The Hawks front seven brought more good news
Nope, we didn't get a repeat of the 11-sack game, but the Seahawks put plenty of pressure on Joe Burrow in this one. While they may have recorded just three sacks, they had nine pressures in all on Burrow. And as noted, allowing just 62 yards on eight drives is a pretty solid stat. Boye Mafe, Dre'Mont Jones, and Jarran Reed all had a sack, a QB hit, and one hurry to their credit. It was nice to see Jones get in the backfield a little more than we've seen so far this season.
Now as far as I can tell, Jarran Reed read my comment from a few years ago - about never getting double-digits sacks again - and is determined to prove that I'm an idiot. The joke's on you, big man, everyone knows that already. In my defense, I did write that with Reed coming home, the nose tackle position was in very good hands. Keep on balling, big man, and get those 10 sacks. Reed has been an absolute monster this year for the Seahawks. While I still expect Dre'Mont Jones to continue to improve, there is zero doubt as to which player has been the better addition to Seattle through the first five games of 2023.
Meanwhile, Boye Mafe continues to be the disruptive force we expected him to be this year. The great thing about Mafe - well, one of the great things - is that he's just as good at stopping the run as he is at wrecking the passing game. He was the Seahawks top-rated run defender in this game, with - no surprise here - Jamal Adams coming in second. Bobby Wagner had a quiet game, as did Jordyn Brooks. Both were susceptible to the passing game, which makes the presence of Spoon in the slot all the more important.