As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, Jonathan on the players.
Today, scouting the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.
ALEX’S SCHEME REPORT
Seahawks’ Run Defense
The run defense has not been good throughout the year. The Seahawks are allowing 4.5 YPC yards per carry, tied for 23rd worst in football while allowing a whopping 20 rushing scores. That’s 29th across the league. It’s no surprise they’ve allowed 48 runs of 10 or more yards, tied for 22nd in the NFL.
Seattle runs a 4-3 front that often is a 4-2 against 11 personnel. It had been using some “big nickel” packages with LB Devin Bush but given that he’s expected to fill the shoes of injured starter Jordyn Brooks, that package probably won’t be used. The Seahawks’ leading tackler is veteran Bobby Wagner, whose game seems to have slowed down some overall. But he still has a whopping 154 tackles, third in the NFL. Fun fact: after this game, Pittsburgh will have played against the top three tacklers this year after facing Jacksonville’s Foye Oluokun in Week Eight and Indianapolis’ Zaire Franklin in Week 15. Brooks is their second-leading tackler with 109 while S Julian Love is all around the ball, too with 102 tackles.
They often one-gap and shoot their defensive line instead of plugging and taking on blockers, especially No. 90 DT Jarran Reed, who is back for his second stint in Seattle. While they can make plays up front, they’re vulnerable to getting walled and sealed off with down/fold blocks and gap runs. If I’m Pittsburgh, there should be some power runs that can seal and wall off the backside with the puller coming around. Or some tosses where linemen get out in space and can seal/reach and turn the Seattle linemen inside. Some examples of it working over the last two weeks.
And man/duo can be effective, too. The Seahawks’ seas can be parted. It’s not often a big back like RB Derrick Henry can run through a hole with no one touching him.
They often use an Over front where the line will heavily shift to the strong side, especially against 12 personnel with two tight ends on the same side. They do respond to motion and will shift with it. It’ll open up the ability to run the ball to the weakside away from the shift. Teams have had success against it. And this below photo is 1st and 10, not a passing down with a 3×1 look like many defensive lines are showing this year to help run games and twists.
Some other defensive stats. They’re allowing 23.5 points per game, 24th in football. They’ve allowed points in bunches, five games giving up 30 or more points. That’s tied for fourth-most in the NFL this year. Situationally, they are poor, just the 27th-best red zone defense (63.8 percent) and the 31st-ranked third-down defense (46.8 percent). The Steelers aren’t great here either, but they have a chance to success here.
Seattle’s forced 19 turnovers on the season, which is a bit below league average. The Seahawks do miss a ton of tackles, an average of over seven per game. Their 107 misses this year are 28th in football.
Seahawks’ Pass Defense
An average group overall, their metrics in passing yards and touchdowns, allowing 20 scores (the same they have yielded on the ground). The latter ranks 18th. Their 11 interceptions are tied for 19th entering the week, but they do get after the quarterback, their 45 sacks just outside the top five. An even front, they don’t blitz a ton, just 23rd in the league, but their pressure rate is ninth-best. So most of their damage is coming from their front four, including dropping Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill six times last week. I will say their ends can be too aggressive and lose contain, allowing the quarterback to escape on the outside. Less of a threat with Mason Rudolph but they aren’t as disciplined in their rush choices.
Eight different Seahawks players have at least three sacks this season. Boye Mafe leads them with nine, breaking a cold streak with a pair last weekend. He’s also the team leader with 15 QB hits. Reed has seven sacks, second-most he’s ever had in a year, while rookie CB Devon Witherspoon has three of them, even though he’s missed time with a hip injury. A slot corner, Witherspoon has had a colorful year, with 65 tackles (four for a loss), three sacks, one forced fumble, one pick-six, and 16 pass breakups.
Love leads the team with four interceptions while CB Riq Woolen has a pair. In total, 10 of their 11 picks have come from the secondary. On the year, the Seahawks have allowed 47 completions of 20-plus yards, 19th overall.
