Seahawks’ defense adds to the legacy of the team's stellar units of the past

Audio By Carbonatix

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have fielded their fair share of stout defenses over their history, including the dominant “Legion of Boom” from the 2010s.

The team had the top scoring defense in the NFL from 2012 to 2015 and the unit helped lead the team to five straight seasons with at least 10 wins, a stretch that included three division titles, two NFC championships and a Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos in 2014.

Now the 2025 Seahawks defense has also made a name for itself, both literally and figuratively, and will play a critical role when Seattle hosts the San Francisco 49ers in a divisional-round playoff game on Saturday night.

Defensive linemen Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, DeMarcus Lawrence and others got to talking on the bus one day early in the season, and they collectively landed on the “Dark Side” as the nickname for the unit.

“I think throughout the season, we were just feeling like we had a really special defense, you know, special players, and we were also just doing special things,” Williams said. “We always hear of ‘Legion of Boom,’ especially being in here. We were starting to get to a point like hey, maybe we deserve our own name, you know?”

The Seahawks’ defenders chose Dark Side in part because of Seattle's frequently gloomy weather during the fall and winter. The deafening crowd noise at Lumen Field also played into the moniker.

And of course, there’s the fact this Seahawks defense is one of the best in franchise history, stacking up in many ways with the Legion of Boom. In 2025, the Seahawks had the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense, allowed the third-fewest rushing yards per game and had the fifth-most sacks (47).

Under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, the defense has taken tangible leaps forward from the 2024 season, one in which Seattle had the NFL’s 11th-ranked scoring defense. What has remained a constant, though, has been the Seahawks’ proficiency at stopping the run.

The last time an opposing team had a 100-yard rusher against the Seahawks was Oct. 27, 2024, when James Cook ran for 110 yards for the Buffalo Bills in a 31-10 win over Seattle. That marks an active streak of 26 games with Seattle not allowing a 100-yard rusher.

"It’s cool because we played a lot of good backs this year,” said safety Julian Love, “and we’re going to play more down the stretch.”

The Seahawks have not just been adept at stopping the run. Aside from a few shaky performances by the secondary, one which allowed Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to torch Seattle for 457 passing yards on Dec. 18, the Seahawks have held up on the back end.

Even with injuries at various junctures in the season to Love, All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon, cornerback Riq Woolen, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori and safety Coby Bryant, the Seahawks finished the regular season 10th in the NFL with the fewest passing yards allowed per game (193.9).

Witherspoon was joined by Williams and linebacker Ernest Jones IV, whose five interceptions are tied for second-most in the NFL, on The Associated Press 2025 NFL All-Pro second team.

“That’s big time,” Jones said. “Should have been a long list of us on there, I think. It was great for us to get that recognition. For us, let’s just go, bro. We got a great defense. I like our odds against anybody. Let’s get in these playoff games and see what happens.”

Ahead of the Seahawks’ game against the 49ers, Seattle has demonstrated its dominant defense can stop the best offenses in many ways.

It also has shown that even without names such as Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman on the roster, it can be just as effective at keeping points off the board. Reed and the others are eager for the next test, which will coincide with the first playoff game in front of fans at Lumen Field since Jan. 7, 2017.

“We need it loud, man,” Reed said, “so the Dark Side can come alive,”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl