Did We Finish #1 Defense?

[Ruminator]

Week 18 vs 49ers -- I think I need to watch that one again. Definitely one of the best defensive showings I've seen from a Seahawks team.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

top 5 in Seahawks history, imo.

Santa Clara had 69 yards at the half, 173 total yards, 3 points and 9 first downs.

 

[pmedic920]

Nice little thing to stop comms lauding Texans as the number 1 defense.
Guys deserve that title

Yea I’m happy about snagging the title BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, the Texans D is for real.

Ryans has that squad hitting on all cylinders.
That team is very similar to ours in several ways.

Don’t mistake my comments, I’m a Seahawk fan to the core, but I live in the Greater Houston area and see/hear about the Texans all the time.

Like us, their Defense could absolutely propel them to the big game if their O can hold it together and score some points.

In terms of defense winning championships, a Hawks/Texans SB wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
Not a prediction, just saying it would not be a surprise to me.

 

[Sperrydogg]

Wow. We are unbelievably good cause our offense has not even played a full game yet!!!

 

[SoulfishHawk]

No doubt. The Texans and Jags wins look a heck of a lot better now. Texans knock the snot out of teams, just like the Hawks.

My kind of football.

 

[Ozzy]

Yea I’m happy about snagging the title BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, the Texans D is for real.

Ryans has that squad hitting on all cylinders.
That team is very similar to ours in several ways.

Don’t mistake my comments, I’m a Seahawk fan to the core, but I live in the Greater Houston area and see/hear about the Texans all the time.

Like us, their Defense could absolutely propel them to the big game if their O can hold it together and score some points.

In terms of defense winning championships, a Hawks/Texans SB wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
Not a prediction, just saying it would not be a surprise to me.

A Seahawks vs Texans SB would be awesome. I spent a large portion of my childhood just south of Houston so I always have a soft spot for the Texans and would call them my #2 team if I was pinned down. I have Buffalo vs Seahawks but I almost picked Texans lol.

 

[hox]

Oh, and, where do they get the Dark Side from?

Leo talks about the origins here:

 

[94Smith]

Best defense in the league and I think there is a decent gap to #2.

How can you say there is a decent gap to number 2 when if you asked 10 analysts who the best defense is you could get three different answers ?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Says the guy whose team has zero pass rush.

 

[ivotuk]

We finished #1 in the only stat that matter, points allowed.

Analysts love to use yards allowed, and you'll hear that thrown out there in order to justify some other team as being #1. Which explains what 94Smith was talking about. They choose who they want to talk about and build up, then go find stats that they can use to bolster their argument.

they've gotten so annoying with the BS stats. "Lamar Jackson is the first QB in NFL history to run for X yards, pass for X yards, look off safeties, and leave the field during the game to take a dump!" They forgot to add: "All while chewing what he thought was chocolate, but turned out to be Ex Lax."

During the LOB era, we were the #1 scoring defense 4 years in a row.

 

[hawks85]

Does the #1 scoring defense take into consideration pick 6's, scoops & scores & other scoring given up while the offense was on the field?

Yes

 

[hox]

How can you say there is a decent gap to number 2 when if you asked 10 analysts who the best defense is you could get three different answers ?

I mean, come on - you saw how suffocating that defense was. It was like a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of that 9ers offense, slow death, with a strike at the end that almost ripped Purdy into two pieces. It was probably the worst offensive output from a Shanny offense in years.

The ONLY comparable defense on the same tier is Houston, and your "high powered" offense managed to do more against them in that game.

So forget the analysts, and even the stats that show Seattle as #1 in most metrics, just use your own eyes as to who the best defense is.

 

[hawks85]

top 5 in Seahawks history, imo.

Santa Clara had 69 yards at the half, 173 total yards, 3 points and 9 first downs.

I've been a Hawks fan my whole life. I just wasn't a huge fan of the LOB defense, I just wasn't. I like our current defense WAY better.

 

[glenwo2]

I mean, come on - you saw how suffocating that defense was. It was like a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of that 9ers offense, slow death, with a strike at the end that almost ripped Purdy into two pieces. It was probably the worst offensive output from a Shanny offense in years.

The ONLY comparable defense on the same tier is Houston, and your "high powered" offense managed to do more against them in that game.

So forget the analysts, and even the stats that show Seattle as #1 in most metrics, just use your own eyes as to who the best defense is.

I think WE managed to do more against them in that game.

 

[94Smith]

I mean, come on - you saw how suffocating that defense was. It was like a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of that 9ers offense, slow death, with a strike at the end that almost ripped Purdy into two pieces. It was probably the worst offensive output from a Shanny offense in years.

The ONLY comparable defense on the same tier is Houston, and your "high powered" offense managed to do more against them in that game.

So forget the analysts, and even the stats that show Seattle as #1 in most metrics, just use your own eyes as to who the best defense is.

Oh I agree. They are the number one D. But not everyone would say that, so the gap between 1 and 2 is not some major chasm like you guys make it out to

 

[RolandDeschain]

The scoring defense is the only one that matters. Points on the board dictates the outcome of games, nothing else. People who try to defend "well, but our defense allowed fewer yards" or "got more sacks" or whatever, none of that crap matters by comparison.

GREAT JOB MACDONALD & DEFENSE!!

 

[Torc]

The Texans were the #1 scoring defense for the bulk of the year, until the final week when we allowed 3 points. I don't think there is a "huge gap" between our D and the Texans. Give credit where it is due.

 

[keasley45]

Oh I agree. They are the number one D. But not everyone would say that, so the gap between 1 and 2 is not some major chasm like you guys make it out to

Something that I think does lend to the belief that Seattle's defense at 1 has a bit of a gap to 2 is that our D was on the field a good bit longer per game than Houston and Denver. Over the course of the season, we averaged 30 minutes TOP. Houston came in at 31:48, Denver at 31.03. That might not sound like much but over 17 games, that's more than another half game that we played more than Houston on D and better than an extra qtr than Denver played. That might not sound significant, but when you factor in the amount we turned the ball over on offense... Our D had to protect short fields, close more opponent drives and do so for longer, given TOP. Houston turned the ball over 2nd fewest in the league. Denver was 2nd. Seattle... Last.

In short, we had a longer road, had to defend shorter fields AND STILL finished #1 in scoring.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Oh I agree. They are the number one D. But not everyone would say that, so the gap between 1 and 2 is not some major chasm like you guys make it out to

Unless it was your Niners, then it would be totally different.

 

[hox]

Oh I agree. They are the number one D. But not everyone would say that, so the gap between 1 and 2 is not some major chasm like you guys make it out to

Advanced metrics like DVOA show there's a gap between SEA, HOU and DEN.



In fact, that -24.2% is historical in terms of DVOA - 12th best All time: