Seahawks' Pass Rush Stepping Up in Key Moments

Even with pressure numbers dipping in Week 13, the Seattle Seahawks' pass rush keeps getting better.

Connor Benintendi | Dec 4, 2024

Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant (8) throws the ball as Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) pursues during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks didn't consistently get after Aaron Rodgers in Week 13, but they affected the New York Jets quarterback when it mattered.

Coming off posting their third-best pressure rate of the season versus the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle finished with its second-worst pressure rate in 12 games at 35.7 percent, per Pro Football Focus.

That figure ranked only ahead of the Seahawks’ Week 8 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills (28.9 percent). But in that game, Seattle finished with no sacks and no hits on Bills quarterback Josh Allen. They were far better against Rodgers and New York.

Highlighted by defensive lineman Leonard Williams’ pair of sacks on the Jets’ final drive — and an earlier takedown negated by a facemask penalty — Seattle hit Rodgers on six of its 15 pressures.

Williams and outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones each totaled four pressures, and the latter also finished with a hit and three hurries.

“This tear that he’s on right now, I don’t know if I’ve witnessed a player being this dominant the way he has been over the last few weeks, and I'm hoping that he’ll continue this,” assistant head coach Leslie Frazer said of Williams on Monday. “I think if we can continue this, there’s going to be some talk about defensive player of the year as well.”

Edge rusher Boye Mafe (3 pressures) and Derick Hall (2) also helped lead the way for the Seahawks. Rodgers never looked comfortable in the second half, completing just 53.8 percent of his passes in the game for 185 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Seahawks are now seventh in total pressures (226) and are tied for 16th in sacks (30) among all 32 teams. Nine of those sacks have come in just the last three games during Seattle’s current win streak.

Williams has vaulted to the top of the Seahawks’ pass-rush leaderboard, totaling 40 pressures and seven sacks on the season. Derick Hall (33 pressures) is second in sacks with six, but he’s had just one in Seattle’s last seven games after a red-hot start to the season.

Jones is second on the team with 38 pressures (three sacks) while Mafe is third with 34 (five sacks). Defensive tackle Jarran Reed rounds out the top-5 rushers with 31 pressures and two sacks.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Williams is tied for seventh in pressures and third in sacks among all interior defensive linemen. When you add the turnovers, points and special teams impact he’s made, few players at his position are impacting the game more than Williams.

Even if it isn’t showing up directly in the pressure numbers, the Seahawks’ pass rush has only improved as the season has progressed.

Whereas Hall and Mafe were the early standouts, Seattle is now seeing players all across the defensive front impact games at will. There are too many quality rushers to account for each of them on every play.

Entering the Seahawks’ first matchup with Arizona, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was pressured on just 24.4 percent of his dropbacks. Seattle managed to shred that offensive line, but Arizona is sure to adjust heading into the two teams’ second matchup in three weeks.

The Seahawks kept Murray and the Cardinals offense in check in Week 12. They will try to replicate that effort in Week 14 on the road.