The Seattle Seahawks entered the season as one of three teams that were essentially tied for the “best defense in the league” going into Week 1, the others being the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos. This is all based on last season, of course, when the Seahawks led the NFL in points allowed, the Texans led in yards allowed, and the Broncos led in net yards per pass allowed. Arguably the most important trifecta of defensive stats.
It would be understandable if any of these teams lapsed in the first game and weren’t as dominant as they were last season. Well, two of them did …
But the Seahawks allowed the second-fewest points of Week 1 and they were facing the defending AFC Champions and MVP runner-up.
Compare that to other defenses:
The Texans allowed 36 points and 409 yards to the Bills
The Broncos allowed 31 points and 392 yards to the Chiefs
The Rams allowed 27 points and 379 yards to the 49ers
The Rams were not a top-tier defense last season, but many were quick to anoint them as the best unit going into this season based on additions of Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Aaron Donald.
Donald didn’t play. Garrett recorded zero tackles and just went on IR. Watson allowed two touchdowns.
Now let’s put a frame of reference on the days that Houston and Denver had: Seattle only had two games in 2025, including playoffs, in which they allowed more than 27 points. Only two! They allowed 38 to the Bucs when they were missing many key starters and 37 to the Rams, in overtime, on a Thursday.
The way that the Texans and Broncos opened their seasons is almost as bad as any game the Seahawks had in all of 2025. Even allowing 27 is a bad day at the office for Mike Macdonald. That’s how many Seattle allowed to L.A. in the NFC Championship game and that was against the best offense in the NFL.
Are Bills, Chiefs, and 49ers “the best offenses” in the NFL? I guess we’ll see about that.
But if we had to pick one reason why the Seahawks have been so consistent on defense since the middle of 2024, and those other teams haven’t been, I think we all know what it is.
Time for Part II of Super Joes Q&A.
Seth: My question is why is MMs defensive scheming so extremely effective? It seems like every-time key contributors are out he just plugs in someone else and they look like all pros🥳 Side note: it’s incredible to watch our four guys getting pressures with one of the lowest blitz rates...what gives?
I have to kick it over to Coach All-22, which is must-see YouTube.
What I didn’t even get to mention is that the Seahawks dominated the Patriots without Nick Emmanwori or Ty Okada or Bud Clark. They could have three or four different starters on defense in a month and the outcomes shouldn’t change. They should only continue to improve.
As All-22 describes in that video, DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu provide veteran smarts that you don’t see from many of the younger NFL players. I don’t have a specific Seahawks video to show you next, but Match Quarters posted this “Glitch” Blitz video about the Ravens last month and if you know Macdonald, you know he is credited as the Godfather of it:
Dewhub: I just got out of the hospital (again), and my poor soul could use an over the top reaction to the Rams meltdown. FTR!
Rusty: What the heck is up with the Rams? First, the stupid travel decision that was roundly condemned by every sleep expert known to humanity. Then their star acquisition and reigning DPOY finishes the game with zero stats, and says he needs to get his knee right. Now surgery is planned for today (Monday) and he’s on the IR. And this is after McVay said Garrett was 100% just before the game.
Sure seems like a lot of drama and miscommunication, but what’s your take?
Setting aside what I think will happen with the Rams, let’s first look at how people would talk about their offseason if they ended up with the worst-case scenario. Look at the potential for these decisions to backfire:
Traded Jared Verse, a 1st round pick, and more for Myles Garrett
Paid Aaron Donald at least $20 million
Traded 1st round pick for Trent McDuffie + paid him $30m/year
Paid Jaylen Watson on a 3-year, $51m contract
Drafted QB Ty Simpson with 13th overall pick
Didn’t draft a single player to help them this season
If the Rams miss the playoffs, or even if they don’t win multiple playoff games, this has the potential to go down as “worst offseason ever”.
I think L.A. makes three potentially huge mistakes every year:
1) They don’t care about rookies
2) They don’t touch preseason or even care that much about training camp
3) They don’t care about special teams
The Rams traded a first-round pick for McDuffie, which does give them a contributor, but they used all their other picks on reserves. A third-string QB in the first, a fifth-string tight end in the second, a backup lineman in the third. Almost every single Super Bowl-caliber team uses the draft as a weapon to help them immediately. Look at Grey Zabel and Emmanwori. Look at Price.
And while I think there is a valid reason to be cautious with the preseason, Sean McVay takes it to the extreme. He doesn’t let anybody important play a single snap in the preseason. The only exceptions would be someone like Simpson, who he knew wouldn’t get any more reps for a year. Although most teams, including the Seahawks, barely treat the preseason like an opportunity to get ready for Week 1, I think that’s a mistake.
I agree with Tony Dungy: “I saw many players and teams who were not ready for the speed or contact of a real game” in Week 1.
But Matthew Stafford sits out the majority of the offseason because of his back. The starters probably got more reps with Stetson Bennett than they did with Stafford. Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett also missed most of training camp. I don’t know if Donald has practiced with the Rams in full one time yet.
