How the Seahawks slowed the Rams offense down with one simple trick

159. 89. 141. 0.

Wondering what those numbers are? In order, they are the number of yards the Rams gained in the first, second, and third quarter of Thursday’s game, respectively, and then the number of times the Rams punted the ball in the first three quarters. With Davante Adams, Rob Havenstein, and Tyler Higbee on the sidelines, and Kevin Dotson joining them early on.

How such an awful defensive product was put on the field for the biggest game of the year, particularly given how elite the performance against this same team was a month ago, is a topic that would take a novel to fully cover. But one particular aspect of the gameplan sticks out to me, especially because the rest of the game went so much better after a change was made.

Let’s set the stage with two facts. First, the Seahawks don’t really blitz. Going into Thursday’s game, they had the 26th highest blitz rate in the NFL at 21.3%. While Macdonald might occasionally dial up a rush from an unexpected player, he will often drop an expected rusher into coverage on top of it, keeping the actual number of rushers at four.

Second, the general rule of thumb in the NFL is that you want to refrain from blitzing good veteran quarterbacks. Not everyone agrees with this sentiment, but it’s often agreed upon that experienced field generals have seen it all, know how to identify it, and will beat it with such regularity that it’s not worth it. Matthew Stafford is most certainly good, and most certainly a veteran, so this fact seems highly relevant when discussing this game.

And yet, in the first three quarters of Thursday’s game, the Seahawks had a blitz rate of 38.5%. Not only did this not work on the face of it, as the team generated pressure on just 26.9% of Stafford’s dropbacks, it resulted in the above described 389 yards, 0 punts, and effectively 30 points (the Rams ended the 3rd quarter 4 yards from a touchdown and got to the endzone three plays into the 4th.)

What happened after the third? Well, after the above touchdown, three and out, three and out, three and out, 51 yards and a missed field goal, 37 yards and a punt, 80 yards and a touchdown in OT. Not perfect, but a massive improvement, and don’t forget there were a trio of injuries to starters in the secondary that contributed to some of the success Los Angeles had late in the game.

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (0) reacts in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

So what if I told you that Seattle took their blitz rate all the way down to 16% in those final twenty minutes or so of gametime? And what I told you that, despite that massive change in the gameplan, Seattle got pressure at a 40% rate, much higher, despite not blitzing? Could you imagine the solution, or at least a big part of it, being that simple?

Well, according to Next Gen Stats, both of those statements are true. The Seahawks stopped trying to send the house at Stafford and were rewarded with more shots on him, while also cutting down on the opportunities he had to exploit gaps in the coverage that naturally come with a blitz.

For much of this season, the Rams have been pulling a nifty trick that has worked against most defenses they’ve played. For an assortment of reasons, NFL teams are filled with a great hunger to blitz against three tight end sets, so LA has deployed a lot of those sets and then perfectly exploited the resulting blitzes. I don’t understand why so many teams are falling for this, but I certainly didn’t expect Macdonald to fall for it.

For three quarters, it looked like he did. And then, just in the nick of time to save the game, he stopped. Not that the 106 yard 4th quarter, or the 80 yard drive in overtime, are representative of Macdonald’s best work, but there’s no doubt that the three consecutive three-and-outs were instrumental in the comeback. And I doubt that comeback happens if Seattle keeps blitzing.

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