Saquon Barkley, Giants learn Seahawks’ defense is back. Here’s why and how it’s changed
You wanted noise?
The techno and dance music was bangin’ so loud inside the Seahawks’ locker room during Sunday’s postgame, it was like trying to converse at a rave.
On the field during their latest, surprising, dominant win, 27-13 over the previously 6-1 New York Giants, the reformed Seahawks and their defense roared. Again. They sacked the quarterback. They created turnovers. They had their fans shaking Lumen Field like it was 2013 and ‘14.
“It was exactly the way we want to do it. The stadium felt it, and they were with us, and we played to them the whole time,” coach Pete Carroll said of his first-place Seahawks (5-3). “And all the way to the end when you could feel the pass rush is picking up and they’re going backwards.
“It’s happening, and I’m really excited about it.
“We’re just really getting warmed up.”
So what’s changed for a defense that was last in the league and ruining the season four weeks ago, when the Seahawks were 2-3 and at the bottom of the NFC West?
Carroll, Clint Hurtt sent them to attack
On Oct. 9 at New Orleans, the Seahawks continued screwing up run fits, tackling, assignments — and the game. They allowed Taysom Hill 112 yards, Alvin Kamara 103 yards and the Saints 235 yards rushing with four touchdowns. That was Seattle’s last loss, 39-32.
After that game, Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt lessened the front seven’s mandate to read and react, to fit in complimentary run gaps. That’s a staple of traditional 3-4 schemes.
They told their defensive linemen to think less. Beat their man. Simply “GO!”
Less reading, more attacking.
They also made Ryan Neal a fixture in the starting lineup at strong safety, over Josh Jones. Again this season as last, Neal has been a sure tackler on third downs short of the line to gain. He had three such stops against the Giants on Sunday.
Carroll and Hurtt kept rookie Boye Mafe as the early- and often every-down outside linebacker over previous starter Darrell Taylor. Mafe has been stronger setting the edge against the run than he’s been pressuring the passer, which he did last season for the University of Minnesota.
Carroll and Hurtt have used rookie nickel defensive back Coby Bryant more, on not just passing downs but in most situations. He played 96% of the defensive snaps last week at the Los Angeles Chargers. He played 72% against the Giants, the NFL’s second-leading rushing offense entering Sunday.
Those changes have transformed what had been the league’s worst run defense, by far, allowing more than 170 yards per game. The last three games, Seattle has allowed Arizona’s running backs 44 yards on 18 carries, the Chargers’ backs 31 yards on 12 rushes and New York’s 58 yards on 22 rushes.
The Seahawks were allowing 6 yards per carry in September. The last three games it’s been 2.6 yards per rush by opposing backs (113 yards on 52 carries).
Stopping Saquon Barkley
Seattle’s plan Sunday was to stop Giants dynamic runner Saquon Barkley. He is on his way to being the NFL’s comeback player of the year following major injuries.
Barkley gained just 53 yards on 20 carries.
“We just knew coming into this game we had to take care of (number) 26,” Nwosu said, talking over the roaring tunes inside the Lumen Field locker room minutes after the win.
“It was in the game plan. Like I said, take care of Saquon, they got to go back to passing the ball. We knew they weren’t going to be a big drop-back (to pass) team. So we got to get them in a third-and-long situation to be able to get after them.”
Nwosu has been the biggest beneficiary of the new attack mode.
In August, Carroll saw how physical and aggressive his free-agent signee from the Chargers this offseason was in training camp. The coach decided to give Nwosu independence to freelance on plays. He could pick gaps to shoot, edges and angles to take, into the backfield — assigned run gaps be damned.
It’s worked, marvelously. Nwosu has been Seattle’s most consistent big-play maker in the front seven. He knifed on his own into Denver’s backfield to blow up two plays and force fumbles in Seattle’s opening win over Russell Wilson’s Broncos Sept. 12.
Nwosu has feigned charges into the line before the snap to cause opposing offensive linemen into false-start penalties multiple times. Yes, he’s missed tackles and runs because he’s been out of position. But his sacks and big stops at or behind the line have made up for those.
