Seattle is no longer the “Legion of Boom” — "The Dark Side" is a pressure machine that wins with four and closes space with a two-high shell. If New England is going to finish strong in Super Bowl LX, Drake Maye and the Patriots offense will need to crack the code of another elite defensive unit.
En route to Super Bowl LX, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye accomplished something at 23 years old that no other quarterback in NFL history has been able to: beat three of the NFL’s top-five defenses in the same postseason.
First, it was the Los Angeles Chargers’ fifth-overall defense. Then, it was the Houston Texans’ first-overall defense. And in the AFC Championship Game, it was the Denver Broncos’ second-overall defense.
As New England has tread deeper into playoff waters, Maye has played “the biggest game of his football life” in consecutive weeks… all the way to a Super Bowl appearance.
Now, Maye arrives at the biggest of them all — Super Bowl LX — and another top-ranked defensive unit awaits him and the Patriots’ offense atop the NFL mountain.
The Seattle Seahawks ranked third in total defense during the regular season: first overall in points against per game (17.2), second in yards against per play (4.6), second in EPA per play (-0.12), first in defensive DVOA (-20.1%), third in pressures (180), second in quarterback hurries (73), first in yards against per rush (3.7), and third in rushing yards against per game (91.9). They ranked as a top-five unit in the red zone (50% of drives resulted in an opponent touchdown, fifth), and were the best unit in the league on third down (32.1% conversion percentage).
If Maye is set to become the youngest quarterback in NFL history to hoist a Lombardi Trophy, he’ll need to have one of his best games of the year against perhaps his stiffest competition.
Let’s take a closer look at how Seattle gets it done on defense.
Scheme
© Kevin Ng-Imagn ImagesUnlike the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” of old — which relied on the sticky coverage of talented defensive backs in a Cover 3-heavy scheme — head coach Mike Macdonald has predicated the new-look Seattle defense — dubbed "The Dark Side" around a menacing front four.
Akin to the Texans matchup in the Divisional Round, the Seahawks enter with just a 22.3% blitz rate on the season, seventh lowest in the league. Even with just a four-man rush, Seattle ranked third in the NFL in quarterback hurry percentage (10.1%) and sixth in quarterback pressure rate (38.1%).
They get home using a high percentage of stunts (24.5%, third in the NFL) that target the interior offensive line and highlight the talent of their pass rushers. Without blitzing, they generate pressure at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL (35.2%).
While the Seahawks don’t blitz often, they’re effective when they do. When Seattle blitzes, they generate pressure at the third-highest rate in the NFL (48.2%) including the playoffs.
Most commonly called in long-yardage situations (40.0% blitz rate on third-and-long is a team-high mark), the Seahawks boast the NFL’s best mark in EPA/dropback when blitzing (-0.4 EPA per dropback).
Against the run, they’re even better — ranking first in EPA per rush (-0.19) and third in success rate against the run (35.4%) — all while using base defense at the lowest rate in the NFL (45 total snaps) during the regular season. The league-average usage of base personnel in the NFL was 243 snaps in 2025.
Seattle ran 77.3% of their total defensive snaps with nickel personnel on the field (five defensive backs), with a two-high safety shell.
With that shell, they specialized in Cover 2 (31.0% of defensive snaps, third-highest rate in the NFL), but frequently rolled the safeties post-snap into a modified Cover 3 (24.8% of snaps) for a change of pace and to add a body into the run game.
They’ll mix in some Cover 1 (17.4% of snaps) when rotating the safeties as a change of pace, and their corners hold up well when called upon in man coverage — though that’s not commonly asked of them in the Seahawks’ scheme.
Seattle has been suffocating in coverage, ranking second in the NFL in fewest pass yards per attempt allowed (6.2 yards) including the playoffs.
No matter how you chop it up, this is a highly efficient unit that’s been playing confidently all season long in year two of the Macdonald regime. But the Seahawks’ talent enables the scheme to be as successful as it has been.
Who’s Who
© Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesSeattle’s highly-touted defensive line is led by the interior duo of former New York Jet Leonard Williams and second-year standout Byron Murphy II.
