As is their superpower, the Seattle Seahawks defense shut down the Arizona Cardinals run game in Week 9. Cardinals leading rusher Tyler Allgeier rushed 17 times for just 46 yards. But the Dark Side defense didn't stop there. Defensive ends Derick Hall and Dante Fowler Jr. took advantage of Arizona’s uncertainty at offensive tackle. Defensive tackles Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed and Rylie Mills wreaked havoc in the backfield. The entire defensive front deserves praise, but what components of this performance were signs of things to come? We’ll take the first look at that conundrum here.
Leonard Williams absence created a hole at defensive tackle. Replacing a first-team All-Pro at any position is hard enough, but this is one where replacement level
is particularly hard to define. The Seahawks’ were able to plug-and-play Mills, a 2025 fifth-round pick, without their front getting gashed. He made the value of that pick back just by picking up his veteran teammate’s slack for one game.
Mills has been good enough to vouch for more playing time since his Super Bowl sack, but the Seahawks have such an embarrassment of riches in his position group that it’s been hard to fit him in. When Jarran Reed is playing defensive tackle this well in his 11th year, there’s no reason to make a change.
Murphy had a sack and two tackles for loss in this game while consistently resetting the line of scrimmage and creating opportunities for his teammates to fill their stat sheets, too. He needed a get-right performance after the Chicago Bears came after him with an aggressive offensive gameplan in Week 8.
Fowler had his first impact play as a Seahawk today, in the form of a strip-sack at the end of the first half. The edge room needs immediate impact, and he can continue to find rhythm against the Las Vegas Raiders’ imperfect offensive tackle tandem of Kolton Miller and DJ Glaze next week, too.
Last, but certainly not least, Hall filled up the stat sheet in a way which tends to elude him. He racked up three tackles for loss. He’s known for pressuring the quarterback at a high level, but has struggled to make his numbers reflect that. Today, though, he had the last laugh.
The Seahawks' defensive line will have another opportunity to fill up the stat sheet when they visit Las Vegas in Week 10, but first, it's time for them to enjoy today's performance for 24 hours.
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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks defensive line shows out against Cardinals in Week 9
