The Seattle Seahawks entered this season with all the usual warning signs for a defense headed backward. Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen were gone, replaced by internal options.
Boye Mafe was effectively exchanged for Dante Fowler Jr., who arrived as a post-June 1st free agent signing. And with Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Uchenna Nwosu all another year older, plus rookie additions who haven’t contributed yet, regression looked like the safe bet.
Seven games in, that bet doesn’t look so safe anymore.
The Seahawks are allowing 17.9 points per game, only a slight dip from last year’s 17.2. But that number doesn’t tell the full story, because several of those points have come on short fields, or with the defense asked to defend no field at all. They’ve surrendered touchdown drives of 21, 43, 18, and 11 yards, along with field goal drives of 26 and 8 yards, and they’ve also given up two defensive scores.
When you strip away the noise, the underlying production jumps off the page. Seattle is first in the league by a wide margin in yards allowed per game at 233.9, way down from last season’s 285.6. They’re also allowing just 4.0 yards per play, a huge improvement over 4.7 a year ago, and the best mark any defense has produced this century.
The advanced numbers back up the same story. Their -0.118 EPA per play is second in the NFL this season behind a historic start from the Vikings, but it edges past last year’s -0.113.
Their success rate allowed has tightened up dramatically too, dropping to 36.5% from 40.1%. However you slice it, the Seahawks are getting better results.
Some of that, naturally, can be tied to the schedule. But that explanation only goes so far, especially after the last three weeks.
Seattle has held up against Kyle Shanahan, Sean Payton, and Andy Reid - three of the sharpest offensive minds of this era. That matters.
The Patriots have had trouble scoring, but they still rank in the top ten in yards and EPA. The 49ers and Chiefs have both been among the league’s best offenses so far.
Even the Commanders and Cardinals profile more as below-average than outright bad. The upcoming slate may get trickier on offense, with McVay waiting twice, but the current body of work doesn’t vanish because the schedule changes.
There’s also the injury element. The Seahawks have already played essentially two games without Nick Emmanwori, two without Drake Thomas, four without Ty Okada, and one without Julian Love.
Even so, they’ve gotten strong play from players like Tyrice Knight, Rodney Thomas II, and Nehemiah Pritchett. And there’s at least a chance the unit can still level up once more pieces are available and the season keeps moving.
The offense has made it harder to notice, but the conclusion is hard to avoid right now: this defense hasn’t slipped from 2025. If anything, it has been better.
The Bears, 49ers, Cowboys, and the Rams twice still loom, so that picture could change. For now, though, Seattle’s defense deserves the benefit of the doubt.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Loom In One Of The NFLs Biggest Trade Decisions
A roster-altering move in Indianapolis has put Seattle in the middle of one of the NFLs most eye-catching trade conversations, with the Colts sending guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for future draft picks. For Seattle, the Nelson addition immediately stands out because it addresses the interior of the offensive line with one of the leagues most established blockers, a move that could change how the team thinks about protection and balance up front.
The bigger ripple effect comes from what else the deal suggests about the market, because it could influence how teams approach other star names being floated in trade chatter. Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Jeffery Simmons, Brian Thomas and Budda Baker are all part of that broader speculation, but for the Seahawks the immediate focus is on what adding Nelson means now and whether a move this bold signals more aggressive activity could still be coming. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Are Suddenly Linked To A Blockbuster Move They Can't Ignore
The Seahawks have already made one notable move to strengthen the offense by bringing in guard Quenton Nelson, and now another name is popping up around their plans: Saquon Barkley. With Philadelphias direction suddenly under a brighter spotlight after a pair of losses, the possibility of the Eagles considering bigger roster decisions has opened the door to speculation, and Barkleys recent production and accolades only make the idea more intriguing for teams looking for an immediate difference-maker.
For Seattle, the appeal is obvious. A back like Barkley would change the shape of the offense and give the Seahawks another elite option to lean on if they were to get serious about making a push. Nothing is official, and there has been no confirmation of any trade or even direct word from either side, but this is the kind of potential blockbuster that would force Seattle to at least explore what it would take to get involved. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks O-Line Debate Comes Down To One Thing This Unit Lacks
Seattles offensive line is still being viewed through the same lens it has all season: a group built more for movement than brute force. The Seahawks have leaned into agility and space up front, but the conversation around the unit keeps circling back to whether it has enough edge when games call for body blows in the middle of the field.
Anthony Bradford stands out as the one starter who brings a more physical, aggressive element, the sort of presence that can help turn inside runs into something sturdier. Against the Chiefs, Seattle kept coming back to the run game between the tackles, and Emanuel Wilsons 4.2 yards per carry offered at least some proof that the approach can work, even if the bigger question about what this line still lacks remains very much in play. [Read more 🡒]