Through the first three weeks of the season, the Seahawks’ defense was mostly just along for the ride.
As Russell Wilson carved up opponents with a historic start, Seattle’s defense surrendered a historic amount of passing yardage. As the Seahawks’ high-powered offense lit up the scoreboard, the defense was more of a liability than an asset.
But on Sunday, the injury-plagued and much-maligned unit finally played a key role.
Seattle kept Miami out of the end zone until the game’s final two minutes, which helped the Seahawks to a 31-23 road win that improved them to 4-0 for just the second time in franchise history.
It was still far from a textbook defensive performance. Seattle allowed 23 points and 415 total yards to a below-average Miami offense. But it was a marked improvement from the first three weeks, during which Seattle was gashed for an NFL-record 1,292 passing yards and a league-worst 1,492 total yards. And even though the Dolphins still managed to move the ball and mount long drives, the Seahawks limited them to field goals. Prior to Miami’s lone touchdown drive in the closing minutes, the Dolphins settled for field goals on all five of their trips inside the Seattle 30-yard line.
For the Seahawks, the difference this week was a bend-but-don’t-break style of defense that helped them minimize big plays and keep Miami’s receivers in front of them.
Over the first three weeks, Seattle surrendered 18 completions of 20-plus yards. Nine of those 20-plus-yard completions came last week against the Cowboys, including three long touchdowns of 40-plus yards. But on Sunday, the Seahawks allowed just two completions of 20-plus yards and none longer than 26 yards.
Part of that was better coverage. Part of that was a Miami receiving corps that simply isn’t anywhere near the talent level of the Cowboys’ or Falcons’ wideouts. But a big part of Seattle’s defensive improvement Sunday also stemmed from a more conservative scheme.
Over their first three games, the Seahawks blitzed on 37.5% of their opponents’ dropbacks, according to Pro Football Reference. Seattle was trying to compensate for an often nonexistent pass rush by bringing added pressure, but too often that left its injury-depleted secondary vulnerable to explosive plays.
The Seahawks dialed back the pressure significantly against the Dolphins, blitzing on just 10.9% of Miami’s dropbacks. That made it easier for Seattle’s secondary to keep everything in front and not get beat over the top for long gains.
In addition to limiting big plays and forcing Miami to settle for field goals, the Seahawks’ defense also came up with two more key turnovers.
On the game’s opening possession, Benson Mayowa hit quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s arm and linebacker Cody Barton deflected the errant pass into the air to recently promoted practice-squad safety Ryan Neal, who came up with his second interception in as many weeks. And in the fourth quarter, Shaquill Griffin jumped a route for an interception that set up Seattle’s game-sealing touchdown. Despite the Seahawks’ defensive struggles over the first few weeks, they are now tied for second in the NFL with eight takeaways.
Some might diminish Seattle’s defensive performance Sunday by pointing to Miami’s below-average offense. But even when considering the quality of opponent, the Seahawks made definite strides on that side of the ball, especially given that they were missing star safety Jamal Adams, cornerback Quinton Dunbar, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and several others.
With a high-powered offense leading the way, Seattle doesn’t need its defense to be elite. The Seahawks just need to complement Wilson and their high-scoring offense with a league-average defense that makes enough stops and continues to come up with a key turnover from time to time. And on Sunday, they showed they’re capable of following that formula.
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN’S BOUNCEBACK PERFORMANCE
A big factor in Seattle’s improved defense Sunday was the play of cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
Griffin struggled throughout the first three games, allowing 20 receptions on 26 targets for a total of 318 yards and two touchdowns. The fourth-year pro was coming off a particularly dismal performance the previous week, having surrendered nine catches for 151 yards to the Cowboys. The lowlight was an awful sequence in the third quarter, when he gave up a 52-yard reception on a vertical route and a 42-yard catch-and-run score in a span of just three plays. He did intercept a pass from Dak Prescott, but that didn’t make up for his series of troubling coverage blunders.
However, it was an entirely different story against the Dolphins. Griffin turned in one of the best performances of his career, allowing zero receptions on six targets while finishing with an interception and three pass breakups.
In the third quarter, Griffin broke up a third-down slant route to force Miami to settle for a field goal. In the fourth quarter, he made a diving one-handed breakup in the end zone to protect a 17-12 lead. And later on, he made a great read and jumped a route for an interception that led to the Seahawks’ game-sealing touchdown.
WILSON, OFFENSE STAY AGGRESSIVE
It’s been well-documented how Seattle has unleashed Wilson this season and allowed him to operate a more pass-oriented attack, especially earlier in games and in early-down situations. The Seahawks’ overall pass rate is up nearly five percentage points from last year, and their pass rate on first downs in the first half is up by more than 14 percentage points.
But another aspect of the “Let Russ Cook” movement has been Seattle’s willingness to be more aggressive in certain situations. And that was on full display Sunday.
Late in the first half, the Seahawks took over at their own 25-yard line with a 10-9 lead and just 24 seconds remaining. In years past, they probably would’ve been content just to call a run play and head to the locker room with a one-point lead. Not this year, though.
Seattle kept its foot on the gas, and Wilson delivered with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just 21 seconds. Wilson opened with an 11-yard pass to tight end Greg Olsen. Then, he rolled out to the left and tossed a 57-yard pass on the run to David Moore, who made an impressive sideline grab at the 7-yard line. Wilson then followed with a 4-yard pass to Olsen and a 3-yard touchdown pass to running back Travis Homer with three seconds remaining.
And that late second-half touchdown drive wasn’t the only instance of Seattle being more aggressive than previous years. Earlier in the second quarter, the Seahawks kept their offense on the field and went for it on a fourth-and-3 from the Miami 18, instead of kicking a field goal. Wilson was sacked on the play, but the decision demonstrated the level of confidence Seattle’s coaching staff has in its superstar quarterback, and how that seems to have made the Seahawks more willing to take risks offensively than at any other time in the Pete Carroll era.
MOORE CONTINUES TO SHINE AS NO. 3 RECEIVER
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett have garnered most of the headlines surrounding Seattle’s receiving corps, and rightfully so. The dynamic one-two punch has combined for 701 receiving yards and seven touchdowns over the first four weeks while providing Wilson one of the league’s premier receiving duos.
But with Josh Gordon suspended and Phillip Dorsett on the injured reserve, there were question marks entering the season at the No. 3 receiver spot. Not anymore.
Moore has excelled in the role, having emerged as a legitimate third option for Wilson. The former 2017 seventh-round pick has 10 catches on 11 targets for a total of 173 yards and two touchdowns, with an average of 17.3 yards per reception. Wilson has a perfect passer rating when targeting him. And for what it’s worth, Moore is graded by Pro Football Focus as the 16th-best receiver this season, ahead of both Lockett (27th) and Metcalf (tied for 29th). Moore’s emergence makes the Seahawks one of just three teams to have three top-30 receivers in PFF grading.
Moore turned in his best performance Sunday, catching three passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He made an exceptional 57-yard sideline catch in the closing moments of the first half, adjusting his body and getting both feet inbounds to key the last-second touchdown drive. In the third quarter, he took a wide-receiver sweep and eluded linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in the backfield with a video-game-like juke on his way to a 21-yard gain. And in the fourth quarter, Moore got both feet inbounds and made a leaping 17-yard touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone to give Seattle a nine-point lead and some much-needed breathing room.
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