Performance of Seahawks' Pass Rush Mirroring Team's Outcomes

After a strong start to the season and a few outlier contests, the Seattle Seahawks pass rush isn't impacting games as much as it should be.

Connor Benintendi | Nov 6, 2024

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson (0) pressures Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the third quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

After nine games, the Seattle Seahawks pass rush has underperformed in multiple areas. Though they consistently get pressure, it’s not impacting the game as much as it should.

The Seahawks entered their Week 9 game against the Los Angeles Rams after their worst pressure rate of the season versus the Buffalo Bills (28.9 percent). Seattle improved slightly in that area versus Los Angeles (40.9 percent), per Pro Football Focus, but it was still unable to sack Matthew Stafford in the 26-20 loss on Sunday.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was the bright spot for the Seahawks, racking up six of Seattle’s 18 team pressures — tying for fifth among all interior linemen in Week 9. Williams also had four hurries and two quarterback hits.

Outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones had three pressures and two hits, while Boye Mafe, Tyrel Dodson and Jarran Reed each logged two pressures.

Seattle’s pressure rate versus Stafford and the Rams was their third-worst performance of the season, behind only their losses to the Bills and New York Giants (37.5 percent). The Seahawks have had at least a 52 percent pressure rate and two sacks in each of their four wins this season. They missed both of those marks against Los Angeles.

Stafford finished 25-of-44 passing for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception — the most passing yards allowed by Seattle’s defense this season, albeit with an added overtime period. The Seahawks' defense played well, forcing seven three-and-outs, but the offense continued putting them in difficult situations via turnovers, which has been a theme this season.

Seattle is on a bye in Week 10. They are tied for third in total pressures (174) but are sure to tumble down the rankings without playing a game this week. The Seahawks may even fall out of the top 10, as the Baltimore Ravens round that out now at 159 pressures. It will push Seattle’s numbers closer to where the health of the pass rush actually is.

The other metrics aren’t great. The Seahawks are 16th in sacks (21) after going two straight weeks without one. They have also slid all the way to 27th in pressure-to-sack percentage (12.07 percent) as a result of the large difference between their pressure and sack numbers. The league average this season is 14.61 percent, with the Giants posting a league-high 21.6 percent via 35 sacks.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) hits Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) causing a fumble that is returned for a Seahawks touchdown during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

PFF doesn’t have a single Seahawks player on their Week 10 top-32 pass-rusher rankings. Early in the season, Mafe, Williams and Derick Hall were all near the top of the league in total pressures. They’ve begun falling down the list as the season has gone on.

Williams is tied for 29th in the league with 28 pressures, while Mafe (32nd) and Hall (35th) aren’t far behind. Pressures, however, aren’t everything. Mafe is the only one in the top 50 in PFF’s pass-rush productivity (PRP) statistic, which measures pressures against pass-rush snaps.

Mafe is 16th (10.1 PRP) and also has four sacks. He’s only played in seven games this season due to injury and has increased his individual pressure rate by about 3.5 percent in 2024. It may not warrant him being ranked, but Mafe has been solid for Seattle this season.

Little has gone well for Seattle over its last six games, emerging with just one win. The pass rush has struggled at the same time. The bye week is much-needed, as head coach Mike Macdonald will attempt to tweak the scheme and get his players healthy for the latter stretch of the season.