The Seattle Seahawks have hit the ground running on defense, holding each of their first two opponents to just 17 points.
One big reason for the early success? The unit’s ability to generate pressure without sending extra pass rushers.
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The Seahawks have recorded a league-high 38.5% pressure rate through the first two weeks, according to Pro Football Reference. And they’ve done so while blitzing just 10.3% of the time, which is the sixth-lowest rate in the league.
As former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus explained on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, the Seahawks’ ability to create pressure with a four-man rush has afforded them the luxury of routinely dropping seven defenders into coverage.
“They’re creating chaos just with four guys,” Bumpus said. “That allows you to drop seven, get eyes in the backfield and (let) your linebackers react.”
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The pressure has come from all over the Seahawks’ defensive front.
Byron Murphy II has 1.5 sacks and seven pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Boye Mafe also has seven pressures. Leonard Williams has 0.5 sacks and six pressures. Jarran Reed has one sack and five pressures. Derick Hall also has five pressures, while DeMarcus Lawrence has chipped in three.
Seahawks head coach and defensive guru Mike Macdonald is known for creatively scheming up pressure, dating back to his ultra-successful two-year stint as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator.
But according to Bumpus, this has been more about Seattle’s pass rush “physically manhandling” opposing offensive lines.
“Mike Macdonald isn’t running a lot of his stuff, because he doesn’t have to,” Bumpus said. “That’s the best thing as a coordinator, (when you) don’t have to run a lot of exotic stuff, because you’re playing with so much integrity in the box and so much efficiency that you’re able to collapse the pocket. They’re just physically manhandling these guys.”
The next step for Seattle’s pass rush will be to convert the pressure into more sacks. The Seahawks have four sacks through the first two weeks, which is tied for 16th in the NFL.
“I would like to see more sacks, … but they’re creating pressures and quarterback hits,” Bumpus said. “And sometimes that’s just as good as a sack, because you’re forcing the quarterback to make poor decisions.”
Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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