Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe did not have a particularly good game in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams. He was invisible for most of the game, and when it came to crunch time, he was not on the field very often, ceding snaps to fellow edges Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall.
That is not surprising on this Seahawks team. Mike Macdonald likes to throw waves of defenders at an offense and go with the hot hand. There have been other games this season where Mafe was indeed that hot hand. But not on Thursday.
If you only look at sack totals, Mafe is having a poor year. With two games left in the regular season, the 2022 second-round draft pick out of Minnesota has one lone sack. That puts him on pace for the lowest season total in his four-year career.
Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe plays much bigger than his sack total suggests
But if you are only looking at sack totals, you are missing the value Boye Mafe brings to Mike Macdonald’s defense. We’ll offer some statistics to help clarify why he is better than his sack total suggests, but the eye test is the best gauge.
Even though he did not have a major impact against the Rams, there was one play in the first quarter that demonstrates exactly what he offers a defense. Mafe was rushing from the right edge, which is his more common side. Ram's tight end Davis Allen tried to block him.
The 6'6", 251-pound Allen is roughly the same size as Mafe, but the Seattle defender easily tossed him to the ground on his way to quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford was forced to abandon the play, sidearming a pass in Allen's direction that fell incomplete. In a sense, it was a classic Boye Mafe play.
Mafe did not get any statistical recognition on the play. Indeed, he did record a defensive stat in the game. But he nonetheless affected the outcome.
Consider how balanced Seattle’s pass rush has been this season. Their two sack leaders – Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy – are essentially interior linemen. That is extremely rare in a league where most sack leaders line up outside the offensive tackles.
Of course, much of that is dependent on just how physically dominant Williams and Murphy are, but it is also part of Macdonald’s design. He rarely blitzes, but he often disguises the pass rush. Interior linebackers, safeties, and corners all take turns rushing the passer, while edges often drop into coverage.
Whoever comes from the edge always remains disciplined. They do not crash inside – unless there is a twist or a stunt called. They are certainly trying to beat their blocker and reach the quarterback, but their primary goal is to force the quarterback to step up right into the arms of those outstanding interior linemen.
None of Seattle’s edges are going to reach career highs in sacks this season because, unlike most teams, the sack is not necessarily the priority. Beating your blocker and forcing the quarterback to act before he is ready is the foundation of Macdonald’s defense. That may lead to a sack, but it also may lead to a poor throw – an incompletion or an interception.
If you look at pass rush win rates, that’s where Boye Mafe’s true value is apparent. According to ESPN Analytics, Mafe ranks seventh in win rate amongst all edge rushers. His 20% win rate is just a percentage point or two behind such elite rushers as Micah Parsons, Will Anderson, and Myles Garrett. He is far ahead of his Seattle teammates.
Therefore, Mafe may not actually collect the sack, but he has a significant impact on passing plays. He is second on the team to Lawrence in QB hurries and is the only Seahawk defender with multiple pass deflections this year.
Scan the less-showy stats for more on why Mafe is so important. He has as many passes-defended as his three fellow edges combined. His missed tackle rate is lower. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Mafe is the only one of Seattle’s edges with a grade of 60 or higher in pass rushing, run defense, and coverage.
This is by no means meant as a putdown of Lawrence, Nwosu, or Hall. Seattle’s defense is as good as it is because of how many standout performers it has across the board. But John Schneider is going to have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, and one of them will involve Mafe.
He is scheduled to hit free agency in 2026. The other three edges are signed through at least 2027, and it might be easy to look at the one sack and conclude the Seahawks can let Mafe leave with little consequence.
Juggling rosters and contracts is complicated, and I have no idea what Schneider will ultimately decide. But it would be wrong to assume there would be little consequence from Mafe’s departure. He does far too many less-publicized things for that to be true.