Seahawks' Defense Shoulders Load, Suffocates Caleb Williams in Windy City
![Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins (2) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins (2) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4349,h_2446,x_0,y_317/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_seahawks/01jg39yagr6tn4g7s190.jpg)
CHICAGO, Ill. - Holding onto a slim three point lead inside six minutes to play in the third quarter at Soldier Field, the Seattle Seahawks decided to send a bit of pressure at Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on 3rd and 10 with hopes of speeding up the athletic rookie signal caller.
As they did all night, the call by coach Mike Macdonald to send five rushers, including safety Julian Love and linebacker Tyrice Knight on the blitz, proved to be masterfully executed by the Seahawks, starting with superb play in the trenches. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams swam past the center and split an oncoming double team attempt by guard Jake Curhan, forcing Williams to vacate the pocket to his left with the immediate penetration.
Capitalizing on Williams' pressure, fellow defensive tackle Jarran Reed astutely shed a chip block from a tight end and sprinted out to his right, zeroing in on Williams as he tried to find an open receiver rolling out of the pocket and devoured him for the drive-ending sack.
While it wasn't easy to corral the ever so elusive Williams and the rookie drew effusive praise from defenders following the game, Reed contributed one of seven quarterback sacks on the night for Macdonald's defense as the Seahawks held serve in a low-scoring 6-3 road win to stay alive in the NFC West title hunt.
"Guy's slippery, right?" Reed told reporters. "Like he's got eyes in the back of his head or something, you know? I see why he's a first round pick, but we tried to bottle him up, put him in a little pressure to try to get him to hold the ball and see if we can get there. We missed a couple, but we ended up getting him down. I think Mike [Macdonald] had a great game plan for us and we executed."
This is what a team pass rush looks like. Leonard Williams swims past center and splits double attempt, then Jarran Reed is ready and waiting as Caleb Williams tries to scramble out to his left to devour him for a sack. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/UT1DfjIv5G
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) December 27, 2024
Heading into Thursday night, Seattle knew what Williams was capable of improvising and extending plays, as the former Heisman Trophy winner had averaged north of six yards per carry on the season and thrown four touchdowns traveling 20-plus yards in the previous four games, demonstrating his play making ability both as a passer and a runner.
Given those talents and his propensity for being able to escape pressure to prolong plays, the Seahawks went into a must-win game understanding they had to balance being aggressive pursuing Williams while also not getting too far upfield to create scramble lanes for him. For the most part, though he did run five times for 37 yards, they contained him in the pocket and prevented him from being able to do damage as a rusher, suffocating him with relentless pressure inside out.
Expertly mixing and matching blitzes, stunts, and sim pressures, Macdonald found a myriad of ways to successfully confuse Williams and twist the youngster into a mental pretzel, keeping him on his heels all night trying to evade pressure from all angles. As a result, six different Seahawks wound up with sacks, including cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, leading to the quarterback completing just 57 percent of his passes while averaging a dreadful 4.4 yards per attempt.
Among those who got to Williams on Thursday night, Uchenna Nwosu tallied his first sack in more than a calendar year, throwing him down for a 14-yard loss in a critical juncture of the game after Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown lost a fumble around midfield. He followed up with a swatted pass at the line of scrimmage on the next play, rounding back into his pre-injury form to stymie the Bears once again and force yet another punt following the turnover.
"It was tough. We knew he was mobile. But it's crazy when you actually on the field and seeing it," Nwosu said. "It's different from just watching it on tape, man. He just, he knows how to create plays. He's been doing that since college. I've been watching him because he went to USC, of course. So I've been watching. I knew he had that in him. But it's different when you're playing against it. You really got to lock in all your keys and follow the game plan, you know? And we did as much as we can. He got out, made some plays, but for the most part, I think we did our job."
Racking up 10 quarterback hits along with other pressures in a stifling effort amid rainy, cold conditions, the Seahawks went on the defensive to keep their season alive with a textbook team effort. But no player had a bigger impact flustering the rookie quarterback more than Williams, who led the charge with four quarterback hits and two sacks, pushing him just one sack away from double digits for the second time in his NFL career.
On his first sack, Williams looked to be in a stalemate working against a double team, only to shed the blocks and work back inside to wrap up the quarterback as he tried to climb the pocket. He later added a second sack after Caleb Williams aborted a snap, rallying to him after the miscue to bring him to the turf for a five-yard loss.
But even when Williams wasn't the one making the sack, as evidenced by his efforts forcing the quarterback out of the pocket for Reed to get the glory, his influence on the pass rush can be felt beyond the box score. Playing at an All-Pro level while leading all defensive tackles in sacks with one week left to play, the rest of the Seahawks defensive line has followed suit, as five different players have at least four sacks and 12 quarterback hits this season.
Needing help from other teams to win the NFC West, it remains to be seen if the Seahawks will get a chance to take their surging defense to the playoffs. But if they can sneak into the postseason with a healthy Nwosu now part of the equation alongside Williams, Reed, and others, as they showed once again swarming the Bears, that pass rush gives them a fighting chance to do damage in January.
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