Williams (31) has experienced a career renaissance since joining Seattle in 2023, and ranks first in sacks (18.0), quarterback hits (50), and second in tackles for loss (25) among all NFL defensive tackles over the course of the last two seasons. His 49 quarterback pressures this season (including the playoffs) are a career-best mark and rank sixth among all defensive tackles in the league, but are bested by his running mate.
Murphy ranks fifth in pressures among NFL defensive tackles with 51, and has been a constant presence for Seattle’s interior defensive line all season long. He tied Vita Vea for the most pressures when aligned at the 0, 1, or 2 technique (33) — right in the heart of the defensive front.
Williams and Murphy will align over Jared Wilson (53 pressures allowed, third most among left guards), and Garrett Bradbury (36 pressures, ninth most among centers) — a matchup that’s worth monitoring throughout the game.
On the edge, the Seahawks have enjoyed the offseason addition of former Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Lawrence, who ranks as PFF’s second-highest graded edge defender against the run this season (83.6), and has racked up 32 run stops, five forced fumbles, 61 pressures, ten sacks, 20 quarterback hits, and 37 hurries including the postseason.
The Seahawks were the only team in the NFL this season with five players who each recorded 12-plus quarterback hits: Williams (22), Lawrence (20), Uchenna Nwosu (15), Derrick Hall (13), and Murphy II (13).
Lurking over the middle of the field is Ernest Jones IV, who this year became just the third linebacker since 2000 with 140-plus tackles and six-plus interceptions in a season including the playoffs, joining Luke Kuechly (2015) and Ray Lewis (2003).
Star rookie safety Nick Emmanwori is used in the style of the Baltimore Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton or the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James, taking the vast majority of his snaps in the box or near the line of scrimmage (852 of 874 snaps came in the box or slot, 97.5%). The 6’3”, 227 lb. speedster has the size, strength, and speed (ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine last March) to make plays in the run and pass game, and does involve himself in both.
He’s been highly effective in that role, joining teammate corner Devon Witherspoon (2023) as the only rookies with 10-plus pass breakups and eight-plus tackles for loss over the last 10 seasons.
© Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesWitherspoon has a nose for the football, and is one of just three players in the NFL over the course of the last three seasons with 30-plus pass breakups, 15-plus tackles for loss, and a defensive touchdown (Kyle Hamilton, Brian Branch). He’s PFF’s highest-graded corner overall this season (90.4), ranking first in run defense (90.1) and second in pass rush grade (91.8) and coverage (86.8).
On the opposite boundary is Tariq Woolen, who’s targeted at a slightly higher rate (73 targets for Witherspoon, 76 for Woolen), but has allowed fewer receptions (42 receptions against Woolen, 55 against Witherspoon). Woolen’s given up more touchdowns (five, to Witherspoon’s two) and has been penalized significantly more than Witherspoon (10 flags for Woolen, two for Witherspoon).
Though he allows some chunk plays, Woolen’s ability to make plays on the football is evident. He and the Texans’ Derek Stingley, Jr., are the only two players over the last four seasons with 10-plus interceptions and 50-plus passes defensed. Including the playoffs, Woolen ranks third in the NFL in fewest yards per target allowed (5.4).
With Emmanwori in the slot and Woolen and Witherspoon manning the boundaries, Seattle rolls two additional high safeties onto the field in their nickel package — and they also make plays all over the field.
Julian Love is having a career year with the Seahawks, and is graded as PFF’s third-best safety overall this season (85.5), ranking first in coverage (89.3). He’s allowed an opposing passer rating of just 28.5 when targeted, with no touchdowns allowed, an interception, and four pass breakups this season.
Playing the other high-shell role is Coby Bryant, whom Macdonald moved from corner to safety in 2024. That move has proved to be a good one, as Bryant freely roams over the middle of the field and looks to make plays on the ball. He’s racked up four interceptions through this point of the season, 14 run stops, and has seen his play time steadily increase to the tune of a team-high 1,092 snaps in 2025.
From back to front, Seattle’s defense is set to present challenges for New England’s offense all game long — but that’s nothing new for the Patriots this postseason.
Coming Up Next
Now that we’ve taken a look at who’s who for the Seahawks on defense, we’ll next dive into what Josh McDaniels, Drake Maye, and the New England offense will need to do to emerge victorious.
Keys to victory for the Patriots’ in Super Bowl LX are on deck — stay tuned for that and more on Patriots Roundtable as we build toward the season’s finale.
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