Seahawks will live or die by the blitz against the Chargers
The Seahawks are blitzing more this preseason. So far, the grade is just okay. They could see more success going against Philip Rivers tonight.
No doubt you’ve heard the Seahawks pass rush has a “Help Wanted” sign on the door. With the trade of Frank Clark and the six-game suspension of Jarran Reed, they need serious help. More than half of their pass rush production from 2018 is gone, at least until week seven. So they’re blitzing more this preseason. Against veteran Philip Rivers, blitzing could pay off in a big way.
That the Seahawks will blitz more this season looks like a sure thing. In the past, Seattle has simply gone with a four-man rush. Last year the Hawks blitzed less than 22 other teams. They’ve run so many blitzes in the first two games of the preseason, I expected to see DeShawn Shead start trailing flames. Why yes, I do still have a copy of NFL Blitz, thanks for asking.
Anyway, the Hawks sent everybody in their first two preseason games. Safety blitzes, corner blitzes…I think Blitz even came flying in once against the Vikings. Actually, it might have been a good thing, as Seattle got burned badly a couple of times by Minnesota. Against Philip Rivers, the blitz could see more success.
It isn’t that Rivers is terrible against the blitz. It’s just that he isn’t one of the league’s best. According to Pro Football Focus, last year the Chargers signal-caller threw 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions against the standard rush. When blitzed, he managed just eight scores with five picks. Not bad, but that’s much worse than when the defense simply drops into coverage. Kirk Cousins was far better last year versus the blitz last year, with seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hawks injury list for preseason game 3. dark. Next
The one quarterback the Seattle defense doesn’t want to blitz? Luckily, they only see him in practice. Russell Wilson threw 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions when blitzed in 2018. The Seahawks might want to practice blitzing Wilson a lot in the next couple of weeks. The season opener, Andy Dalton, tossed seven touchdowns and was only picked off once when blitzed. The Seahawks need to clean up the confusion we saw versus the Vikings. Tonight is the night to start.