So the Rams could look unprepared out of the gate. I’d expect them to get better as the season goes on, as they always do, but if they start 2-4, is it too little, too late for the NFC West? Looking at the schedule, that record isn’t out of the question.
Bob: A lot of QB, Defense and rookie RB chat in Fanland (and rightfully so), but I was jazzed about our O-line in the opener. They make ALL the rest, on offense, work. With Fleury's scheme could we be looking at a top FIVE O-line...or is my chronic SOB (Seahawk Obsession Bias) acting up again?
If I recall correctly, the broadcast mentioned that Seattle is one of only three teams to bring back their entire starting offensive line from last season? Seaside Joe had a story in July about the offensive line jumping from bottom-three to top-10 this year.
Former NFL center LeCharles Bentley recently praised Jalen Sundell as someone he believes could be “protector of the year”.
Ironically, Abe Lucas may be the guy on the line drawing the most critiques right now in terms of one-on-one pass protection, but we also know that he’s been praised as Seattle’s best lineman at other times.
Jadarian Price averaged 3.5 yards before contact per run, which is top-10. If Seattle can continue to run block and pass protect at a high level, the team’s less heralded starters (aka everybody except JSN) should be more than OK.
zezinhom400: Have you heard anything we haven’t about Emmanwori’s availability for the Cards game? It’s another full 10 days now of recovery time...
And he seems to unlock some of the other guys bc he’s so difficult for the other team to figure out, could be anything from edge to LB to safety to nickel to CB. Crazy the impact he has on games.
The first practice report comes out on Wednesday, so we’ll have to just monitor if Nick Emmanwori gets in a full practice participation by Friday. Emmanwori posted a practice photo of himself on Tuesday, so hopefully that’s an indication that he’s optimistic about his chances of playing against the Cardinals.
Bill: Did I miss the in-depth stories of our draft picks this year? I loved the history behind JSN that you did, where you showed us his high school years, as well as the whole series on Kenneth Walker. I don't recall seeing historical write-ups on Price, Clark, etc. While you're at it, how about the same for folks like Lock, the best punter in NFL history Dickson, Leo, etc. If you've done them, please post the links. :-)
Thanks for asking! I did do a write-up on Jadarian Price’s history from high school to the draft titled “Could Jadarian Price have been ‘Jeremiyah Love’ first?’” which details his immense potential as a recruit and why he was never able to totally realize his star power at Notre Dame due to an early-career injury and the luck for the program to also land Love.
The reason you probably remember Walker and JSN but not Price is that his career is not very noteworthy relative to those two players. As I wrote right after the pick, Price is one of, if not the most undecorated first-round picks of a running back in modern history. That doesn’t take anything away from Price as a player; it’s just a fact.
A running back with zero career college starts getting drafted in the first round is unprecedented and he might be the first running back to go in the first two rounds while never having more than 125 touches in a season. So it was hard to create a series for Price in the same I could do for Walker coming off of an All-American season in which he was a workhorse for Michigan State; or Jaxon Smith-Njigba after he had one of the best high school careers in Texas history and an all-time college season at Ohio State.
For what it’s worth, it’s comforting to look back and see that some of the takeaways I had at the time were:
"JSN could soon be the Seahawks’ best receiver” before his first game as a rookie (when the team had DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett), and in another article in that series I compared him to someone who was not yet his teammate:
But the conversation around Smith-Njigba going into the 2023 NFL Draft reminded me a bit of Cooper Kupp skepticism in 2017, as “Team All-Traits” was desperately looking to explain away his legendary career at Eastern Washington in which he broke every major receiving record in FCS history. To be fair to Team All-Traits, Kupp broke records set by players like Scott Pingel, Terrell Hudgins, and David Ball.
However, the NFL knew that Cooper Kupp was no Pingel-Hudgins-Ball. How do I know that? The Rams drafted him. And did so in spite of a 4.62 time in the 40-yard dash. But his 6.75 three-cone time was really good for a 204 lb receiver (faster than eventual teammate Brandin Cooks, who is known for his speed) and Kupp didn’t waste any time in showing skeptics that they were wrong about him
And on Walker, I wrote a headline in 2022 that feels very fitting when put next to the lovefest surrounding him on X after his Chiefs debut:
“Ken Walker III could do the impossible: Make analytics believe that running backs matter””
It’s easy to find writers who praise every player who is on the team that they cover, but I am careful with who I allow myself to get hyped about and I dove headfirst into guys like Walker, JSN, and Devon Witherspoon because the more I found, the more I liked. It was like digging through a Halloween bucket and the candy just kept getting better and bigger as you dumped it all out onto the floor.
And it’s not that Jadarian Price is a sugar-free lollipop or anything. It’s more that there wasn’t as much to see and many of the highlights were bite-sized. There’s a lot to love about Bud Clark and I probably should go back and dive into his history. Same as Julian Neal. Although it may be put off until 2027.
