In Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, Miami Dolphins' defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had a tough decision. Weaver, who coached alongside Seattle Seahawks’ head man Mike Macdonald in Baltimore in 2022-’23, knew his secondary was a weak spot. He also knew his front seven had pretty solid talent, with a number of gifted edge rushers.
So here’s Weaver's conundrum. Does he sit back, devoting more men to coverage and only pressure with a four-man rush, or does he attack? Send the house after the opposing quarterback in hopes of speeding him to the point that the suspect coverage unit cannot be exploited.
Weaver chose the latter strategy, blitzing on more than half of the Indianapolis Colts’ passing plays. It didn’t work. The Colts ran roughshod over the Miami to the tune of a 33-8 victory. This Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Macdonald and DC Aden Durde may be faced with a similar decision.
Injuries could have a major impact on Seattle’s game plan against Steelers
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Just two weeks ago, the Seahawks' secondary looked like it would be a major strength. Starting corners Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen, and [starting safeties Julian Love](https://12thmanrising.com/seattle-seahawks-defender-sees-stock-skyrocketing-week-1) and Coby Bryant, were supported by corner Josh Jobe and safety Nick Emmanwori. That’s as good a six-deep secondary combo as you are apt to find in the league.
At least in theory. And if everyone is healthy.
A lot has changed after just one week. Emmanwori suffered a high ankle sprain early in the Week 1 loss to San Francisco and is almost certainly out for several weeks. The fact that he hasn’t yet been placed on IR offers some hope that he will return sooner rather than later, but he won’t be playing against Pittsburgh this week.
Then there is Woolen, the gifted, enigmatic fourth-year corner who was simply atrocious against San Francisco. He has the talent to be a top-level perimeter corner, but his inability to make plays on the ball at the catch point cost Seattle dearly on Sunday. Macdonald was non-committal when asked if Woolen would remain a starter.
This week has brought more bad news on the injury front. Both Witherspoon and Love – Seattle’s two Pro Bowlers – missed practice this week with injuries. Witherspoon is doubtful for Sunday, while Love should be able to play. If Witherspoon can’t go, and if Woolen is benched, it means Seattle will go into Week 2's matchup against Aaron Rodgers extremely limited in terms of versatility.
Back to that Miami-Indianapolis game for a moment. One of the factors that may have influenced Anthony Weaver’s decision to blitz was the Colts’ QB, Daniel Jones. Jones has a history of wilting under pressure – a situation he encountered far too often when playing for the New York Giants. Weaver logically assumed that if he could light up the Colts’ QB, his defense could make plays.
But the Colts' offensive line rose to the challenge. Jones also rose to the challenge. He picked apart that suspect defensive backfield.
And Daniel Jones is no Aaron Rodgers. Say what you want about Pittsburgh’s aging mercenary QB, but one thing has been true as long as Rodgers has been in the league. If you blitz him, you had better get home. Otherwise, he will eat you alive.
Like most veteran QBs, Rodgers likes to see a blitz coming. He knows how to beat it. This year, he has a big, fast [receiver named DK Metcalf](https://12thmanrising.com/former-seahawks-wide-receiver-says-what-weve-all-been-thinking-dk-metcalf) who can feast on man coverage. If Macdonald and Durde choose to blitz, they'd better make it work.
Seattle has the personnel up front to make this work. Uchenna Nwosu is going to make his long-awaited return to the lineup. Seattle only recorded one sack against the 49ers, but their pressure rate was excellent. Second best in the league behind Denver.
Against the Steelers last week, the Jets were able to get some pressure on Rodgers, especially when targeting Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones. Look for Seattle’s talented pass rushers to attack the left side of the offense.
But if they overcommit, Rodgers will hurt them. Even though he was under some pressure last week, he still managed to put up 34 points.
Even if Spoon is healthy – even if Woolen gets another chance and performs better – the Steelers will be a tough opponent. If it’s unproven players like Pritchett and Okada on the field, Macdonald’s decision on how aggressive to be becomes a lot more complicated.