Seahawks definitely have the beef to shut down the run
The Seahawks were pretty bad against the run last year. They’ve added some serious beef to the defensive line to stop running backs in their tracks.
The Seahawks defense hasn’t been up to the standards they set a few years ago. There’s no getting around that. When you compare last year’s secondary to the Legion of Boom, well, it just doesn’t measure up. As Lee Vowell wrote, the defensive backs are far from the worst in the league, though. Seattle has a bigger problem than their pass defense, though
Let’s look a the numbers, shall we? Last year Seattle ranked 19th in passer rating allowed (94.3), tied for 14th in touchdown passes allowed (26), and had just 12 picks. That isn’t LOB quality, but it isn’t the 49ers, either. For the curious, San Fransisco allowed a 105.4 passer rating, gave up 35 scores, and had just two interceptions. Now that is a terrible pass defense.
But you know where the Seahawks really needed help? Run defense. The Hawks gave up an average of 4.9 yards per rush last year. That was 30th in the league. Their saving grace was that they only allowed nine touchdowns on the ground. That ranked fourth in the NFL. While that’s the silver lining, giving up almost five yards a pop doesn’t exactly get the other team’s offense off the field. Happily, the Seahawks have made some moves to address this.
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Defensive tackle Jarran Reed will be out until week seven. He’s never been known as a beast against the run, though. When it comes to stopping the run, Seattle has some solid answers at defensive tackle. And I do mean solid. Poona Ford, a mere slip of a child at 310 pounds, has been very impressive at shutting down the run. He looks like he’ll be a fixture on the Hawks defensive line for a decade.
Next to Ford, you should expect to see a lot of Al Woods. Woods is another excellent run-stuffer. Like Ford, he isn’t going to get after the quarterback too often. Ford had zero sacks as a rookie so he’s about on the same pace as Woods, who has 4.5 sacks in a nine-year career. What he can do is shut down running lanes, which is exactly why the Seahawks brought him in.
Now we come to the wildcard. Look for undrafted rookie Bryan Mone to have an outsized impact against the Vikings. The Seahawks say he tips the scales at 366 pounds, and he played even bigger than that against the Broncos. Like Ford and Woods, he won’t get to the quarterback very often. What he will do is tie up two linemen on every play, giving his teammates a path to the backfield. And God help the running back that tries to get past him.
Some people have forgotten the Seahawks defense wasn’t just about the Legion of Boom. While the secondary was shutting down the passing game, the guys in the trenches were choking off the run game, too. In 2015 Seattle ranked third in passer rating allowed, and fourth in rushing yards per average. In 2014 they were sixth against the pass and second versus the run. 2013 was the Hawks greatest defensive performance, of course. They led the league in pass defense and were still sixth against the run. By the way, they only gave up four touchdowns on the ground that year.
dark. Next. Hawks injuries prior to the Vikings game
There’s a reason the old adage about defense and championships doesn’t just say pass defense. The Legion of Boom was phenomenal. But even in their greatest year, they gave up 16 scores. Yes, that’s a ridiculously low number. The average team gave up 25 touchdown passes in 2013. What stands out for me is the paltry four scores the Seahawks allowed on the ground. The run defense has to be there too, and Seattle has the guys in place to get it done.