{"id":727354,"date":"2026-02-03T23:06:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T23:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/727354\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T23:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T23:06:17","slug":"macdonalds-focus-on-defense-a-perfect-fit-for-seahawks-heading-into-super-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/727354\/","title":{"rendered":"Macdonald’s focus on defense a perfect fit for Seahawks heading into Super Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE \u2014 Long before the Seattle Seahawks reached their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, coach Mike Macdonald donned a blue, gas station attendant-style shirt with a team logo on the chest. <\/p>\n

He made the fashion statement after the Seahawks put the finishing touches on their 2025 draft, just as he and president of football operations John Schneider did the year before. <\/p>\n

Considering the way Macdonald has coached, and his team has played in a record-setting season, though, there is nothing phony about this workmanlike attire. <\/p>\n

Macdonald\u2019s shirt is representative of the kind of football team he envisioned building when he was hired by the Seahawks two years ago: a gritty, hard-nosed bunch with a focus on defense. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a testament to Mike for setting the culture,\u201d said wide receiver Jake Bobo after Seattle\u2019s 31-27 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game. \u201cIt\u2019s a fun group, and it\u2019s really fun to do this with this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Seahawks had one of the best defenses in the NFL in the 2025 season, one in which they set the franchise record for regular-season wins (14). No team allowed fewer points per game (17.2) and Seattle finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.<\/p>\n

And now, Macdonald is just one win away from becoming the first head coach to win a Super Bowl as the primary defensive play-caller for his team. Plenty of head coaches, such as the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 Andy Reid, Los Angeles Rams\u2019 Sean McVay and others, have done so while calling plays on offense. <\/p>\n

\"Seattle<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald arrives, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Credit: AP\/Brynn Anderson<\/p>\n

In many ways, Macdonald has been a perfect match for Schneider two years after the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator was hired to replace Pete Carroll. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith Mike, it\u2019s this really clear, thoughtful, intense, intelligent messaging,\u201d Schneider said.<\/p>\n

Macdonald and Schneider have worked together to develop a group that emerged from the toughest division in the league by getting contributions from throughout the roster. <\/p>\n

Yet while the breakout season of quarterback Sam Darnold and the record-setting season of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njiba have helped, the Seahawks have reached the championship game thanks in large part to a defense led by key players such as Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones IV and Devon Witherspoon. <\/p>\n

\"Seattle<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks during the NFL Super Bowl Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Credit: AP\/Brynn Anderson<\/p>\n

Though the secondary has dealt with injuries at times, they suffocated San Francisco’s offense and held off the Los Angeles Rams on their way to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to go against that defense every single day,\u201d Darnold said, \u201cthat got us better as an offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seattle finished third in the league in scoring, and when Darnold cooled off a bit down the stretch, running back Kenneth Walker III helped pick up the slack in the late stages of the season.<\/p>\n

Still, the one constant over the past five months has been a defense that has thrived under Macdonald.<\/p>\n

The Seahawks have limited big plays thanks in part to nickel packages that frequently feature rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who had three passes defensed in the NFC championship game. The defensive line is also one of the most rugged in the league with Williams, Byron Murphy II and DeMarcus Lawrence making life difficult for opposing offenses. <\/p>\n

Macdonald has gotten a talented roster to buy into his vision. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe only have one goal in mind, and obviously the job\u2019s not done yet,\u201d safety Coby Bryant said. \u201cWe still have more work to put in. (Macdonald) set the tone from day one, and we\u2019re behind him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city of Seattle is also hoping Macdonald can propel the franchise to its second Super Bowl victory. <\/p>\n

Macdonald and Schneider already shared a meaningful moment together on the turf at Lumen Field after toppling the Rams two weeks ago. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re both hoping to repeat it Sunday night at Levi\u2019s Stadium against the Patriots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision of wanting to get back here, produce a consistent championship-caliber football team for amazing fans, the 12s, and how loud it was,\u201d Schneider said, \u201cI had told him, \u2018Dude, when we get this (place) rocking, you\u2019re going to be shook.\u2019 And I think he was.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2014 Long before the Seattle Seahawks reached their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, coach Mike Macdonald…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":727355,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2081],"tags":[7,6,238,237,261,2635,2309],"class_list":{"0":"post-727354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-seattle-seahawks","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-nfl","10":"tag-seahawks","11":"tag-seattle","12":"tag-seattle-seahawks","13":"tag-seattleseahawks","14":"tag-wires-bot"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116009211428379898","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}