As far as veterans, I did do one on Julian Love in 2023 that I think is great to re-visit, especially coming off of “his best game as a Seahawk” according to Macdonald.
Ray: You've mentioned that George Holani is a serviceable third-down back. Can you tell us what a "Third-Down" running back's duties and responsibilities are?
Short answer: Teams aren’t expected to run the ball on third-and-medium or third-and-long. In 2025, teams passed the ball 92% of the time on third-and-medium (4-6 yards) and 95% of the time on third-and-long (7+). Therefore, a good runner isn’t necessarily who you want on the field in most third down situations beyond third-and-2.
Third-and-3, the pass rate is still over 70%.
So what are the qualities of a running back on an expected passing down?
#1 good pass protection
#2 good pass protection
#3 good receiving ability
A third-down back has to be able to pass protect. John Schneider called Holani’s pass protection “elite” during the playoffs.
Skip Peete, Todd Gurley’s former running back coach on the Rams, said that pass protection is “the most important thing” a running back can do in the NFL. Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy said that if you can’t pass protect, you can’t play. Duce Staley also said that pass protection is a back’s most important job. And just this offseason, John Harbaugh said that backs have to be “great” in pass protection if they’re going to play on third down.
So fact of the matter is, Holani will play Seattle’s third downs because the Seahawks trust him as a pass protector. It’s not something Price was asked to do a lot in college and presumably is a skill they’re working to develop as quickly as possible in practice. Furthermore, you’re probably wondering, “Well isn’t Price the best option on third-and-short at least?”
While those opportunities are not out of the question, Seattle likes Emanuel Wilson for short yardage situations.
First downs will belong to Price, but he’ll be in on most second downs. Third downs will belong to Holani. Second down will still be shared among all three backs. Short yardage third and fourth downs will probably go to Wilson or A.J. Barner.
And a “three-down back” is exactly what it sounds like. A complete running back who can do everything and never has to come off of the field, although those players are largely made obsolete by the realization that their careers will be longer if you give them adequate rest.
Grant: Jalen Milroe will now be active on game-day. I'd like to cross my fingers and see a Milroe snap or two, but I bet I'm in the minority. Does having Lock as the starter change the calculus for anyone else? I wouldn't do it just to do it, but in the right situation if the game flow needs a change of pace, I hope Fleury has got a few plays in his back pocket.
Jumping off of what I just wrote, personally I like the idea of giving Jalen Milroe a random second-and-short QB option now and again. I know there was a fumble disaster on one such call in 2025, but if Jason Myers misses one kick do you give up on him entirely?
Watching players like Lamar Jackson run around the field in Week 1, and knowing that Milroe is at least capable of rushing the ball like him, it seems like a missed opportunity to completely ignore his potential contributions now that he is going to be active on Sunday.
Burgdawg: I’m continually amazed by the level of involvement on SSJ—the premier Seahawks site. As well as Field Gulls, etc. For example, the number of comments during games seems impressive. While I know the Seahawks community is the best, are there other NFL fan sites (SB Nation) that rival the Seahawks in terms of fan participation? Curious about your sense of how the level of Seahawks fandom compares to other teams.
Some of the fandoms that seem the most fervent to me based on my experiences of actively monitoring sites for basically all 32 teams would include the Bills, Eagles, Chiefs, Giants, and yes, the Seahawks.
And I’m talking about Bills before Josh Allen, Chiefs before Patrick Mahomes. This goes back even to their more mediocre days.
In 2014, I also drove around the country for a month going to NFL games and I hit up these stadiums on the tour:
Cowboys
Jaguars
Moons
Bills
Bears
Broncos
Seahawks
Best fans: Seahawks, Bills, Broncos. Worst stadiums: Moons, Bears. Lackadaisical fans: Jaguars. The funny thing about Jacksonville is that it is a fun experience, but people seemed more invested in the hot tub and the DJ (yep) than the game and I saw more Steelers jerseys than Jags jerseys.
Cowboys Stadium is extravagant and the fans care obviously, although the entire experience felt more like being at a sports movie than an actual real life game, if that makes sense.
"Seahawks fans should just enjoy the moment." ~ Gonna do what LeCharles Bentley says to do.
Our O-Line with Jalen Sundell ~ We All We Got ! WE All We Need !
Week 2 at the Cardinals will be an interesting game for us. Drew has a full week with the 1’s, Fleury tailors the gameplan to Drew’s strengths, Emmanwori is hopefully back creating chaos, and the pass rush gets to Jacoby, just like last year.
Last year the Cards offense was basically Trey McBride for 1-2 first downs then punt or fumble.
Will be interesting to see how Lafleur’s offense plays vs our D. If they score a few more points, then the pressure will be on Drew to put points on the board and maybe take more risks…
Could be a challenging game…, but I hope I am wrong and we just take care of business!