Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks’ win over the Los ANgeles Rams felt like two very different football games stitched together by halftime adjustments. The first half was sloppy, reactive, and at times frustrating on both sides of the ball. The second half, however, showed a team that corrected structural issues, leaned into schematic advantages, and played with far better clarity of purpose. The All-22 makes that contrast even sharper.
Let’s break it down.
The opening half was arguably the defense’s worst run-defense tape in weeks. The issues weren’t about effort or missed tackles as much as structure and spacing.
The Rams repeatedly stressed Seattle’s interior fits using a mix of wide zone, duo, and insert concepts, forcing linebackers to declare early. Seattle’s front was often aligned in looks that put too much stress on second-level defenders to be perfect. Defensive tackles were getting reached or displaced just enough to muddy the reads, and linebackers were arriving late or off-balance.
The Seahawks have a structure with two safeties deep downfield and play a lot of nickel coverage. Even against teams with strong running games, the team remains committed to this formation.
This makes defending the run a challenge because you have fewer defenders than gaps to defend. One way to compensate for this numerical inferiority is for the players to defend two gaps or one and a half gaps. Macdonald uses the second approach more often.
Defending in this way means the defender has a primary gap to be responsible for and a secondary gap to also pay attention to. The Seahawks’ defensive line has an aggressive mentality, which also takes its toll.
In the first half, the players abandoned their primary gaps prematurely, giving space for cutbacks. Since the Rams play with heavy formations, with three tight ends, and winning at the first level, they were in a good position to block the second level.
Compounding the issue was the lack of pass rush. Early on, Seattle relied heavily on four-man rushes with static looks, rarely threatening the Rams’ protection rules. Matthew Stafford was able to get the ball out on rhythm, especially off play action — a direct result of the defense failing to slow the run. When you can’t dent the pocket and you’re losing on early downs, you’re playing exactly the game the Rams want.
In the second half, Seattle simplified the picture. The defensive line played with better gap discipline, staying square instead of chasing plays laterally. Linebackers were allowed to trigger more decisively, and Seattle mixed in simulated pressures and late rotations, forcing Stafford to hold the ball just a fraction longer. The pass rush didn’t suddenly become dominant, but it became functional, which was enough once early-down efficiency improved.
The bad reps came largely from timing and eye discipline. On several early-down throws, Darnold...