Sunday, he ran 30 yards down the left sideline to blanket Barkley in coverage on a deep wheel route. Jones looked surprised to see the linebacker step for step far down the field with his running back. It forced an errant throw incomplete.
That $20 million, two-year deal with $10.5 million guarantee the team gave Nwosu is a bargain right now for Seattle.
“(I’m) very comfortable,” Nwosu said. “I’m an athlete. I played every sport you can imagine. I started out as a receiver/safety, but I play all over the field. I try to use my athleticism in everything I do.”
Seattle getting more 3rd and longs
In Seattle’s first games in their new 3-4 defense from Carroll’s old 4-3, the Seahawks had to defend many third and shorts. Thus, they had to defend run and pass. Pass rushers Nwosu, Taylor and Mafe couldn’t bee-line straight at quarterbacks.
The Saints converted eight of 14 third downs four games ago. Only one of those 14 plays were more than third and 10. Five of New Orleans’ third downs had fewer than 5 yards to go. Seattle had only one sack of Andy Dalton. It lost.
Stopping the run the last three games has put opposing offenses in long-yardage, must-throw situations, more third and longs.
Three games ago in Seattle, Arizona had 13 of their 16 third downs with more than 5 yards to gain. The Cardinals had three third and 10s, a third and 19 plus a third and 22. They finished 4 for 16 on third downs. The Seahawks sacked Kyler Murray six times, hit him seven times and won 19-9.
The Chargers were five for 15 on third downs. Eleven of those had 5 of more yards to go. L.A. had a third and 11 and third and 14. The Seahawks had three sacks and eight hits on quarterback Justin Herbert, the most of his season. Seattle won 37-23.
The Giants were six for 16 on third downs. By stopping Barkley early in drives, the Seahawks defense forced New York into 14 third downs of five or more yards to go. The Giants had a third and 11, third and 17 and a third and 18. New York had only two third downs with fewer than 5 yards to gain.
Able to tee off on the QB again, Seattle sacked Daniel Jones five times, tying his season high, and hit him eight times. It was the seventh time in eight games the Seahawks forced at least two turnovers. They won, again.
“Of course, Clint has got to call them and all that, but he saw how to cut these guys loose,” Carroll said.
“They took to it, and it hasn’t been the same since.”
Seattle’s defense has 14 sacks and six turnovers forced the last three games because they are stopping the run first and forcing teams to throw.
Does this feel like where they want to be as a Seahawks defense?
“No,” Nwosu said over the boomin’ bass, “this is definitely not where we want to be. We still have an uphill battle to get to where we want to be.
“But this is a start.”
Bruce Irvin’s role
The final thing the Seahawks did at 2-3 and last in the NFL in defense: Bring back Bruce Irvin. The veteran outside linebacker is on his third go-round with Seattle. He turns 35 Tuesday. He was two weeks away from retiring when the Seahawks called him to come back this month.
He’s playing like he’s 25 again. He had a tackle at the line on his first play last week against the Chargers. Sunday, shooting inside at the snap like Nwosu, unblocked Irvin banged so fast and hard in Jones he knocked Jones into Barkley for an 8-yard loss in the fourth quarter. Barkley didn’t know what hit him — and certainly didn’t know it was his own QB. The Giants had to settle for a field goal and a tie game at 13 instead of the lead.
Irvin’s also done what Carroll signed him to do: Kick guys in the rear ends to stay accountable to their jobs, and to Seattle’s legacy of championship defense.
What’s he see has changed the defense, and Seattle’s season, the last few weeks?
“Confidence and swagger,” Irvin said. “Guys are finally believing in themselves, are believing in one another. And if we have a messed up play, we don’t dwell on it. We move onto the next play. If we are giving up yards, we hold them to three (points).
“If we hold them to threes, we have a good chance.”
Does the Super Bowl champion with Seattle in the 2013 season feel this defense could become title-worthy?
“We are starting to get that feeling. We are starting to get that 2012, 2013, 2014 feeling,” Irvin said. “Guys are confident, and we went out here and did what we said we were going to do. We said we were going to stop the run and we were going to give our offense a chance.
“That’s exactly what we did.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Saquon Barkley, Giants learn Seahawks’ defense is back. Here’s why and how it’s changed."
