By Adam Jude / The Seattle Times
Two of the NFL’s best pass-rushing defenses will take the field early Sunday for the league’s first-ever game in Germany.
That the Seahawks (6-3) are part of that conversation with Tampa Bay (4-5) is, well, it’s certainly unexpected. No one could have reasonably predicted that a month ago, and the revitalized pass rush is perhaps the most significant factor in the Seahawk’ staggering turnaround on defense.
In 2021, the Seahawks ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks, with just 34 total in 17 games.
And through five games this season, they again ranked near the bottom with just eight sacks.
And now?
Now the Seahawks rank fourth in the NFL with 27 sacks through Week 9, after sacking Kyler Murray five times in their 31-21 victory Sunday at Arizona.
Seattle has 19 sacks during its four-game winning streak, tied with New England for the most in the NFL over the past four weeks.
Tampa Bay’s defense sacked Matthew Stafford four times Sunday in the Bucs’ thrilling 16-13 victory at home over the Rams. Vita Vea, the former UW star defensive tackle, had two of those sacks and leads Tampa Bay with 6.5 sacks this season.
Uchenna Nwosu had another strong performance for Seattle’s defense, with two of the five sacks against Arizona, all of which came in the second half.
“We have really cut him loose to use his instincts,” coach Pete Carroll said Monday. “Whatever he sees he can go for and take a shot at, and we’ll play off of him and cover for him as he’s doing his thing. He’s done it really well, and he’s a problem for our opponents.”
Nwosu was the Seahawks’ key free-agent acquisition in the offseason, signing a two-year deal worth $19 million. That looks like a bona fide bargain now for a 25-year-old who leads the team with a career-high seven sacks this season.
“The best part about him is how competitive he is,” Carroll said. “He’s just tough as hell, and he just keeps bringing it.”
Shelby Harris and Bruce Irvin each had one sack of Murray on Sunday (and the Seahawks were credited with a team sack on the last one).
Irvin’s sack came five days after his 35th birthday, and it was his first since the 2019 season, when he had 8.5 sacks playing for Carolina.
“It’s really cool to see Bruce. Bruce is kind of in similar fashion, similar type of player [as Nwosu], and Bruce is getting going, too,” Carroll said. “We told Bruce the same stuff: ‘Cut it loose, make your plays, get after it, see how much you can create, and we’ll cover for you as best we can.’ And Bruce is getting off to a good start with us.
“So those two guys on the edges are really giving us some good play.”
Getting after the GOAT
At age 45, Tom Brady has, quite publicly, had an up-and-down year, on and off the field. But he showed late Sunday that he does still have some magic left in his right arm, throwing the game-winning touchdown to former UW tight end Cade Otton with nine seconds left to beat the Rams.
At 4-5, the Bucs are tied with Atlanta for first place in the NFC South.
Brady has a 10-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season, and his 2,547 yards passing ranks second in the NFL.
He has been sacked just 14 times in nine games.
“Well, it’s just long-standing respect, first off,” Carroll said Monday when asked about Brady. “He’s a great player. He’s one of the greatest — he is the greatest of all time. And so we get to go against him, and we’ll go take a shot and see if we can knock him down.”
Injury updates
— Backup linebacker Cullen Gillaspia will need knee surgery after going down with an injury in the third quarter vs. Arizona, Carroll said. “I was just with him in the training room [Monday morning], and it’s gonna be a long haul,” Carroll said.
— Carroll is hopeful OLB Darrell Taylor (groin), WR Marquise Goodwin (groin) and safety Joey Blount (quad) can all return to action this week. “Those guys all have their sights set on playing [in Germany], so we’ll see how that goes,” Carroll said.
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