Seattle Seahawks' run defense problems continue to haunt Buffalo Bills blowout loss

SEATTLE, Wash. – With the game well out of reach in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, the Buffalo Bills broke the Seattle Seahawks’ seven-yard line, ready to plunge the dagger into Mike Macdonald’s defense.

The Bills lined up in 12 men with two tight ends flanking the offensive line on the left side, deploying a heavy grouping as they had done successfully throughout the game, and calling an outside zone from a singleback formation. James Cook took the handoff from Josh Allen and quickly dug his right boot into the turf, cutting behind a caravan of blockers with Seahawks defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and Jarran Reed on skates.

In what has become a nightmarish commonplace for Seattle, Cook shot through a huge crease untouched until he reached the goal line, putting an exclamation point on the run by plowing over linebacker Ernest Jones and stripping him of his helmet in the process. The touchdown put Buffalo up 28 points in an eventual 31-10 victory, sending coach Mike Macdonald’s squad to their fourth loss in five games.

After watching the Bills run through and around their defense all afternoon on Sunday while regularly sending in a sixth offensive lineman and/or multiple tight ends, Macdonald was left grasping at straws after the game, with Seattle continuing to struggle week after week keep defending the point. This time he wondered why his players seemed unwilling to handle those heavy packages.

“It’s something they did,” Macdonald said. “It was more than they showed on tape in those situations, but you still have to be ready for it, so I thought we had a solid plan. Probably there could be a little more flexibility up front on that front to get some more answers, maybe some more moves, so we’ll look into it. Those are things we talked about, I thought.

“You’re constantly trying to adapt by seeing where the ball hits, to see if we can get some anchor points where we can play it or play blocks better, so there’s a combination of not trying to scrap what you have , but also maybe just calm down a bit. But it wasn’t good enough when they went to their big 12 staff.

Cook’s touchdown run was dominated in all phases and served as a microcosm for many of the problems plaguing Seattle’s porous run defense. The defensive line lost the battle at the line of scrimmage, the alignment of the linebackers behind them caused problems in exploiting the run play, and the defender encountered no resistance until he was already approaching the goal line, which should never happen in the line of scrimmage. the busy red zone.

All afternoon, the Bills had their way with the Seahawks, who made the 190-pound Cook look like Earl Campbell as he bounced off tacklers who had seemingly tacked on multiple yards after contact every time he touched the football. Able to consistently build a full head of steam while pushing the defensive line around snap after snap, while also regularly finding huge cutbacks, he averaged 6.5 yards per carry while tallying 111 rushing yards.

Despite a kneecap from backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Buffalo became Seattle’s fourth straight opponent to eclipse 155 rushing yards and produce 164 on 34 carries, for a healthy average of 4.8 yards per carry. During that period, three different backs have reached the 100-yard mark, while runners of all shapes and sizes have enjoyed the fun of running through medium-sized gaps and pulling off arm tackles.

While bluntly assessing the state of Seattle’s defense after being walloped again, Murphy said the onus is on him and the defensive line to take their play to the next level after beating the Bills up and down the field all day have been running in a trend that has become all too familiar this season.

“We couldn’t stop the run when we needed to,” Murphy said. “That was really the most important thing. We just couldn’t stop it and were outplayed. We just have to get better.”

Beaten to the ground on a weekly basis, Macdonald wishes he had a simple solution to cure the Seahawks’ problems, citing both coaching and on-field execution as culprits for the ongoing concern. But between run fit issues at the second level, poor tackles and issues establishing the line of scrimmage, there is no all-encompassing silver bullet available to solve a litany of problems overnight.

As has been the case over the past month and change, everyone from the head coach to the reserves must tackle this woe head-on. While improvements are part of the equation schematically and Seattle’s defenders need to do a better job of finishing blocks and completing tackles, after physically abusing Buffalo for four quarters, a change in mentality seems like the biggest change to come . fruit for the Macdonald team.

Ultimately, the Seahawks simply haven’t been tough enough compared to the majority of their opponents, unable to handle the physicality at the point of attack and lacking the tenacity needed to finish plays where the N.F.L. -backs are taken down. While that may seem like a physical issue, quality defenses at every level must have a proud identity built around mental toughness and accountability at all three levels.

Unfortunately for Macdonald and his staff, as evidenced again on Sunday when the boo birds chirped in displeasure on Sunday, this current Seahawks defense has yet to demonstrate such an identity. In a copycat league, until the players themselves are able to manifest such a changed mentality on the field, opponents will continue to do what the Bills did, rush after heavy personnel groups and wash, rinse, repeat them feigned inability to stop the winning streak. Don’t jump to conclusions quickly.

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