Dre'Mont Jones, Seahawks' Defensive Front Swarm Kirk Cousins in Waves

Back at full strength and further fortified by Roy Robertson-Harris, Dre'Mont Jones led a ferocious defensive line that hounded Kirk Cousins all day long in Atlanta.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATLANTA, Ga. - Leading one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks knew they had to find a way to dial up the pressure on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, though it wasn't going to be an easy task on the road by any means.

Going into Sunday's game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, though Cousins had been pressured on more than 36 percent of his drop backs, opponents only turned those pressures into sacks 14.5 percent of the time, the fifth-lowest rate among qualified quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus. One of the best in the business at getting the ball out of his hands in a timely manner, he had unloaded the ball at a 2.51 seconds per drop back average, second behind only Panthers starter Andy Dalton.

Fortunately for the Seahawks, with their defensive line back at full strength following the healthy return of Byron Murphy II and further fortified by the arrival of newcomer Roy Robertson-Harris, the pass rush came to life and then some, harassing Cousins at north of a 50 percent pressure rate as they clipped the Falcons 34-14 for a pivotal victory to vault back into first place in the NFC West.

Leading the swarm, Dre'Mont Jones enjoyed his best game as a Seahawk, producing a season-high four quarterback hits, a sack, and a pass deflection, seemingly finding his way into Cousins' lap every single snap in the final two quarters. Demonstrating superb effort chasing the quarterback out of the pocket as he rolled out to his left on third down early in the fourth quarter, edge rusher Boye Mafe generated a game-changing fumble on a strip sack in the fourth quarter that teammate Derick Hall scooped up and returned 64 yards for a touchdown.

Continuing a stellar first season in Seattle, Leonard Williams also got in on the act, recording his second sack of the season when outside pressure from Hall and Robertson-Harris forced Cousins to step up into his grasp. He later added a second hit on Cousins as the front line set the tone from start to finish with a deep, balanced rotation inflicting non-stop punishment on the normally well-protected quarterback.

In turn, this helped a Seahawks secondary missing starters Riq Woolen, Tre Brown, and Rayshawn Jenkins hold their own against Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts, as safeties Julian Love and Coby Bryant recorded a pair of fourth quarter interceptions thanks to the relentless pressure bearing down on Cousins to force errant throws.

“You got everybody healthy now, so you're able to get a rotation and keep the playing numbers to where you want it, so that’s big," coach Mike Macdonald said after the game. "It's a team pass rush. Kirk [Cousins] does such a great job of getting the ball out on time, so trying to get into a second and third read and then the pocket kind of swims from that point. The sack-fumble was a very rare extended play that you get against him, so we were able to take advantage of that.”

With all hands on deck, Macdonald and his staff did an outstanding job of rotating players in and out of the lineup to keep everyone fresh and send rested rushers after Cousins in waves, especially in the second half when Atlanta was forced to pass trailing by multiple scores and in desperation mode. None of Seattle's defensive tackles or outside linebackers played more than 63 percent of the 69 total snaps and seven different players along the line logged at least 27 snaps, including Murphy and Robertson-Harris in his team debut.

The added depth in the interior created major problems for the Falcons offensive line as the game progressed with Williams, Murphy, and Robertson-Harris generating consistent push into the pocket, allowing edge rushers such as Mafe, Jones, and Hall to take advantage of ideal one-on-one situations on the outside to collapse down on Cousins. After only being sacked 10 times in the first six games, the Seahawks got to him three times on Sunday while tallying nine quarterback hits and leaving the veteran with a bloody nose in the process.

Citing a fast start by Seattle's offense as a catalyst for the pass rushing success, Macdonald loved to see his defense finally in a position where their talent and depth in the trenches could shine with the opposition being the one forced to play catchup trailing on the scoreboard and largely abandoning the run game in the second half. Turning the tables after being on the other end of the spectrum in three straight losses, the final results speak for themselves.

Set to face another excellent quarterback in Josh Allen on Sunday, who will present his own unique challenges as a much more mobile threat than Cousins and an elite improvisor when plays break down, Macdonald is hopeful it will be a stepping stone to build off of as the Seahawks aim for continued improvement heading towards the midway point of the season.

“It's a team stat. Our offense did a great job of kind of pushing the envelope, responding, keeping us with a lead as the game started to wind down there. They forced the pass and tried to create some pressure on the quarterback. In the pass game, we played a complimentary game rushing the pass, and guys made their opportunities when the ball came their way. It was great to see.”

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