Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV Approves of Defense's 'Death Zone' Nickname

The Seattle Seahawks' defensive turnaround has prompted a new moniker for the unit.

Jon Alfano | 10 Hours Ago

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks' defensive improvement over their current four-game winning streak is simply impossible to overstate.

What had been an inconsistent unit in the first half of the season now looks like one of the best defenses in the league. Over the past four games, the Seahawks have allowed just 297.3 total yards and 15.5 points per game, and it's helped them take the lead in the cut-throat NFC West.

As a result of this turnaround, the Seahawks' defense has earned a new nickaname. No longer the "Legion of Boom," this iteration of Seattle's defense is now known as the "Death Zone," a nickname that has grown in popularity over the past few days.

Linebacker Ernest Jones, in many ways the catalyst for this turnaround, clearly approves of the new moniker.

"I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it," Jones said Thursday. "I don't know [how much more I can say it]. I want our defense to be remembered. I want the defense that I'm on and the players on our defensive side to really be remembered and [known] when you're playing Seattle you've got to handle the defense."

The funny thing is, "Death Zone" didn't originate as a nickname. Rather, Jones and the rest of the defense used it to refer to the playoff mentality Mike Macdonald instilled in the team early on, with basically every game since the bye week being a must-win. Still, it makes for a great nickname all the same.

"I like that name. I like that name right there," quarterback Geno Smith said. "I think it fits them well, suits them well. I've been in playing mode my whole life, is nothing is going to change for me. Every day I live and die by it."

Seattle's defense will face some strong offenses over the next few weeks, as they face the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings back-to-back, as well in the Los Angeles Rams in a regular season finale that could decide the NFC West. If this defense stays hot, though, the sky's the limit for the high-flying Seahawks.