Signs are Seahawks’ pass rush could becoming whole again. It must, for Seattle to win big
The Seahawks will be going after the most sacked quarterback in the NFL—just as they may finally be getting back to strength and according to plan with their remade pass rush.
Cardinals rookie Kyler Murray has shown flashes of the brilliance that made him the league’s top-overall draft choice this spring. But he’s been sacked 46 times. That’s more than any other QB.
This week is a fine time for the Seahawks to be getting back their top sack men.
Signs are Jadeveon Clowney, Ziggy Ansah and Mychal Kendricks will return from sickness and injury to play Sunday when Seattle (11-3) hosts Arizona (4-9-1) at CenturyLink Field.
Clowney missed last weekend’s win at Carolina that got the Seahawks back into first place in the NFC West and conference playoff standings. The three-time Pro Bowl defensive end was so sick from the flu coach Pete Carroll and the team’s medical staff refused to allow him to board their plane Friday for the trip to North Carolina.
“Yeah. He’s over the sickness now,” Carroll said this week. “He’s just got to go through the week and see how he can handle it and see if he’s ready to play on Sunday.”
Clowney has missed two of the last four games. He was out Dec. 3 at Philadelphia because of a core-muscle injury that may require surgery.
That’s two more missed games than Clowney needs right now. He’s in the final weeks of his contract and will be seeking a huge deal either re-signing with the Seahawks after the season, or failing that in free agency in March.
Ansah has missed the last two games. The 30-year-old defensive end has a nerve issue in his neck that may be related to the shoulder on which he had surgery 12 months ago when he was with the Detroit Lions. The 2015 Pro Bowl pass rusher for the Lions signed a one-year contract with Seattle in May.
“Ziggy has a really good chance to play” against Arizona, Carroll said.
The plan after Carroll and general manager John Schneider trade for Clowney to Kansas City this spring was to sign Ansah, trade for Clowney and have them flying off opposite ends to create a who-do-we-double-team dilemma for offenses. But Ansah and Clowney have played together only seven times in the first 13 games. They have only 5 1/2 sacks between them this season.
Meanwhile, Clark has six sacks for the Chiefs, plus four passes defensed, an interception, three forced fumbles and fumble recovery. Though his sacks are half as many as he had last year for Seattle, Clark learned Tuesday he was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Murray has created many of his three-plus sacks per game running around outside of the pocket extending plays, sometimes too long. That’s where outside linebacker Mychal Kendricks would be a plus for Seattle.
Kendricks has been the Seahawks’ most effective blitzer this season, though Carroll and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. haven’t blitzed a lot. He is second on the team with three sacks in relatively fewer chances to rush quarterbacks from his strongside linebacker position. Kendricks has missed the last two games with a hamstring strain he got Nov. 24 while he made 11 solo tackles against his former Eagles.
Carroll said the Seahawks should be getting him back, too, this week.
“Kendricks has a really good chance of getting back.”
Plus, the Seahawks think they are finally starting to get complimentary pass rushers performing in time for the playoffs. Seattle has clinched a place in those next month.
Defensive end Rasheem Green is fulfilling the promise Carroll and Schneider saw when they drafted him last year in the third round out of USC. His latest sack last weekend, off the right edge after standing up the left tackle, was the only one of Carolina’s Kyle Allen in his 44 dropbacks.
Green’s four sacks lead the Seahawks. No one saw that coming after they signed Ansah and traded Sept. 1 for Clowney.
First-round draft choice L.J. Collier played a season-high 37 snaps, more than half the game, against the Panthers last weekend. Though he did not record a sack, hit on the quarterback or a tackle, Carroll saw progress in the top rookie who curiously was a healthy inactive in five of the first 12 games.
The coach said Collier is going be a part of the pass rush going forward.
“I thought he was really active. He played a lot of plays,: Carroll said. “I think he played 40 plays or something like that. It was really a good outing for him. He was physical and played tough. We didn’t get to the quarterback with him, but that’s his best game by far of contributing.
“He’s just going to stay in the mix now. He’s really part of it.”
Poona Ford stormed in on Allen in the third quarter of last weekend’s game and tipped the pass K.J. Wright grabbed for his first interception. Fellow tackle Jarran Reed stayed home not fooled by Allen’s fake handoff and bootleg attempt around him on Carolina’s next possession. Reed’s rush force Allen’s poor throw to no one by Wright in the flat for the Seahawks’ linebacker’s second interception of the game.
And Carroll continues to be bullish on Shaquem Griffin’s new role the latter half of this season as a speed rusher at defensive end. Tried and failed as an off-the-ball linebacker last year as a rookie, Griffin is back to the straight-line, edge-rushing role he had two years ago while starring at the University of Central Florida.
Griffin could be a off-the-radar key to Sunday’s game. His 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash will be an asset for the Seahawks outside chasing Murray.
“He’s active. He’s on the move. We’re going to need him this week,” Carroll said. “This guy (Murray) can fly.
“He’s going to be better. He’s going to get better. It’s like a batting average for him. He’s got a lot of bad swings out there, but he’s going to have some shots that I think are going to be impacting here.
“We need it right this week, and we’ll need it next week, and ongoing. I like him being out there, though. He looks fast. He’s giving great effort. He’s just a flash from getting home. He’ll improve. We’ll use him better, too. We’re trying to work with his style because his style is unique and how he plays.
“I don’t think we’ve nailed it yet, but we’re honing in on it.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 7:01 AM.
