With Limited Opportunities, Seattle Seahawks Pass Rush Slowed Down in Week 4

The Seattle Seahawks had a season-low in team pressures versus the Detroit Lions, but they also had minimal chances to get after Jared Goff.

Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / Detroit Free Press via Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks’ pass rush production took a step back versus the Detroit Lions while playing without four defensive starters on the front seven. They also faced one of the top offensive fronts in the league.

Seattle entered Week 4 as the league leader in team pressures, per Pro Football Focus, with 71. After generating a season-low 11 pressures versus the Lions, the Seahawks fell to fourth. That pressure total ranked 23rd in the league among all 32 teams last week.

That’s how Lions quarterback Jared Goff set an NFL record for most pass attempts without an incompletion (18) in the teams’ Monday night showdown. To be fair, given Goff’s 21 total dropbacks in the game, Seattle had minimal opportunities to apply pressure anyway.

In Seattle’s first three games, opposing quarterbacks averaged 40 dropbacks — giving the Seahawks about twice as many pass-rushing opportunities.

Meanwhile, Detroit vaulted up from 10th to being tied for first with the Minnesota Vikings (94 team pressures) working against Seattle’s offensive line. Aidan Hutchinson had 15 pressures alone, more than twice as many as any other player in the NFL in Week 4. The Lions had a league-high 37 total pressures against the Seahawks.

It makes sense there would be a drop-off with all of Seattle’s defensive injuries and Goff’s lack of pass attempts. Boye Mafe, who didn’t play for the first time all season, has been one of the most productive pass-rushers in the league. He remains tied for 16th in pressures (17) despite missing the game against the Lions.

Defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II were among the top interior pass-rushers, and both were out against Detroit. The Seahawks were essentially playing without three-quarters of their effective pass rush — leaving Derick Hall to receive more attention from blockers.

Hall had just one pressure, but he converted that into a sack of Goff in one of the more impressive rushes of the second-year player’s career. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed led the Seahawks with three pressures and a sack, the latter of which he got on Detroit’s first drive of the game.

Dre’Mont Jones was still active, but he’s been underwhelming outside of the Miami Dolphins game in Week 3. Jones has 10 pressures and one sack on the season. If Jones was listed as an edge rusher on Over The Cap — essentially his new primary position — he would be the 17th highest-paid player at the position on an annual per-year basis at $17.18 million.

Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) tackles Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) during the third quarter at Lumen Field. / Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

PFF grades don’t tell the whole story, but Jones is ranked 74th out of 88 edge rushers in overall grade (52.4) with at least 100 total snaps through Week 4. Hall (76.2) and Mafe (75.6) are both ranked in the top 20, and their production has backed that up.

The state of Seattle’s pass rush isn’t a concern. The group is just banged up. When at full strength, they’ve shown they are among the top units in the NFL. We also haven’t seen how the rotation looks with Uchenna Nwosu back in the lineup this season.

Again, the game script also skews Seattle’s pressure drop-off. Detroit ran the ball 10 more times than Goff threw the ball, limiting pass-rush opportunities. Once starters return, the Seahawks should return to being one of the biggest pressure threats in the league.