Field Gulls
A win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have been very important for the Seattle Seahawks’ postseason projections. Unfortunately, it seemed to slip through their fingers, with the team losing on a field goal with 00:00 on the clock, after one of the most worrying defensive performances under Mike Macdonald.
All data used in this article was taken from PFF. Let’s review the film!
If you’re a regular reader, you know how many times I’ve raised concerns about the team failing to convert pressures into sacks and, especially, not being effective in applying pressure on the edges. This issue was somewhat obscured once the defensive tackle’s work was yielding results. The injuries to Derick Hall and DeMarcus Lawrence brought this issue to light.
The Seahawks faced offensive linemen who yielded a lot of pressure when they played the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, and Bucs. The team should have explored the side more with Broderick Jones, Taliese Fuaga, and Charlie Heck. Heck had yielded eight pressures in two games. The Seahawks forced five pressures on him, but only hurries and a sack on a blitz.
A total of 12 pressures and one sack was the pass rush production against the Bucs, who played without their right guard and right tackle. No hits on the QB; the pressure was inconsistent. This gave Baker Mayfield time in the pocket to attack a secondary full of backup players of questionable quality. Furthermore, it further exposed the Seahawks’ inability to keep the QB in the pocket, as warned in our preview article for this game.
On this play, Boye Mafe, still searching for his first sack of the year, uses a euro-step, escapes the right tackle, but seemingly for no reason slows down before reaching the QB, allowing Mayfield to escape and gain yards.
Here we have Byron Murphy with excellent footwork, beating the guard and putting pressure on the QB. However, once again, the Seahawks fail to keep the QB in the pocket, and Mayfield not only escapes the sack but also gains yards.
Derick Hall manages to use power move right side, but on the other side, Boye Mafe, after attempting another euro-step, is moved by Tristan Wirfs easily, leaving the edge open for Mayfield to escape and buy time.
Final touchdown for the Bucs. The Seahawks decide to send only three to pressure. Mafe has some initial success, but again gives up a lane to Mayfield, who spent too much time in the pocket navigating his progressions. When you have Josh Jobe, Ty Okada, and especially Nehemiah Pritchett in your secondary, this can be fatal.
The Seahawks had 10 days to plan for the game and failed. Even knowing they would be missing players, the team had no alternatives to protect themselves. During the game, it became clear that the Bucs were exploiting the areas where Drake Thomas, Jobe ,and Okada were...
