Week 7's Sunday Night Football matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs is already poised to be one of the top-viewed games of the season, not to mention one of the most anticipated and exciting.
The Chiefs might be due for a loss, and the Seahawks are definitely due for a win; it's possibly a must-win for them given their 3-3 record. Ultimately, this game will come down to two key factors: Patrick Mahomes's turnovers versus Sam Darnold's, and Seattle's defense against Kenneth Walker III.
Whoever wins those battles will likely decide the game, but honestly, Walker against the Seahawks' run defense is the most exciting matchup within the matchup. Speaking of Seattle's defense, it's what Andy Reid apparently respects the most, given his recent comments about their scheme and Mike Macdonald's greatness.
Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald has a fan in Chiefs' Andy Reid
Madonald has quickly become one of the NFL's most respected head coaches, and he's only three years into the job. Still, his transformation of Seattle's defense into something that resembles the old days of the "Legion of Boom" under Pete Carroll has been his greatest act of elite coaching.
Everyone sees it, too, including other elite coaches like Reid, who might be the best coach in the league altogether. As Reid gears his Chiefs up to meet Macdonald's Seahawks, the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach made sure to give flowers where they are due ahead of this weekend's clash.
“They’re the best in the business right now,” Reid told reporters. “Mike [Macdonald] does a nice job with the defense, and they have a good scheme; then they fly around. They believe in it, and they fly around. They aren’t a lot of hiccups on the back end. You see some teams where something goes on, and suddenly someone is popping free. You don’t see that with these guys.”
One thing Reid got absolutely right is Macdonald's almost consistent, unfailing scheme. But what makes the Seahawks' secondary so dangerous is their back end. Nick Emmanwori is a perfect example.
Emmanwori can seemingly play any position outside of the front line, which Macdonald likes to shapeshift from game to game, whether it's a 4-3 or a 3-4 look. Macdonald is also more than comfortable relying on heavy sub-packages (nickel and 5+ defensive backs) and hybrid front alignments.
Hybrid is the keyword there because that is what Emmanwori is. Like Reid said, "they fly around." Emmanwori is hardly ever where you expect him to be. Even Seattle’s safeties, like Ty Okada, are prone to roaming, and it can wreak havoc in the secondary for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Reid is also correct in saying that the Seahawks rarely have hiccups on the back end. That said, if one Seahawks secondary defender is struggling consistently this season, it's Josh Jobe. Other than him, Seattle's secondary is as solid as ever, and Reid and Mahomes will have to figure out ways to punch through.
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