Seattle Seahawks defense is special, and DeMarcus Lawrence knows why

Signing Lawrence has paid off big for Seattle's defense, but it's not about any one player.

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) reacts after a play during the second half against San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

When the Seattle Seahawks first signed former Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, the initial reviews were awful.

At 33 years old Lawrence was supposed to be washed up, and there was no way he could live up to the three-year, $32.5 million deal he signed with the Seahawks, who got awful grades for the move.

Fast forward nine months and not only is Lawrence holding up his end of the deal, he's been one of the most-impactful defensive free agent signings of the season. In 12 games he's already totaled five sacks, 17 quarterback hits and nine tackles for a loss.

It's not about one guy for this defense, though. Mike Macdonald has done a magnificent job of getting the unit to play as one. Here's what Lawrence said about it, per Mike Dugar at The Athletic.

DeMarcus Lawrence on Seahawks defense

"Putting the whole over self, that attitude always goes far in this league... That’s what is so special about our defense, Everybody can be blitzing at any time. We can’t be selfish and mad at our DBs for getting sacks. It’s like, ‘OK, we can get the opportunity to drop in coverage, we should get picks.’"

Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) celebrates after recovering a fumble to score a touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The results have been splendid. Seattle enters Week 12 with the league's second-best scoring defense behind Houston and since the Week 8 bye they have the top defense in EPA per play.

Early in the season there was one key element missing: takeaways. However, the Seahawks have since come on strong in this department and now they're tied with the Los Angeles Rams with 21 takeaways, fifth-most in the NFL.

Lawrence has been a major contributor in this trend, forcing two fumbles and returning two others for touchdowns over the team's last five games.

As the playoffs approach, this unit has no clear soft points. They rank fourth against the run, 11th against the pass and with Riq Woolen trending the right direction there are no weak links in coverage.

There are no guarantees in this league, but this defense is absolutely good enough to carry the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

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