Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) talks with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Lumen Field. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Mike Macdonald dispels huge myth about Seahawks' pass rush

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 9:00 AM ET

When the Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald as their head coach ahead of the 2024 season, the major selling point was his defensive acumen.

Macdonald led one of the NFL's best defenses with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022 and 2023, and his scheme was thought to be more complicated than many others in the league. Above all, it was clear that it was effective, and Macdonald coached it well.

Much of that nuance is related to how Macdonald sets up his pressures, blitzes and coverages. It looks like a lot is happening defensively when the ball is snapped, but Macdonald maintains that it's simpler than people think.

The term "simulated pressures" is thrown around a lot with Macdonald's scheme. And while he runs some, it's not a major piece of the defensive game plan, he said.

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

"I’m going to disappoint you guys: We do not run a lot of simulated pressures," Macdonald said on his Monday morning radio appearance with Seattle Sports 710AM. "People say we do, but we really don’t.

"The way we define simulated pressures is you’re rushing four, you’re just bringing an unaccounted-for guy and dropping an accounted-for guy. But we just don’t run a lot. I think we called four yesterday, and none of them worked."

The Seahawks blitz (send more than four rushers) at the seventh-lowest rate in the NFL (20.1%), according to Sharp Football Analysis. They also stack the box at the second-lowest rate (13.8%) of all teams. However, pending Monday Night Football, Seattle has the fourth-most sacks among all 32 teams (36).

One main difference between Macdonald's scheme and many others is the frequency and variation of personnel packages. Seattle uses non-base personnel packages 92% of the time, the most in the league. Unsurprisingly, the Ravens are second (87%).

The Seahawks had 40 PRESSURES this week pic.twitter.com/W3xtEq4mBz
— PFF (@PFF) November 23, 2025

"We have [simulated pressures], and it’s a great tool … We put a lot of guys on the line of scrimmage to try and manipulate protections and set up other pressures, which is probably what people are talking about," Macdonald added. "We put five on the line and drop a guy, but a lot of the time it is the off-the-ball player that is the guy dropping."

Most of what people perceive as a simulated pressure by the Seahawks' defense is a four-man rush "with some sauce," as Macdonald coined it. It looks complicated, but it's simple.

"We try to make some more simple things look more complicated to our opponent, and to our guys’ credit, they can make that come to life pretty simply," he said.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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