Enemy Confidential: Stiff Test Awaits Seahawks in Chase Young, Ferocious Washington Defense
Much like the rest of the underwhelming NFC East, the Ron Rivera era got off to a miserable start for the Washington Football Team. Despite a stirring comeback win in Week 1, the team then lost five straight games, including blowout defeats to the Browns and Cardinals.
But after a 2-7 start through the first nine games, Rivera's inspired squad suddenly got defensive starting with a Week 11 win over Cincinnati. As a result, Washington has yielded less than 17 points while reeling off four straight wins to climb to the top of the NFC East and has a chance to pull back to .500 with Seattle visiting in Week 15.
Having coached against Rivera for years when he was on the sidelines in Carolina, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll isn't surprised the team quickly turned things and built an emerging top-10 defense under his leadership.
"We've played against these guys for years, and they've always been a really well-balanced team in all aspects," Carroll told reporters on Wednesday. "They're really solid on special teams. They're committed to running the football. The quarterback doesn't get sacked. They're fighting to hang on to the ball like you're supposed to in this game, and they always play terrific defense."
As Carroll eluded to, Washington's spectacular turnaround has been spearheaded by a devastating pass rush led by rookie sensation Chase Young. The No. 2 overall pick in April's draft has been as disruptive as any pass rusher in the NFL as of late, producing 2.0 sacks and four quarterback hits while returning a fumble for a touchdown in the last three games.
Washington's secondary has also improved as the season has progressed, with cornerback Kyle Fuller leading the way with four interceptions and Ronald Darby producing 12 passes defensed in the opposite starting spot.
"It just makes for a really well-balanced club that you're going against, and they've got some real highlights, too. They highlight their players on offense but they've got real highlight players on defense, I'm sure as good as he's ever had," Carroll stated. "They're a dangerous club."
Gearing up for a tough Week 15 road trip, here's a look at the Seahawks latest opponent, including series history, additions/departures, key numbers, and Carroll's thoughts on the Washington Football Team.
SERIES HISTORY
--21st all-time meeting. This will be the 18th regular season meeting, with Washington holding a 12-5 advantage.
Starting with a matchup in Seattle's inaugural season, Washington won five of the first six games between these two franchises. Since the turn of the century, Washington has dominated the Seahawks in the regular season, winning seven of the past eight. Most recently, they pulled off a 17-14 upset at CenturyLink Field in 2017. But despite this success, Seattle has turned the tables in playoff games, winning all three postseason matchups between the two respective teams.
WHAT’S NEW?
Departures: From a personnel standpoint, Washington's two biggest departures came via trade, as the franchise dealt perennial Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams to the 49ers during the draft and sent cornerback Quinton Dunbar to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick in March. In free agency, the team chose not to re-sign oft-injured tight end Jordan Reed, marking the only notable defection.
Additions: Surprising inactive in free agency, the decision to hire Rivera stood out as Washington's lone marquee offseason acquisition. Otherwise, the only free agent signing who has really contributed for the team this year has been receiver Dontrelle Inman, who has 18 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
In the draft, Washington used the No. 2 overall pick to select Young, who was widely viewed as one of the best pass rushing prospects to enter the NFL in years. Two rounds later, the team added a dynamic do-it-all running back in Antonio Gibson, who has rushed for 659 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding 233 receiving yards as a rookie. The biggest surprise from Washington's draft class may be seventh-round pick Kamren Curl, who was forced into the starting lineup after Landon Collins suffered a season-ending injury and has registered 69 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and an interception returned for a touchdown.
BY THE NUMBERS
6.5: Yards per pass attempt, 26th in the NFL among 32 teams.
17: Combined rushing touchdowns, tied for fifth-most in the NFL.
58: Receptions by J.D. McKissic, second-most by any running back in the NFL.
40: Sacks allowed by Washington's offensive line, tied for fifth-most in the league.
36.5: Third down conversion rate, third-worst behind only the Jets and Bears.
10: Pass plays of 40-plus yards allowed, tied for the most in the NFL.
8.3: Sack percentage by Washington's defense, the fourth-best mark in the league.
2.7: Interception rate per 100 passes by Washington, seventh-best in the NFL.
15: Pass Rush Win Rate via ESPN for Jonathan Allen, fifth-best among defensive tackles.
37.1: Third down conversion rate by opponents, sixth-best in the NFL.
CARROLL’S THOUGHTS
--After exiting last week's win over the 49ers with a calf injury, Smith's status remained uncertain throughout the week, opening the door for Dwayne Haskins to return to the starting lineup. As a result, the Seahawks were left to prepare for the possibility either could play on Sunday.
But as has been the case in other instances this year, Carroll doesn't see game planning for two quarterbacks as a problem. In fact, he sees a lot of similarities in how the two signal callers operate offensive coordinator Scott Turner's scheme.
"Fortunately we've seen enough of both quarterbacks, so we have plenty of film," Carroll said. "We know how they've chosen to play with them in championship situations, so we're clued in. They've got a really cool offensive style about the way they do their thing, and both quarterbacks can manage really well. The difference is Alex has just been around so much longer. He has so much more background. But both guys are talented, big arms, really quick releases on both guys, and they utilize it."
On Friday, Washington officially ruled out Smith, who missed most of practice this week and wasn't able to turn the corner during the final session of the week. Haskins, a 2019 first-round pick out of Ohio State, will now make his first start since early October when he was benched in favor of Kyle Allen.
--Trading up into the second round, the Seahawks pulled off quite the heist selecting DK Metcalf two years ago and the organization couldn't have asked for that selection to turn out better. But per Carroll, he wasn't the only receiver who was on their radar entering day two of the draft, as the team also had their sights on Ohio State receiver Terry McLaurin.
"Yeah, he's really good," Carroll remarked. "We really liked him because of his toughness and play making. He has great speed. Just a stud of a guy and a great kid. We liked the heck out of him coming out."
Aside from Metcalf and Titans receiver A.J. Brown - who were teammates at Ole Miss - McLaurin may be the third best receiver from the 2019 draft class. Already with 73 receptions this season, he surpassed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last weekend and has three 100-plus yard games despite subpar quarterback play.
"I'm not surprised," Carroll said of McLaurin's success. "I really - he was one of the guys I felt really confident that if we put him on the club he would be a terrific player. He's their guy. He's legit. He's doing a great job."
--In four straight drafts, starting with Allen in 2017, Washington has used a first-round pick on a defensive end or defensive tackle. While the group struggled with inconsistency early in the season, a defensive front featuring five first round picks has been wreaking terror on the league for the past few months.
Since Week 9, Washington has produced at least four sacks as a team in four of the past six games. Ironically, the only game they didn't record a single sack was in a Week 13 upset of the then-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, but the team compensated with four pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.
"It's really the whole unit that really makes this thing move. They're just loaded," Carroll remarked. "They're able to play a lot of base defense and be really effective with their four-man rush but also how they play the run, too."
While Young has understandably drawn most of the attention, 2019 first-round pick Montez Sweat actually leads Washington with 7.0 sacks and 15 quarterback hits. Veteran Ryan Kerrigan has seen diminished playing time due to Young and Sweat's arrival, but still has 5.5 sacks this year, while Allen has been a nuisance as a pass rusher from the interior with 12 quarterback hits as well.
"It's built around those guys. It's a real challenge to have that kind of quality on the edge just makes such a difference, and Jack [Del Rio] knows what he's doing with making those guys available for a whole lot of outside edge type rushing. It's what all the coaches are looking for."
