With a less theatrical presentation, Mike Macdonald’s response to Saturday’s Seahawks win over the 49ers resembled the cinematic “It’s alive” declaration of Dr. Frankenstein upon realizing his miraculous creation had reached full fruition.
“All the things we’ve been working at since we walked through the door (in Seattle) … are coming to life,” the Seahawks coach said following the 13-3 win that gave Seattle the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.
This wasn’t a lightning-strike reanimation that took place that evening, but rather the culmination of a process over two seasons, collecting the right parts, piecing them together properly, and adding the proper spark of motivation and coaching.
The demolition of the 49ers, like so many of this season’s 14 wins, was largely the product of a defense so aggressive that it’s almost an insulting misnomer to call it “defense.”
It is all about attacking, reclaiming ground. And the 10-point margin of victory undersold the degree of defensive dominance.
More indicative of Niner futility was the fact that even with Christian McCaffrey, one of the most versatile and productive backs in the NFL, San Francisco managed just a single rushing first down.
This defense, which is among league-leaders in most categories, is singularly the brain-child of Macdonald, and has become the full manifestation of the vision he had from the day he took the job.
His reputation as a defensive mastermind has only been enhanced in his two seasons with the Seahawks.
At its best, an NFL defense behaves like a single, complex organism, connected and indivisible, able to adapt to whatever threats the opponent presents.
Some Seahawk statistics capture this, although so much is a function of attitude, aggressiveness, accountability, and the full understanding of the schemes.
The result: Gaps are filled, ground is protected, pressure is applied. The rules are followed.
In general, they play a lot of nickel personnel because the defensive front is talented enough to repel rush attempts, and also get quarterback pressure with just four men.
They don’t blitz much because they don’t have to, but when they do, it’s unpredictable.
Niner tight end George Kittle, after their loss, cited the Hawks’ ability to win the one-on-one battles across the front, and bring pressure “randomly.”
Their 47 sacks this season is a total higher than either of the Legion of Boom Super Bowl teams after the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Also, 10 different defenders have two or more sacks, providing more variety than either of those teams.
Defensive pass interference calls (six this season) are a fraction of the 15 in the 2013 season.
Somehow, Macdonald and his staff have melded a mixture of experience and youth in which vets like Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence are playing with the energy and drive of undrafted free agents, while young guys are playing with the savvy of long-toothed veterans.
Williams, Lawrence, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon were voted to Pro Bowl rosters, with linebacker Ernest Jones IV and safety Coby Bryant named alternates. Although most of the regular players in the front seven, particularly tackle Byron Murphy III, played up to that level in various games.
An interesting quality of this season’s defense is that even those players who may have come on in place of injured starters have, in times of need, come up with plays of Pro Bowl quality.
Drake Thomas and Ty Okada are examples of former undrafted players earning their way onto the field. Thomas, a 5-foot-11 linebacker, started 14 games, and through his relentless play, finished second in tackles (89) with 10 tackles for loss (second on the team).
It was Thomas who came up with a key late interception off a McCaffrey tipped ball last week. McCaffrey against Thomas should seem a matchup favoring San Francisco. Not this time.
Okada has been on and off the Seahawks practice squad nine times since 2023, but against the Commanders, came up with one of the most athletic interceptions of the season, leaping high for an overthrown pass and toe-tapping the sideline to complete the play.
Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchitt, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft, provided a graphic example of depth-chart and special-teams guys coming up big when needed, stepping in against the Cardinals at home, and making a diving deflection of a potential touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr.
The unit is so cohesive and well-schooled, it seems rare that a coverage is obviously botched or a responsibility goes unfulfilled.
“Effort erases mistakes,” Williams said. Even if an opponent breaks a tackle, several other Seahawks are often within arm’s reach.
The waves of Seahawks pursuers create a consistent product week to week. They finished with the third-lowest percentage of explosive plays given up, and second-best yards-per-play totals in the league.
While the group has proved deserving of a catchy nickname, thus far, none has seemed to stick. Williams said he likes “The Dark Side.”
It carries suitable ominous overtones, and certainly captures the Seattle environment late in the season, but it might need some tinkering.
Maybe Macdonald should bestow a nickname of his choice. He’s done everything else right. It’s almost as if he had it all planned from the start.