Schematically, they’ve largely moved away from their Cover 3 under former DC Gus Bradley. They’re still a zone-heavy team but also run lots of combination coverages. The thing that stuck out to me the most was in a lot of 3×1 situations, they will lock the corner on the backside receiver (MEG coverage = Man Everywhere he Goes) and play zone to the trips side. Examples.
Could create some 1v1s for a guy like George Pickens against the Seahawks equally tall and long corners. Or a chance for Diontae Johnson to win 1v1.
Overall, you see a lot of Cover 6 from the Seahawks. You’ll also see more man against empty sets but again, zone is their overall personality. I will say they defend play-action well and have a secondary that can hit. Really physical group with Witherspoon, Love, and S Quandre Diggs. Also S Jamal Adams could come back this weekend after missing time with injury. The Titans’ play-action game didn’t produce much against them. It’s a well-coached and disciplined group.
Another thing caught my attention. Much like the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle will fan out its defensive tackles so both are three techniques outside shade of the guards with the defensive ends aligned as Wide 9 rushers. The Steelers have had all kinds of these troubles against these fronts. They’ll be tested again.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Steelers are coming off a big win against the Cincinnati Bengals last Saturday, keeping their playoff hopes alive after moving to 8-7 on the season. They now play the 8-7 Seattle Seahawks this weekend, having won a tight game against the Tennessee Titans to keep their playoff hopes alive as well. The Seahawks rank 23rd in football in total points allowed while ranking 26th in total yards allowed. They have fared better against the pass than the run, ranking 19th in football against the pass compared to 27th in the league against the run.
Defensive Line
The Seahawks’ defensive line is headlined by No. 99 Leonard Williams, who was acquired before the trade deadline from the New York Giants. The one-time Pro Bowler has become a respected and feared defender along the defensive line, having the athleticism and burst to rush the passer as well as the strength and size to stop the run up the middle. Williams has 4.5 sacks on the season along with 49 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two pass deflections. As a pass rusher, he can win with brute strength on his bull rush as well as with quickness and hand usage against guards and centers.
Starting opposite of Williams is No. 90 Jarran Reed. Reed started his career in Seattle before spending time in Green Bay and Kansas City. Coming into the league more as a run plugger, he has developed into quite the pass rusher on the interior. He has seven sacks in 2023 as well as 49 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Reed wins with quickness off the snap as well as utilizing his strong frame to overwhelm guards and centers on his path to the quarterback.
Backing up Williams and Reed is No. 97 Mario Edwards, who has bounced around the league as an undersized defensive tackle/pumped up defensive end, having two sacks on the season. Along with Edwards is rookie No. 93 Cameron Young, who has seen time in a rotational role as more of a pure run stuffer. No. 95 Myles Adams has played sparingly this season, totaling just 70 snaps as a rotational player.
EDGE
Starting on the edge for Seattle is No. 53 Boye Mafe, who has broken out in his second season after being a second-round pick last year. Mafe has 46 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, nine sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries, being a disruptive presence who pursues the football with unrelenting effort. He does a good job getting the corner on his pass rush as well as setting the edge against the run. The 6-4, 261-pounder will be a formidable opponent for Pittsburgh’s offensive tackles this Sunday.
Starting opposite of Mafe is No. 55 Dre’Mont Jones, who signed a lucrative deal with Seattle this past offseason after coming over from Denver. Jones doesn’t have the sack production of Mafe (4.5 sacks), but he does disrupt the quarterback in the backfield. He is also a quality run defender, setting the edge, and will kick inside on passing downs to rush over guards. No. 52 Darrell Taylor has started four games this season and sees plenty of playing time as more of a pass-rush specialist for Seattle. Posting 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss as a long, athletic edge rusher, he can convert speed to power against offensive tackles as well as win with his speed rush.
