'High-Powered Stuff': Josh Jobe, Seahawks CBs Playing With Great Confidence

Locking down Deebo Samuel and company in a win over the 49ers, the Seahawks continue to receive strong cornerback play, including from an unlikely source.

November 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) runs the football against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Only two snaps into Sunday's must-win road battle with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe allowed a quick reception to standout receiver Deebo Samuel on a curl route.

While it may sound like an elementary completion, the hard-nosed Samuel has made a living turning such short dump off passes into big gains, regularly breaking tackles in bunches and racking up substantial yards after the catch. In the past, a short completion would often result in a first down, if not more, with him being a chronic thorn in the Seahawks' side. Once the ball was in his hands, fans probably had PTSD flashbacks remembering all of the damage he has done over the years.

But in this instance, Jobe quickly reacted to the throw to Samuel, flying up to wrap up the powerful receiver as soon as the ball hit his hands. Before he could get any head of steam, the corner swung him around with safety Coby Bryant coming in as a reinforcement and then forcefully shoved him out of bounds, setting the tone and making it clear this wasn't going to be like the past six matchups where San Francisco bullied its NFC West rival into submission.

By the time the Seahawks had finished off a potentially season saving 20-17 win, Jobe and the secondary had allowed just one catch of more than 14 yards, suffocating Samuel, Jauan Jennings, and Ricky Pearsall for most of the afternoon with sticky coverage. Additionally, the 49ers produced just 50 total yards after the catch, with Samuel limited to a mere 15.

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald raved about the performance of his cornerbacks, who have held two potent passing attacks in check for the most part in the past two games. With the same group starting together now for the past three games, continuity has started to lead to improved consistency, creating a growing sense of confidence that has manifested into stingy results as of late.

"I will say continuity really helps to be able to stack reps over on a week-to-week basis," Macdonald said. "And I think schematically, we're starting to find out what we're good at and the answers to the riddles that we needed to be able to solve earlier in the weeks. You're able to get some of those reps throughout the week, the guys can see, so they can go play with confidence."

Making life tough on San Francisco's receivers, per NFL Next Gen Stats, Seattle held Samuel, Pearsall, and Jennings all below the league average for yards of separation (2.97) per route in coverage, presenting tight windows for quarterback Brock Purdy all afternoon long. When he did complete passes to his wideouts, the secondary swarmed to the football and rarely missed tackles, limiting the additional yardage that had doomed them in prior matchups between the two teams.

"Guys were going off of good keys up front, guys are reacting fast," Macdonald added, acknowledging coming off the bye with fresh legs helped on Sunday. "Being sticky in coverage is not an easy task against the 49ers with how they create space and how they handle the formations and personnel. It tells me that we are executing at a high level, and communicating well."

At the center of the Seahawks defensive resurgence, Jobe has been a revelation starting opposite of Riq Woolen, transforming from a little known practice squad player into a critical member of Macdonald's defense. On Sunday, he allowed just two catches for 17 yards, and Purdy rarely tested him because of tight coverage with under a yard of separation per target.

Now with four starts under his belt since replacing Tre Brown in the lineup, Jobe has been one of the NFL's best cover corners over the past month. Among corners with at least 100 coverage snaps, he ranks second in passer rating against (54.4), fourth in yards after the catch (20), and ninth in completion rate allowed (50 percent), and his 17 percent forced incompletion rate ranks 17th thanks to three pass breakups and an interception.

"Josh deserves a lot of credit," Macdonald said of Jobe's play. "I mean, this guy just keeps stacking great days on top of each other and we got a lot of confidence in him right now. I thought he played a tremendous game."

Aside from Jobe's unexpected contributions, Devon Witherspoon has started to perform to the level anticipated from the former No. 5 overall pick. After producing three pass breakups total in the first nine games, he equaled his season total against the 49ers, including deflecting a pass intended for Christian McCaffrey on a pivot route up into the air to allow defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to run underneath it for an interception.

One of Witherspoon's breakups came via the blitz as well, as he rocketed into the backfield from the slot and got his hand up in time to swat away Purdy's pass, once again illustrating his versatility as a do-it-all playmaker from the cornerback position.

As for Woolen, while Jennings got the better of him a couple times for first down receptions, his four receptions allowed netted just 25 combined yards and 6.3 yards per catch. Tackling well in those situations, he limited opposing receivers to a grand total of nine yards after the catch, and Purdy didn't have any opportunities to test him downfield with magnet-like coverage on the outside.

"Devon Witherspoon got one of the game balls, one of the five game balls after the game, but I thought he played one of his best games this season, and Riq Woolen, in my opinion, played one of his best football games of the year as well," Macdonald assessed. "The focus, the attention to detail, the snap-to-snap, and just locking in what we're asking him to do were some pretty high-powered stuff."

Over the next five weeks, things won’t get any easier for the Seahawks, including a pair of games against the division-leading Cardinals, who have an abundance of weapons at Kyler Murray’s disposal headlined by rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. The Vikings will also present significant challenges in the passing game with superstar Justin Jefferson to deal with.

But unlike earlier in the season, Seattle has found a groove in the defensive backfield with Macdonald leaning on strengths of the unit, providing plenty of optimism that recent play can be sustained down the stretch against quality competition. Beginning to perform to lofty expectations, albeit with an unexpected starter in Jobe keying the resurgence, the cornerback group could be a catalyst for a late playoff push in the Pacific Northwest.

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