The Seahawks reminded why they have the best defense in football. The Lions have an ideal quarterback to spoil the Vikings’ perfect record. The Giants might have a new starting quarterback.
Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches’ film before offering a few insights to watch. Here are three developments that could be long-term storylines involving some of the best teams and players in the NFL.
Whenever a defense gets to face a former teammate who has teased and tormented them in practices for years, the unit cant wait to spot the ball and shut down their ex to earn bragging rights. With star running back Kenneth Walker III returning to Seattle to face the leagues top defense in prime time this past week, the football world couldnt wait to see how the “Dark Side” would treat K9 in his homecoming. Â
Walker, of course, didn’t enter the matchup as merely the reigning Super Bowl MVP. He was the NFLs rushing leader after averaging a whopping 133 yards per game while forcing 51 missed tackles through five games. The fifth-year pro was picking up 9.2 yards per carry when not hit behind the line of scrimmage, which led the NFL by over a full yard (minimum 25 carries). However, the Seahawks are a sure-tackling team, with a 90.1% tackling rate (third-highest) and hit running backs in the backfield on 48.5% of their carries, with 22.7% of those hits resulting in a tackle for loss or no gain.Â
A long, hard look at the tape from this Week 7 showdown revealed a lot about the Seahawks. Namely, they boast the best defense in football. Defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald has installed a scheme that lets his playmakers play fast, but from various spots and alignments. As a proponent of positionless football, the Seahawks run five and six defensive backs on the field at all times, and their clever use of Nickel and Dime personnel, regardless of the offensive grouping, speaks to the unit’s versatility, with defensive backs deployed as quasi-linebackers on blitzes.Â
Against Kansas City, Seattle didnt stray from that approach, playing five or more defensive backs on 100% of the snaps. With Macdonald keeping his defensive backs deep to eliminate explosives through the air, the Seahawks impressively kept Walker in check without loading the box. They finished with a 7.1% stacked-box rate, per Next Gen Stats, while holding the Chiefs to 4.3 yards per play and limiting Walker to just 36 rushing yards total. The stellar performance snapped Walkers 11-game streak with at least 50 yards and offered a blueprint for containing the NFLs top rusher. Â
Studying the All-22 coaches footage, the Seahawks contained the Super Bowl MVP with a high school-like game plan featured on Friday nights across the country. The defense stayed in a traditional two-deep zone or single-high safety coverage with five defensive backs on the field. They overwhelmed the Chiefs at the point of attack with interior size and outran Walker to the corner, with a speedy collection of linebackers and defensive backs running the ball with urgency. Seattle’s outstanding effort and flawless tackling stopped Walker in his tracks and disrupted the rhythm of an offense that has dictated its terms to opponents with a balanced but explosive attack.Â
Although Macdonald added some tricks and gimmicks throughout the game, the Seahawks simply overwhelmed the Chiefs with their talent, toughness and tenacity. If they continue to play to their standard, the defending champs will have a lot to say about which team represents the NFC in Super Bowl LXI.Â
Under aggressive defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings have lived and died by the blitz. But the blitz-heavy tacticians diabolical methods will be tested Sunday against Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in America’s Game of the Week (1 p.m. ET on FOX). Â Â
The Vikings enter Week 8 with the highest blitz rate in the NFL, coming off a game in which they registered the highest blitz rate in
