Why Boye Mafe Matters More Than the Sack Column Suggests
If you were only tracking the box score from the Seahawks’ Week 16 loss to the Rams, you might not have noticed Boye Mafe. He didn’t record a sack, a tackle, or even an assist. And when the game reached its most critical moments, he wasn’t on the field much, with snaps going instead to Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall.
But don’t let the stat sheet fool you-Mafe’s impact goes far beyond what shows up in the postgame numbers.
This is how Mike Macdonald’s defense operates. It’s a system built on waves of pressure and adaptability, not individual stat-padding.
One week, a player like Mafe might be the centerpiece; the next, he’s part of a rotational group. That’s by design.
Macdonald leans into matchups, hot hands, and situational versatility. And while Mafe didn’t get the spotlight Thursday night, his value to this defense remains significant.
The Sack Drought Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Let’s start with the obvious: one sack on the season with two games left to play. For a second-round edge rusher in his fourth year, that’s not the kind of production that turns heads.
It’s also a career low. But if you stop the evaluation there, you’re missing the bigger picture-and frankly, the smarter picture.
Mafe’s game isn’t just about finishing plays; it’s about disrupting them. Take the first quarter against the Rams.
Lined up on the right edge, Mafe was met by tight end Davis Allen-a player nearly identical in size at 6'6", 251 pounds. The result?
Mafe tossed Allen aside like a practice dummy and flushed Matthew Stafford from the pocket. The throw went incomplete.
No stat for Mafe, but a clear win for the defense.
That kind of disruption is at the heart of what Seattle’s scheme asks its edge defenders to do. It’s not always about getting the sack. It’s about forcing the quarterback off his spot, speeding up the decision-making process, and letting the rest of the defense capitalize.
A Unique Blueprint: Pressure from the Inside Out
Seattle’s sack leaders this season aren’t edge rushers-they’re interior linemen Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy. That’s not typical in today’s NFL, where edge rushers usually dominate the leaderboard. But again, that’s part of Macdonald’s philosophy.
This defense doesn’t rely on heavy blitzing. Instead, it thrives on deception and discipline.
Edge defenders often drop into coverage. Safeties and corners come screaming in on delayed blitzes.
Linebackers loop and twist. It’s a chess match, not a sprint to the quarterback.
In this setup, edge rushers like Mafe have to play with patience and precision. They can’t freelance.
They can’t crash inside unless the call demands it. Their job is to contain, compress, and corral-forcing quarterbacks into the teeth of the interior rush.
And Mafe has done that job exceptionally well.
The Advanced Metrics Tell a Different Story
If you want a clearer sense of Mafe’s value, dig into the pass rush win rate. According to ESPN Analytics, Mafe ranks seventh among all edge rushers in that category, winning 20% of his reps. That puts him right in the conversation with names like Micah Parsons, Will Anderson, and Myles Garrett.
That’s elite company.
And it’s not just pressure. Mafe is second on the team in quarterback hurries, trailing only Lawrence.
He’s also the only Seahawks defender with multiple pass deflections this season-an often-overlooked stat that speaks to his awareness and timing. He’s tied with the rest of Seattle’s edge group combined in passes defended, and his missed tackle rate is lower than any of them.
Pro Football Focus gives him a grade of 60 or better in pass rushing, run defense, and coverage. He’s the only Seattle edge rusher who checks all three boxes.
That kind of all-around consistency doesn’t always generate headlines, but it’s exactly what keeps a defense like Seattle’s humming.
A Looming Decision
Looking ahead, the Seahawks have some roster math to do. Mafe is under contract through 2025, but the rest of the edge room-Nwosu, Hall, and Lawrence-is locked in through at least 2027. On paper, it might be tempting to see Mafe’s low sack total and conclude he’s the odd man out when the time comes.
But that would be a mistake.
Mafe does too many things well to be dismissed as a rotational piece. He’s the kind of player who makes the defense work, even if he’s not the one finishing the play. His ability to win one-on-one matchups, hold the edge, drop into coverage, and disrupt passing lanes gives Macdonald the flexibility to scheme creatively without sacrificing integrity.
So no, Boye Mafe didn’t light up the stat sheet against the Rams. But if you watch the tape, if you understand the role he plays in one of the NFL’s more complex defenses, you’ll see a player who’s doing exactly what he’s asked-and doing it at a high level.
Sometimes the best defenders don’t need the spotlight. They just need the right scheme-and a coach who knows how to use them.