Seattle Seahawks defensive stat a sign they could go far in NFL Playoffs

A year and a half into the Mike Macdonald era, it's safe to say that the Seattle Seahawks got what they were looking for out of the hire.

Remember, the Seahawks' defense was a hot mess in the final years of the Pete Carroll era, bottoming out in 2023 when they ranked 25th in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed. So, hiring Macdonald, one of the brightest defensive minds in the NFL who had just molded the Baltimore Ravens' defense into the best in the league, showed they were serious about improving on that side of the ball.

Seattle's defense showed clear potential in 2024, particularly in the second half of the season when Macdonald had more time to establish his scheme and personnel. However, the unit has taken a clear step forward in 2025, currently ranking sixth in points allowed and 10th in yards allowed. They've been especially dominant against the run, allowing a league-low 75.7 yards per game.

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

There are a host of stats that show just how good the Seahawks' defense has been, but one in particular highlights not just that side of the ball, but the team as a whole. According to Curtis Allen on X, Seattle only has 30 defensive snaps this season when trailing, the lowest in the league.

#seahawks are the leading the NFL in snaps on defense while trailing, an intriguing indicator of team balance.

They only have 30 snaps on D through 7 games, projected to a total of 73 for the season.

NFL leaders for the last 10 years and their record (who was DC in 2023?) 🤔 pic.twitter.com/PmRlNSxYlJ
— Curtis Allen (@curtis93969) October 22, 2025

Why is that important? Well, unsurprisingly, some very good teams have led the league in this stat. In the past decade, two such teams have won the Super Bowl (2016 New England Patriots, 2017 Philadelphia Eagles), a third made it to the big game (2015 Carolina Panthers), and all the others made it to the playoffs with several going on deep runs. On average, those teams won 13.2 games during the regular season.

Macdonald is also no stranger to this stat, as his Ravens had a league-low 88 snaps when trailing in 2023. This season, however, his Seahawks are on pace for just 73 snaps when trailing, which would be the fewest since at least 2015.

Obviously, there's still a long way to go this season, but this bodes well for the Seahawks' chances of going on a deep run. That said, they know they still have to focus on improvement each and every day.

"We're a good team," linebacker Ernest Jones IV said, per the team's website. "We're a really good team. There's still stuff little things that we can do better, but that will be always, no matter how good we play, I'm always going to be chasing that extra edge, chasing that extra play.

"But I think at the bye week, we've set ourselves up nice. We've got to come back, and now let's get rolling for real."

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