Getting shredded for 38 points and multiple big plays through the air by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 left the Seattle Seahawks with a lot to prove defensively this week, but a key change fixed both the pass rush and an injury-hit secondary during the 20-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6.
Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin spilled the secret behind how the Seahawks sacked Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence seven times on Sunday, October 12. They also baffled his receivers, despite being without three starters, including versatile cornerback pairing Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen.
Their absences put returning veteran Griffin into the starting lineup, and the 30-year-old was tasked with helping the Seahawks play “more man coverage, particularly in obvious passing situations like third down,” according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic.
Griffin explained “the main thing was putting body on body. We went tighter on coverages, knowing the D-line was going to go out there and eat the way they did. Going into the fourth quarter, we just had to be in the right spots and make the checks we needed to make. I feel like every time they got us, we weren’t on the same page. We corrected that going into the second half, and it worked out.”
The daring change yielded awesome dividends for a talented, but underachieving defensive front that only got to Mayfield once on 33 attempts against the Bucs.
Coverage Change Helped Seahawks Feast
Head coach Mike Macdonald built his reputation as a creative defensive coordinator, but the former Baltimore Ravens play-caller had his pride wounded by the Bucs. Macdonald knew he needed to go bold to help his Seahawks unit bounce back, and he chose swapping passive zones for aggressive one-on-one matchups.
It was a riskier way to travel, but the brave approach paid off when “In the final three frames, Lawrence was 5 of 8 on third down with more sacks (three) than completions that moved the chains (two). The Jaguars were 1-of-7 on third down in the second half,” per Dugar.
The trio of sacks on football’s money down reveals the true reward from all that man coverage. Usually, zone relies on a pass rush to speed up a quarterback’s clock and force early throws into packed areas, but man coverage works the other way.
Shadowing and plastering receivers is designed to give pass-rushers an extra beat to get home. It worked beautifully in Jacksonville, as members of a fun and versatile front feasted on Lawrence.
Among them, DeMarcus Lawrence, who missed the Bucs game with a quad injury, was in on 2.5 sacks against the Jaguars, including this takedown.
Lawrence opened his account style, but he got plenty of help, “With contributions coming from numerous players, the Seahawks piled up seven sacks, exceeding the total of six allowed by the Jaguars in the first five games combined, and recorded 16 quarterback hits,” according to Seahawks.com Senior Reporter John Boyle.
Getting flexible defensive end Lawrence healthy and on track can unlock new possibilities for Macdonald and the Seahawks’ pass-rush plan. Just like having Griffin back to his best gives the secondary a much-needed boost.
Shaquill Griffin Made a Difference
He was a Pro Bowl darling back in 2019, but subsequent stints with the Jaguars, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings had made Griffin’s best football for the Seahawks a distant memory.
Fortunately, the savvy cover man used all of his experience to help confound Lawrence and Co. at EverBank Stadium. Griffen stayed resilient, even after being part of a busted coverage that left Brian Thomas Jr. wide open for a 21-yard touchdown catch.
The corner and rookie safety Nick Emmanwori had been drawn to a bubble screen underneath, per the Tacoma News Tribune’s Greg Bell.
Bell also spotted how “Right after that Jags touchdown pass wide open, CB Shaquill Griffin put both hands out, palms up to the #Seahawks sideline. Coach Mike Macdonald then had a short, direct conversation with him at the field’s edge.”
The coaching adjustment was a credit to Macdonald, but his strategy would’ve been for naught without the know-how of a veteran like Griffin to keep a threadbare secondary together.
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