Matt Calkins: Why first two games show Seahawks made right move hiring Mike Macdonald

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Sep 16, 2025

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — It’s two games. Two games that have included major opponent injuries, a doinked field goal and a muffed kickoff return.

To pretend that we know who the Seahawks are based on 120 minutes of action would be premature. But that defense? That defense is making the Mike Macdonald hire look better every week.

The Seahawks jumped to 1-1 after a 31-17 win over the Steelers on Sunday. It was the second consecutive week in which they held the other team to 17 points. That’s not an easy feat in the NFL regardless of who you’re lining up against. So when you look up and see that the Seahawks are seventh in the league in points allowed per game, you should take some pride if you’re a 12.

The defensive side of the ball had become an issue for this team in the final four years of the Pete Carroll era. Once a defining trait of the organization, it had become a liability for a team that has won just one playoff game since the 2016 season.

But the stinginess on defense — at least from a points standpoint — is not new in the Mike Macdonald era. It’s been a tenet of this team since the bye week last season.

Yes, it was refreshing to see the Seahawks move the ball with relative ease in Pittsburgh. There were legitimate concerns about this new-look offense, which parted ways with Geno Smith and DK Metcalf last offseason.

To see new quarterback Sam Darnold post 295 yards on 22-of-33 passing and running back Kenneth Walker III collect 105 rushing yards on 13 carries was promising. But to see the “D” hold the 49ers and Steelers to 17 points? That was necessary.

If the Seahawks are going to make a run at the NFC West title this season, it’s going to be because of that defense. It’s going to be because this team was able to carry the momentum from the second half of last season into the totality of this one and become revered defensively.

Remember, the Seahawks jumped from 30th in total defense in 2023 to 14th last season — largely because of their play in the final eight games, in which they allowed just 18.4 points per contest. It was reminiscent of the golden era of Seahawks football, when the franchise led the league in points allowed for four years from 2012-2015.

No, I’m not saying these are the Legion of Boom days reborn — especially when you consider that the Seahawks are 17th in total defense. But they aren’t letting teams in the end zone. This is encouraging.

If you want to know the most talked-about play from Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh, the answer is probably Steelers returner Kaleb Johnson muffing a kickoff that turned into a Seahawks TD. But if you want to know what the most important play was, then cornerback Derion Kendrick’s interception takes the prize.

Pittsburgh looked certain to take the lead with the game tied at 14-14 late in the third quarter. On third-and-goal from Seattle’s 4, Aaron Rodgers threw a pass into Kendrick’s hands in the end zone. No, the Seahawks didn’t get any points out of it. They punted the ball three plays later. But they ensured that Pittsburgh never scored another touchdown in getting back to .500.

Surely, there have been a number of Seahawks called out in the film room over the past couple of weeks. San Francisco racked up 384 yards against them in Week 1, and a series of missed tackles led to a 65-yard gain for Pittsburgh before that aforementioned pick.

But the Seahawks have been consistent with the turnovers. There was Kendrick’s interception Sunday. Ernest Jones and Josh Jobe had picks against the 49ers. These weren’t fluky plays in which the ball was dropped into their hands, either. These were legitimate takeaways.

Some might have thought that the Seahawks were going to be toast with cornerback Devon Witherspoon out on Sunday. Not the case. The defensive unit hasn’t been perfect over the past 10 games, but it’s been one of the more dominant groups in the NFL.

This is what Macdonald was hired for.

It’s impossible to predict what might happen next based on the last game. Few would have forecast that the Seahawks’ offense would have been as efficient as it was in Week 2 given the struggles in Week 1.

But the defense is becoming increasingly reliable. This is why a coaching change happened in Seattle. It’s looking more justified with every passing week.

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