On the HawksZone Rundown, we\u2019re joined this week by Cody Alexander, creator of the Match Quarters website, a football coach, and a defensive strategy expert, to explore how Mike Macdonald\u2019s scheme can elevate the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 defense in 2025 to rival his 2023 Baltimore Ravens\u2019 dominance.<\/p>\n
Baltimore\u2019s 2023 unit led the NFL, allowing 16.5 points per game (1st), 4.2 yards per play (1st), and 31 takeaways, with 60 sacks (1st) and a 27.8% middle-of-field disguise rate. Seattle\u2019s 2024 defense ranked 9th in points allowed (~20.5 PPG), 4th in total yardage late season, and recorded 45 sacks (8th) with a 23.6% blitz rate, showing potential but needing refinement. Alexander emphasizes sharpening Seattle\u2019s Cover 4 (22% usage in 2024) and Cover 6 (18% usage) to boost takeaways from ~20\u201325 to 28\u201330, matching Baltimore\u2019s 18 interceptions, with Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon disrupting passers like Brock Purdy.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOne of the misnomers about [the Seahawks] was that they didn\u2019t have a good pass rush,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cThe sack numbers weren\u2019t there, but their pass rush production was actually up there and they were a top 10 [team]. Sacks are one of those things where people kind of salivate. It\u2019s like interceptions for corners. People think that a corner isn\u2019t good if they don\u2019t have a bunch of interceptions. No, it\u2019s actually if they don\u2019t if they have two or three, that\u2019s probably a good year. It\u2019s very rare that you get, you know, a Da\u2019Ron Bland season, which if you go and watch most of those, it was bad quarterback play more than it was actual ability to cover.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, sacks are one of those things that\u2019s more of a quarterback stat than a defensive stat. I want to see, are you getting pressures? Are you are you constantly affecting the quarterback? That\u2019s where it is. And Seattle was good with it last year, but that blitz element can just amplify it and get you over 50 sacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexander also highlighted deploying Nick Emmanwori as a dime linebacker to enhance multiplicity, countering motion-heavy offenses like San Francisco\u2019s. He also noted the importance of DeMarcus Lawrence, a four-time Pro Bowler, whose 61.5 career sacks and run-stopping prowess (92.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2023) bolster Seattle\u2019s front alongside Leonard Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeMarcus Lawrence really is a run-stopping defensive end,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cHe was kind of that brick wall opposite of Micah Parsons in the Cowboys. He\u2019s not going to get you double digit sacks. In fact, if you get five sacks from him, that\u2019s a really good year for him. He hasn\u2019t had double digit sacks, I think, since like 2018. I mean, it\u2019s been a long time.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe\u2019s not a pass [rusher]. But what does that mean? Well, last year if you if you really go back and study it, Leonard Williams had to play defensive end anytime [Devon] Witherspoon was on the field at nickel. Why? To protect him. Put the big guy to Witherspoon, allow him to play there, protect him. Now, you have a defensive end that can do some things.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, Leonard Williams probably one of the more underrated inside defensive linemen, but you don\u2019t want him constantly at an edge dropping into coverage. That\u2019s not something that you want to do. I know he got the pick against the [Jets], but that\u2019s not really what he\u2019s really good at. And so having a guy like Demarcus Lawrence who\u2019s run stopping, it\u2019s not even necessarily like position versatility as it is using players in different ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeonard Williams is a great example of how he can play from nose all the way to what I would call a big five. He\u2019s not going to line up in a wide nine, be out there and pass rush, but he can line up on a tackle, and work into a guard.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as sending extra rushers, Alexander suggests increasing blitzes to ~27% with simulated pressures, potentially yielding 50+ sacks. Sustaining the late-2024 run defense (96.2 yards\/game, 7th) with Ernest Jones IV\u2019s tackling (7.7% miss rate) could rival Baltimore\u2019s 92.1 yards\/game (3rd). With 13\/16 defensive players returning, Seattle\u2019s scheme familiarity sets the stage for a top-5 EPA\/play leap, echoing Baltimore\u2019s 2023 surge (3rd to 1st).<\/p>\n
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If you\u2019re a fan of advanced statistics and deep schematic breakdowns, there\u2019s a lot of content in here packed into 50 digestible minutes. Watch the full episode below as Alexander unpacks Macdonald\u2019s path to elite status.<\/p>\n
VideoFollow HawksZone Rundown hosts on Twitter (X)!<\/p>\n
Bryce Coutts: @brycecoutts_HZR<\/p>\n
Ryan MacMillan: @RMac1090<\/p>\n
Follow Cody Alexander on Twitter and YouTube<\/p>\n
Twitter: @The_Coach_A<\/p>\n
YouTube: MatchQuarters<\/p>\n
Subscribe to the HawksZone Rundown podcast!<\/p>\n
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