John Fraley has written about the Seahawks for Field Gulls since 2013. Over the years he's filled a number of roles on the site, from moderating to editing to proofreading and any odd job in between.
They're not the team that started 3-0, or that lost five of six midseason, or that is riding a four-game winning streak at the best time of year. Not exclusively, at least. They're most accurately each of those facets, simultaneously, comprehensively fashioned into a single diamond of undefined brilliance and weight. Because, you see, they're still unfinished.
And yet, all the potential is there for a stone of carataclysmic beauty, weight and power. The Seahawks been playing a cut above the competition for a month, with no signs of slowing down. The stats will help explain how, but why? In part because they're healthy now, in part because of roster decisions, in part because of talent blossoming, and in part because of coaching.
And it really doesn't matter whose role is biggest when they all work in concert.
PPG before Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight became your starting LBs: 23.8
After: 13.8
Takeaways per game before Coby Bryant became a starter: 1.0
After: 1.5
Rush yards allowed before Leonard Williams evolved into Leonasaur Williamizard: 139.4
After: 97.5
It's no coincidence that after the bye week, some combination of the trade, promotions and maturation of those four defenders coincides with the best this Seahawks defense has looked since... well you know since when. No one pair caused the turnaround singlehandedly, nor one pair doublehandedly. It all happened at once, as if a plan were coming together after weeks of flailing about with only some of the right pieces in the right place at the right time.
If desired, the defensive renaisSeance can be tracked back even further, though.
Health matters, and at this moment, the best moment possible, the Seahawks have that too (knock on your little brother's head).
These are improving in Tracker 1, but unevenly Since November started:
The traditional stats' turnaround is less marked because turnovers are way up since the bye. And all the extra possessions/scoring provided by timely picks mean the Seahawks don't have to cut down as much on first downs allowed or third down conversions.
I don't know what to make of the YAC numbers, except that they appear to be non-predictive. Yay? Everything else effing rocks and you don't need a fancy explainer sentence to see it.
Besides YAC, no other category anywhere above has seen a decrease since the bye.
Put another way, the Seahawks are better at everything everywhere all at once.
Which doesn't mean they'll sweep the Packers and Vikings, who come into Lumen with a loomin' 20-6 record combined. After all, Seattle's offense and special teams have a say in the end result. But the opportunistic, clean, rabid defense we've seen recently does mean two wins are on the table. It also means a division title is there for the taking. It especially means everyone who said "wait until 2025" -- and let it be known that's a public confession -- might be wrong.
I won't speak for all the other members of our little "everyone" club, but personally, I am extremely open to being very, very wrong about this team, as early and as often as possible.