The Seattle Seahawks’ defense has become the cornerstone of their dominance. Under Mike Macdonald’s leadership, the team has a nickel-heavy approach that may look light on paper but makes offenses bleed. This modern shift in the defensive scheme has caught the attention of star quarterback Matthew Stafford. And now, it’s making his team’s job far more complicated than he thought.

“Yeah, a little bit,” the Los Angeles Rams’ signal-caller said via reporter Wyatt Miller’s post on X when asked whether Seattle’s defensive versatility, especially with lighter personnel groupings, makes it tough for him to read them.

“I think they’re able to build a bunch of structures both in the back end and the fronts with ‘nickel defense’ out there. And they love to be in that. They stay in that a decent amount of the time, so it is a little bit different in the fact that they feel like they can create different front and coverage structure issues with their grouping, where a lot of teams, if you’re getting nickel defense, you’re just getting their nickel pass fronts or some of those things. So they do a nice job of changing the stuff up.”

That’s an interesting comment to make before the Conference Championship against Seattle. Macdonald’s defense looks poles apart from the Legion of Boom days, when the team heavily leaned on an elite secondary. Their new defense, aka “Dark Side” (a moniker chosen because of the Pacific Northwest’s gloomy weather), typically lines up with two deep safeties.

They focus on Cover 2 and Cover 4 concepts, keeping both safeties back and removing an extra defender from the box near the line of scrimmage. Instead of a traditional third linebacker, the Seahawks often keep Nick Emmanwori on the field.

At the same time, they are undersizing Drake Thomas for a linebacker. It makes their defense smaller and faster, and allows lighter defenders to attack while making fewer errors. The group of four defensive linemen doesn’t fall short, even when offenses with six blockers outnumber them.

Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II require double teams inside to clog running lanes.

When two linemen are busy inside, it makes room for Thomas, Emmanwori, and Ernest Jones IV to flow freely and make plays without being touched. Meanwhile, DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall exert constant pressure on the edges, and Jarran Reed adds depth for Williams and Murphy on the inside.

By theory, this setup should weaken them against the run, but Seattle’s approach of using the nickel position makes them stand out.

Their stats suggest how effective this scheme has been

Seattle’s defense ranks third in the league, surrendering just 91.9 yards per game. They have also allowed just 292 points all season, the fewest in the league. Their defensive dominance peaked when they held the San Francisco 49ers to only three points and 173 total yards in Week 18. The unit wreaked havoc in the divisional round, crushing the same opponent 41-6 and refusing to allow a single touchdown. 

As for Matthew Stafford, who is leading this season with 4,707 passing yards, things get more complicated.

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When considering past trends, there is one that works against him. Since 1975, the passing yards leader has ended up 0-6 in the playoffs when facing the NFL’s top defense. And guess what? Seahawks fans don’t need history lessons to believe it. During the team’s 43–8 Super Bowl XLVIII blowout win, they didn’t let legendary Peyton Manning explode.

He was the league’s passing yards leader with 5,477 yards, but ended up throwing for just 280 yards. The defense picked him off twice while allowing only one score. While Stafford holds vast experience, he must dominate a system that thrives on confusion. Also, his opponents are entering the championship game with a few crucial advantages.

Mike Macdonald’s team already holds an edge over the Rams

The NFC Championship sets up one of the most intense face-offs of the 2025 season. The Seahawks’ stingy defense will lock horns with Stafford’s explosive offense, which has dismantled opponents many times this season. The Rams averaged 30.5 points and 268.1 passing yards per game during the regular season. However, there are a couple of things that can work against them this weekend.

Seattle is coming off a powerful momentum as they overwhelmed Kyle Shanahan’s team a few days ago. First, they recorded a 13–3 road win in Week 18, and later edged them out in a lopsided manner in the Divisional Round. Across the two matchups, they let the Niners score just nine points and 409 yards. 

That’s tough news considering the Rams’ postseason record is not very convincing. In their wins over the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, QB Matthew Stafford looked out of sync. He completed just over 52.4 percent of his throws for 562 yards in those two games. He also scored just three touchdowns, along with one interception and five sacks. 

To make matters worse, Sam Darnold’s recovery from an oblique issue has been swift, boosting Seattle’s confidence. Mike Macdonald echoed the spirit when discussing the upcoming game.

“We really wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said.

On the other hand, Rams HC Sean McVay praised Seattle’s defense earlier this week, noting that they have a rare hybrid defender in Nick Emmanwori, someone who can function as a safety, linebacker, or edge player depending on the situation. At the same time, he is confident because he has a plan built around Rams’ receiver Puka Nacua, who creates problems as both a wide receiver and a tight end type.

Seattle prefers matching situations rather than sticking to set personnel. So, McVay knows he can move Nacua all over the formation, using shifts and motion to force uncommon matchups that work in his favor.

With everything on the line, this NFC West rivalry feels destined to deliver another unforgettable chapter on January 25.