly team that took down the Chiefs in the most recent Super Bowl to put an end to any talks of a three-peat.
The compensation for a Boye Mafe trade might’ve been nice, in theory. Would it have been worth stomaching the sight of Mafe in bright red, helping another team that has true championship aspirations? What if Seattle gets a chance to make it that far themselves? So many questions in this hypothetical alternate reality. In deciding to hold onto all of their cards, the Seahawks could be signaling their own belief that they can go all in this year.
Boye Mafe has zero sacks on the season thus far but sits at 12th in the NFL in ESPN’s Edge Pass Rush Win Rate Rankings. The Seahawks have concocted a strong solution for defensive pressure as a team:
Let’s not mess with that formula.
This team has a lot of talent, and other teams around the league have taken notice. Reading online comments from Chiefs fans is instructive as well. It’s good to remember that some teams are desperate for the type of pass rush depth that Seattle has. Instead of feeding a playoff run for another team, The Seahawks feel like they are loading up to make a run of their own and want to keep all of the talent around that they possibly can.
