Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today's installment covers:
But first, a look at how this Seahawks defense compares to one of the most celebrated NFL units of this millennium ...
Seattle has rampaged to the NFC title game with a ferocious defense that overwhelms opponents. Sounds familiar, eh? The Seahawks reached back-to-back Super Bowls -- absolutely dominating the first and then losing the second in heartbreaking fashion -- behind the "Legion of Boom" defense.
So, how does Mike Macdonald's surging group, dubbed the "Dark Side" defense, stack up against Pete Carroll's famed outfit? Could the 2025 'Hawks actually play better defense than one of the most revered units in recent memory?
Let's break it down!
RUN DEFENSE
This season's version of Seattle's defense is arguably the saltiest unit in franchise history. These violent Seahawks play with a level of physicality that forces running backs to make business decisions in the hole. The attacking scheme ideally suits a front seven loaded with speed, quickness and explosiveness. Big-bodied defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II shut down the A-gaps, forcing opponents to bounce to the perimeter against a defense that tracks ball-carriers like a pack of hungry wolves. Linebackers Ernest Jones IV and Drake Thomas fly under the radar, but the second-level duo routinely delivers pivotal plays that change games.
The Seahawks' throwback edition featured a gold-jacket defender (Bobby Wagner) in the middle of a pack of junkyard dogs. Carroll's squad outworked and outlasted opponents who were unable to match Seattle's relentless approach. Though the unit featured some solid players who performed at a high level within the system (SEE: Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Brandon Mebane and K.J. Wright), those 'Hawks bullied opponents as a unit with a collective edginess.
PASS RUSH
Credit Seahawks general manager John Schneider for using every aspect of talent acquisition to build a dominant defensive line that specializes in bludgeoning opponents in the trenches. Seattle significantly upgraded the front in recent years by adding a pair of veteran studs: Williams came aboard at the 2023 trade deadline, and then the Seahawks gave DeMarcus Lawrence a three-year deal last offseason, despite the fact that the edge rusher had some injury issues in his final few years with the Cowboys. Both moves have paid off spectacularly -- and in between them, Schneider spent his 2024 first-round pick on an ultra-explosive defensive tackle (Murphy) to further spark the interior pass rush. With multiple game-wreckers positioned at the point of attack, the Seahawks can apply heat with a four-man rush. Macdonald cleverly incorporates stunts, twists and games -- as well as some creative simulated pressures, like a four-man rush with the fourth defender coming from the second or third level -- to keep opposing quarterbacks guessing at all times. Additionally, the persistent pursuit from a group of energetic defenders has tilted the field in Seattle's favor this season.
In the early 2010s, the Seahawks wreaked havoc on opponents with a trio of unheralded pass rushers: Bennett, Avril and -- on the first Super Bowl team -- Chris Clemons. 2012 first-rounder Bruce Irvin added additional juice to the group. Carroll unleashed these players on basic pass rushes, enabling his QB hunters to use their superior speed and quickness to turn the corner on lumbering edge blockers. Though the raw stats did not fully reflect their impact as sack artists, these guys disrupted offensive flow with speed rushes and overall edge harassment.
PASS COVERAGE
Macdonald has transformed a collection of young, dynamic defenders with versatile games into a unit that suffocates perimeter pass catchers and playmakers. Despite operating within a zone-heavy scheme, the Seahawks rarely concede big plays on vertical throws or catch-and-run plays due to the discipline and physicality of the group. Part of Seattle's success stems from the interchangeability of two blue-chip defenders, Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori. As playmaking hybrids, Witherspoon (cornerback/slot defender) and Emmanwori (safety/nickel linebacker) can match up with the opposing team's top targets, while also enhancing the pass rush as extra defenders on the blitz. With Coby Bryant, Julian Love, Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe all possessing solid coverage skills, Macdonald creatively taps into his players' widespread abilities with exotic third-down pressures from various sub-packages.
The "LOB" put opponents in straitjackets with a group of long, rangy cornerbacks and hard-hitting safeties, all of whom thrived in their assigned roles within a hybrid Cover 3 scheme. Carroll's simplistic approach blended man-to-man principles with zone concepts to eliminate the "layups" (screens and quick passes) and "threes" (deep shots) that often enable NFL offenses to move up and down the field. With Richard Sherman blanketing receivers on the perimeter while Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas eliminated throws between the hashes, the Seahawks made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and play-callers, despite utilizing a base defense you could find on the Pop Warner gridiron.
Given the long-term success and stellar performance from the Legion of Boom secondary, it is impossible to rank the 2025 Seahawks' defensive backfield ahead of that crew. The LOB brought home a Lombardi Trophy and played an outsized role in Seattle finishing with the league's top scoring defense for four straight seasons.
