By the Numbers: Tendencies, Rates and More Interesting Stats on Seahawks' 2021 Defense

From inflated tackle numbers to pressure rates on turnovers and more, Ty Dane Gonzalez breaks down five hand-picked stats regarding the Seahawks' 2021 defense.

The Seahawks fielded a polarizing defense in 2021. Some have argued it was unfairly discredited in certain areas, while others have pounded the table for change. In the end, head coach Pete Carroll and the organization sided with the latter group, firing defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and pass game coordinator Andre Curtis shortly after season's end. 

Diving deep into the numbers, the tendencies, weaknesses and strengths of Norton's unit become rather clear. Let's go over five hand-picked stats to illustrate—and add context to—the makeup of Seattle's defense during the 2021 campaign. 

All numbers provided by TruMedia.

High Snap Counts Assisted in Franchise Tackle Records For Seahawks' Linebacker Duo

Towards the end of the year, linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner exchanged franchise records in tackling, with the former coming out on top at a mark of 183. While this is a noteworthy achievement, the duo's league-leading 353 tackles were inarguably inflated by playing the most defensive snaps (2,124) of any linebacking tandem in the NFL. In fact, Brooks and Wagner were statistically the second-most efficient pair of tacklers at their position; their 0.16 tackles per snap fell behind the 0.19 mark set by Eagles linebackers Alex Singleton and T.J. Edwards, who combined for a total of 255 tackles in 1,343 snaps. In the end, high snap counts and a fifth-worst completion percentage on in-breaking routes (73.8 percent) generated a ton of tackle opportunities for the heart of Seattle's defense. 

Pressures Lead to Quarter of Seahawks' Forced Turnovers

Seattle's defense finished 25th in the NFL in turnovers with 18, coming out to 11 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries when broken down. It's something Carroll and company desperately need to fix in the year ahead; and a way to push their efforts in the right direction is by generating more pass rush. On 25 percent of their turnovers in 2021, the Seahawks recorded a pressure. But 20 percent came on called blitzes, meaning they were mostly incapable of forcing mistakes with a traditional four-man rush. Five of the NFL's top-15 defenses in turnovers registered comparable pressure rates in such instances while blitzing at a lower percentage. 

Following Aggressive 2020, Seahawks Finish in Bottom-Third of NFL in Blitz Rate

Continuing the blitz rate talk, the Seahawks often relied on their four-, three- and even two-man rushes in 2021. Just a year removed from finishing ninth in blitzing (33.9 percent), Norton's aggressiveness on that front waned to the tune of a passive 20.7 percent mark, which ranked 25th in the league. As the nature of the defense changed, so did the role of safety Jamal Adams, who was coming off a record-setting campaign with 9.5 sacks as a defensive back. Adams' blitz average per game was essentially halved, going from 8.83 attempts in 2020 to 4.25 in 2021. As a result, the three-time All-Pro selection laid a goose egg in the sacks department and the team saw a total 12-sack dropoff from 2020 to 2021. 

Opposing Quarterbacks Got Ball Out Quick vs. Seahawks, But It Yielded League-Average Results

On passing plays taking one to 2.5 seconds to develop, opposing quarterbacks jumped from 19th in average time to throw (1.97 seconds) against the Seahawks during the first half of the season to tied-fourth (1.93 seconds) in the second half. In 192 attempts over that stretch, Seattle was tied-15th in the NFL in completion percentage allowed (70.3 percent), 13th in passer rating (91.2), 15th in yards per attempt (6.24) and 16th in defensive expected points added per dropback (-0.04). While the unit was far from spectacular in this area, the numbers indicate it was nothing worse than average.

Opposing Offenses Played Long Game With Seahawks' Defense

Although Seattle managed to get by against fast-paced aerial attacks, opposing offenses were still able to win more often than not in the short passing game. Teams averaged a league-low 6.09 air yards per throw from Weeks 10 through 18, but ranked first in completion percentage (69.6 percent), 10th in first downs or touchdowns on pass attempts (35.2 percent), 16th in points per drive (1.94) and first in average time of possession (35:13). The Seahawks went 4-5 over that stretch, more or less dying by a thousand paper cuts.