As Mike Macdonald joined Seattle to become its ninth head coach in franchise history on January 31, 2024, it was a passing of the torch for the franchise. After more than a decade under Pete Carroll, the franchise’s identity had become simply tied to his defense, which was of simplicity, consistency, and discipline. Macdonald, however, had a more contemporary, unconventional defensive scheme, and now the returns indicate it’s paying dividends.

Former Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril recently provided an insightful look at how Seattle’s defensive approach has changed under its new regime. Drawing comparisons to the new scheme and what it was under Carroll, Avril stated, “Our defense was very simple. 80% of the time, you knew what we’d going to line up, where we were going to line up at, you knew what coverage we were going to play, and our thing was that you had got to deal with it. You knew where the holes were, and so do we. So that makes it easier for us to be able to bait you to throw it there and go make some plays.”

Avril’s comment summarizes what characterized Carroll’s defensive age: simplicity, trust, and execution rather than spontaneity. Perhaps one of the biggest constants in Seattle since 2010. Whether newly arriving in the game or in his later years coaching the Seahawks, Carroll’s system was almost identical. His defense, which was based on mentor Monte Kiffin’s, was less tricky and more about physical presence and control.

Cliff Avril’s quote demonstrates how much Seattle’s defensive persona has evolved since Mike Macdonald. Considering the difference from Pete Carroll’s simpler system, Avril said, “That was the difference between what we do and then, in comparison to what Mike Macdonald is doing, he’s giving you a gazillion different looks. Different guys are blitzing, pass rushers are dropping, which would have been an issue for me as a pass rusher.”

That comment reflects the chaos Macdonald’s defense is founded upon, a malleable system that never ceases to make offenses question. Where Carroll’s defenses were built on predictability and discipline, Macdonald’s are built on disguise and deception. Seattle’s front can bring pressure with only four rushers, with linebackers and safeties rotating, bluffing, or dropping into coverage. It forces opposing quarterbacks to make errors.

Avril continued, “That’s the biggest difference is all the different looks that he’s giving, which is confusing guys. That is very beneficial, and it works for what he is trying to do.” When Mike Macdonald came to Seattle last season, he mixed coverages in Week 1 itself to confuse Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

As analyst Daniel Jeremiah reported, the Seahawks mixed quarters (21%), Cover 6 (17.5%), Cover 1 (17%), and Cover 2 (10%). That constant unpredictability made it challenging for Nix, and it demonstrated how Macdonald’s scheming focused on confusing rather than being predictable.

Defensively, it took Seattle a half-season to finally execute Macdonald’s system, but once they did, the implications were clear. The Seahawks finished last season 11th in EPA/play, climbing from 20th midway through the season. From Weeks 10 through 14, they had the third-largest EPA/play increase (.041) in the league, and FTN’s DVOA metric had them 10th in the league through the end of the season.

Macdonald has raised the Seahawks’ defense bar and reestablished them as one of the NFL’s most bothersome teams.

Seahawks’ strong start under Mike Macdonald

After a strong finish to last season, Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks have carried that momentum over into 2025. Seattle finished the 2024 season at 10-7, with six of its last eight games wins, and that momentum has carried over into this year’s good 3-1 start.

Seattle has held each of its four opponents to 20 or fewer points and has given up only six touchdowns, all through the air. The pass rush has come to life, with 12 sacks to date (six in their Thursday night victory over Arizona), and the seven takeaways by Seattle have all been via interception.

Even in the success, however, there’s still one aspect where Macdonald’s defense is criticized: finishing off games. As good as Seattle has been in three-quarters, they’ve blown fourth-quarter leads in the final minute this season.

Seattle Sports Radio‘s Cameron Van Til captured the problem in a nutshell: “For as good as Seattle’s defense has been, the unit has twice failed to close out a game in the fourth quarter… Seattle’s defense certainly looks like a top-five unit so far. But for the Seahawks to truly solidify themselves as elite, they need to do a better job of closing games in the fourth.”

Seattle possesses a fourth-quarter minus point margin even though it has dominated opponents in the first three quarters in most of those games. Much of that fourth-quarter production has been supplemented by coverage breakdowns from cornerback Riq Woolen.

So while the Seahawks’ defense has been great, it is far from airtight. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to take advantage of that at Lumen Field.