SCHEME
The brilliance of Macdonald and Carroll lies in their simple approaches. Both favor straightforward concepts that enable their guys to play fast and free between the lines. While Carroll's schemes were elementary (typically an over front with Cover 3 or man-free coverage behind it), they often induced flawless execution from a collection of disruptive defenders committed to running to the ball with bad intentions. The overwhelming speed and physicality from a defense loaded with elite defenders at the second and third levels (Wagner, Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor) made everything difficult for foes.
The Dark Side D features schemes that are also simplistic in design, but Macdonald adds some spice to the menu on third down. The Seahawks incorporate various blitzes featuring defensive backs to disrupt the offense's timing and rhythm. With Macdonald deploying the same blitz patterns out of multiple formations and sub-packages, the defensive guru stresses the offensive line's identification and communication, inherently creating favorable one-on-one matchups for a hard-charging safety, a slot cornerback or a defensive lineman left alone in the trenches.
OVERALL: THE VERDICT
There is no disputing the Seahawks' defensive excellence this season. Macdonald has built a bully in the Pacific Northwest behind a disruptive D that smothers opponents with its superior talent in a scheme that maximizes the individual and collective strengths of the unit. With the defensive scoring title and an absolutely dominant playoff debut (41-6 over San Francisco) on the résumé, it is easy to begin pondering whether the 2025 defense should be considered the gold standard for this franchise. And yet, while I do believe this group is superior in some of the categories discussed above -- particularly when it comes to the front seven -- I just can't get there.
The Dark Side cannot unseat the Legion of Boom until it matches (or exceeds) the legendary defense's accomplishments. With back-to-back Super Bowl appearances (including one win) and four consecutive defensive scoring titles, the LOB is cemented as one of the all-time greats. Until the current crew earns some hardware to validate its status, the old-school squad will continue to wear the crown as the best defense in Seahawks history.
My scouting report on Jarrett Stidham
With Bo Nix suffering a season-ending ankle injury late in Denver's Divisional Round win over Buffalo, Jarrett Stidham has been thrust into the starting lineup of the AFC Championship Game. Consequently, many folks no longer view the Broncos as true title contenders. While the angst is expected, based on Stidham's lack of experience -- four career starts, with the most recent coming in the final week of the 2023 season -- the football world should not dismiss Denver's chances of winning the tournament with the former fourth-round pick under center.
Stidham doesn't have significant game experience, but he flashed enough talent in limited action to get Sean Payton's attention. Stidham likely piqued the Super Bowl-winning coach's interest with a striking performance in his first start with the Silver and Black in Week 17 of the 2022 campaign. In that contest against the 49ers, he completed 23 of 34 passes for 365 pass yards and three touchdowns (against a pair of interceptions). Subsequently, one of Payton's first moves upon arrival in Denver was signing Stidham to a two-year, $10 million deal as Russell Wilson's backup. The Broncos, of course, jettisoned Wilson after one season, but they've kept Stidham around all along, signing him to a two-year, $12 million extension last offseason.
Within Payton's system, Stidham has shown promise, averaging 248 yards passing during a two-start stint at the end of the '23 campaign. And he displayed encouraging development this past summer with a sizzling showing in the preseason, completing 78.9 percent of his passes for 376 yards (at a whopping 9.9 yards per attempt) with a 4:0 TD-to-INT ratio and 143.0 passer rating. Granted, he faced vanilla looks, but the veteran carved them up with surgical precision.
Stidham's accuracy, anticipation and timing allowed the Broncos to stay on schedule and utilize a quick-rhythm passing game in the preseason. As a nimble athlete who is comfortable throwing on the move on bootlegs and sprint-out passes, the veteran could excel in a game plan Payton carefully crafts to accentuate his strengths and mask his deficiencies within the pocket. Additionally, Payton will complement the movement-based passing game with a diverse screen attack that involves running backs (swings and slow screens) and wide receivers (flash and jailbreak screens on the perimeter). Those high-percentage throws can help the Broncos stay on schedule while Payton builds up his backup's confidence with enough completions that he finds the strike zone in mid-range and vertical tosses.
Going against a New England defense that likes to present a cloudy picture, Stidham must quickly disentangle the pre-snap disguise from the post-snap execution. How well he handles the Patriots' smoke-and-mirrors tactics could determine whether the Broncos can move the ball effectively against an underrated top-five scoring D.
Perhaps Payton will steal a page from his mentor Bill Parcells' book to transform Stidham into a Jeff Hostetler-like hero. Hostetler took over for an injured Phil Simms and helped the Giants win Super Bowl XXV. Parcells relied on the ground attack, a high-completion passing game and a few special teams tricks to forge the Giants' title run. Payton's Broncos can lean on their championship-caliber defense, the ground game and some explosive special teamers to alleviate pressure on the 29-year-old journeyman QB.
If Stidham plays to his strengths as a quick-rhythm passer and mobile playmaker, the Broncos can manufacture enough first downs and points to win at home on Sunday with a complementary-football game plan. And if this team punches its ticket to Santa Clara, anything is possible in a single contest for all the marbles.