Also keep an eye out for rookie No. 58 Derick Hall, whom the Seahawks drafted in the second round this past spring. He doesn’t have a sack yet this season, but he is a quality run defender who uses his length and strength to set the edge in a rotational role. No. 57 Frank Clark got traded back to Seattle from Denver and has had a down 2023 season, posting no sacks and eight total tackles.
Linebackers
The main man in the middle for Seattle is No. 54 Bobby Wagner, who went over to the Rams last season before finding his way back home with the Seahawks. Wagner is in his 12th NFL season and isn’t slowing down as an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time first-team All-Pro. He has 154 total tackles (88 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in 2023. Wagner is a hard hitter who flies to the football. A heat-seeking missile on contact, he levels ball carriers as an aggressive hitter who makes plays all over the field.
Starting opposite of Wagner is No. 56 Jordyn Brooks, who has become a good starter alongside the future Hall of Famer. He’s currently nursing an ankle injury and his status for Sunday’s game is up in the air, but Brooks is a solid run defender who holds his own in pass coverage as well. He has 109 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, three pass deflections and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Should Brooks miss the game, No. 0 Devin Bush will get the start. The former Steeler signed with Seattle this offseason and has started two games with 11 played, totaling 13 tackles and two tackles for loss as Seattle’s third off-ball linebacker. No. 44 Nick Bellore plays sparingly on defense and is mostly a special teams ace.
Cornerbacks
The top man in the secondary for Seattle at cornerback is No. 27 Riq Woolen. Woolen is nicknamed “The Avatar” thanks to his size and athleticism, measuring in at 6-4, 210 pounds while running the 40-yard dash in the 4.2s. He parlayed those traits into a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie in 2022 and is currently enjoying another strong campaign in 2023 with 48 total tackles, 10 pass breakups, and two interceptions. Woolen has the speed to run with receivers down the field and across it as well. He should match up a lot with George Pickens and give Pittsburgh’s No. 1 receiver all he can handle on the outside.
Rookie No. 21 Devon Witherspoon has missed the last two games with a hip injury but returned to practice this week on a limited basis. Witherspoon has had a strong rookie season, starting every game he’s played thus far. The fifth pick of the 2023 NFL Draft has 65 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, 16 pass deflections, and an interception returned for a touchdown. He is effective at covering receivers and coming up in run support as well as blitzing.
Playing corner for Seattle in Witherspoon’s absence has been No. 23. Artie Burns. The former Steeler is in his second season in Seattle, having played inside while seeing some time in the slot. He has 20 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass deflections this season, doing a better job with the ball in front of him than covering receivers down the field.
No. 22 Tre Brown sees a fair amount of time in the slot, having started seven games this season with 32 total stops, two tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, six pass deflections, and two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. No. 30 Michael Jackson also sees a fair amount of time for Seattle, having two starts and five pass deflections this season playing on the outside.
Safeties
The main man at safety for Seattle is No. 6 Quandre Diggs. The three-time Pro Bowler does it all, being a hard hitter as a traffic cop as well as a ballhawk who can take the ball away. He has 85 total tackles, four pass deflections, and one interception on the season. Lacking the splash he has made in recent seasons, Diggs still is a legit threat whom quarterbacks must account for on the back end.
Diggs is joined by No. 20 Julian Love, who came over from the New York Giants this offseason and is enjoying his best season as a pro. Love has 102 total tackles along with one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 10 pass deflections, and four interceptions. He is a fluid athlete in coverage with the instincts to break on passes and make plays. He also is a quality tackler, showing physicality and willingness to aid in run support.
No. 33 Jamal Adams also suits up for the Seahawks as a dime linebacker/strong safety. He hasn’t posted great production coming back from injury this season, lacking the splash plays he made at the start his career. No. 8 Coby Bryant moved from corner to safety this season and has started two games in seven games played. Having 17 total tackles and a forced fumble, he is a more instinctive, tenacious player who lacks high-end athleticism.
