If you happened to be in a coma for the last 10 years, at least one thing is the same as it was a decade ago: the Seattle Seahawks‘ dominant defense.
For the first time since 2015, Seattle led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season. Year two of the Mike Macdonald regime saw the Seahawks jump from above-average on defense into a dominant force that carried them to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a shot at Super Bowl 60.
Advertisement
Seattle will face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game Sunday with the conference berth in Super Bowl 60 on the line. The first two matchups this season between the teams were among the best games of the year.
A year ago, the Seahawks were sitting at home watching the playoffs. Two years ago, they had a bottom-eight defense by points allowed.
How did the Seahawks go from that to the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl? Here’s how they built a championship-caliber defense through the NFL Draft, trades, a coaching change and free agency:
1 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
1 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa’s effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
2 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: The New England Patriots’ Robert Spillane (14) and Christian Elliss (53) tackle Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Raiders won the game, 20-13.
3 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fumbles the ball on a tackle by Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. It was a rough Giants debut for Wilson (17 of 37 passing for 168 yards) as the Commanders won the game, 21-6.
4 / 4
Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Fireworks go off before the NFL Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles opened the season with a 24-20 victory over their longtime NFC East rivals.
How the Seahawks built their defense
To understand how Seattle’s defense came together this season, we have to go back to 2023. Here’s a timeline of how this panned out:
Advertisement
2023
The final year of Pete Carroll’s tenure featured a few key changes that laid the groundwork for improvement up front and in the secondary.
In the secondary, Seattle handed former New York Giants safety Julian Love a two-year deal worth $12 million. Both Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs departed after the season, opening the door for Love to start. He’s been a top-10 safety by Pro Football Focus (PFF) grading since taking over as a starter in 2024.
Advertisement
The Seahawks spent the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on cornerback Devon Witherspoon. The Illinois product was viewed as slightly undersized at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds but played bigger and more aggressive than his frame would suggest. He played well as a rookie and in year two before becoming the No. 1 rated cornerback in the NFL by PFF in 2025.
During the season, Seattle traded a second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-round pick in 2025 to the Giants for defensive lineman Leonard Williams. His powerful, pocket-pushing presence set the tone up front and he’s been an impressively productive interior pass rusher. He’s tallied 22 sacks in 43 games for the team.
2024
The biggest change in 2024 was hiring Mike Macdonald as head coach. In a league that’s felt powered by Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan disciples at head coach, Seattle opted for the coach who gave them both trouble as a coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
Advertisement
A subtle way to reflect his impact on a minute level since his arrival is missed tackles. This metric can be a good view into how disciplined defenses are. In 2023, Seattle ranked tied for 30th in missed tackles with 129. In 2024, they jumped to 13th with 95.
In the draft, Seattle selected defensive lineman Byron Murphy II with their first-round draft pick. He has a shorter frame at 6-foot-1 but blossomed into a pass-rushing complement to Williams’ presence on the interior in his second season.
As in 2023, the team made a critical trade during the season for their defense. Seattle sent linebacker Jerome Baker and a fourth-round draft pick to Tennessee for linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Jones finished out the final 10 games of 2024 as a starter and took off as one of the best linebackers in the league in 2025 with a full offseason under him.
Advertisement
2025
The Seahawks made the surprising moves during the offseason ahead of the NFL draft to trade away quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf. Those netted them two top-100 selections in the draft.
Before the draft, Seattle handed a three-year, $42 million contract to veteran edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence. It was head-scratching at the time given Lawrence’s age (33 in 2025) and a foot injury that ended his season after four games in 2024. But he has fit the mold as a powerful rusher in Macdonald’s system.
Advertisement
Seattle used one of the picks received in the Metcalf deal to move up to the top of the second round and select safety Nick Emmanwori. The South Carolina product was viewed as one of the best athletes in the class with linebacker size at 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds.
Emmanwori became the key on the second level for the Seahawks’ defense. His mix of size and speed means the Seahawks can remain in nickel personnel on defense to match opposing passing games but not give up any physicality in run defense. Macdonald and company can dictate to the offenses and make them react instead of the other way around, which is often the case in the NFL.
All of those additions from the draft, signings or trades enjoyed arguably their best season in 2025 under Macdonald. Williams, Jones and Witherspoon were all second-team All-Pro players. Lawrence made his fifth Pro Bowl team.
Advertisement
Mike Macdonald defensive rankings by year
Macdonald has overseen a defense for the last four years in the NFL. Here’s how they ranked:
2022 (Baltimore, defensive coordinator): No. 3 in points allowed, No. 9 in yards allowed
2023 (Baltimore, defensive coordinator): No. 1 in points allowed, No. 6 in yards allowed
2024 (Seattle): No. 11 in points allowed, No. 14 in yards allowed
2025 (Seattle): No. 1 in points allowed, No. 6 in yards allowed
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle Seahawks’ dominant defense created by these key moves