Seahawks’ defensive depth being challenged as injuries stack up

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SEATTLE (AP) — Before Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers torched the Seahawks for 426 total yards, Seattle was well aware it would be short-handed on defense.

Three defensive starters — end DeMarcus Lawrence, safety Julian Love and All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon — were inactive for Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the Bucs. Linebacker Derick Hall injured an oblique and cornerback Riq Woolen sustained a concussion during the game.

Even with nearly half of Seattle’s defensive starters sidelined, coach Mike Macdonald had no interest in using injuries as an excuse.

“Injuries happen in the NFL,” Macdonald said. “I have to design better plays and put our guys in better positions consistently to play better on defense. It’s that simple.”

Without Witherspoon, Love and Woolen, Mayfield and the NFL's seventh-ranked scoring offense picked apart Seattle's secondary.

Unlike in previous weeks, the Seahawks’ defense appeared discombobulated, allowing for a number of easy downfield throws by Mayfield, whose 87.9% completion percentage was the highest by any NFL quarterback this season.

“We just gave up some plays (Sunday) that we shouldn’t have given up,” defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said. “As a whole, we just have to be better.”

The Seahawks had allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL entering the weekend. Safety Coby Bryant said healthy players need to step up until their injured teammates return.

“It can be tough,” Bryant said. “But at the end of the day, it’s like I said earlier, the next-man-up mentality. Whoever is out there, we’ve all got to be on the same page. We didn’t do that today.”

The early returns on the $100.5 million, three-year contract the Seahawks gave to quarterback Sam Darnold appear promising. He is the league's third-most accurate QB and is second in passer rating behind Indianapolis' Daniel Jones. Darnold is sixth in the league in passing yardage.

The Seahawks have yet to force a fumble this season, a distinction they share only with the Green Bay Packers. Last year, the Seahawks forced 14 fumbles but only recovered four.

The Seahawks’ run defense continues to impress, and turned in arguably its finest performance of the season on Sunday. Tampa Bay finished with 56 yards on 24 attempts, an average of 2.3 yards per carry. The Seahawks have allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the league this season.

Rookie QB Jalen Milroe has made a few appearances to run plays designed for him. That didn't work out on Sunday, when he made a poor pitch to Kenneth Walker III on an option play and the Bucs recovered, setting up their first touchdown drive.

Macdonald said Monday that Witherspoon and Lawrence will try to practice this week. Hall is week to week with his oblique injury and Woolen is in the concussion protocol.

3 — WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has three games with 100 or more yards receiving, equaling his total from the 2024 campaign.

The Seahawks play at Jacksonville next Sunday.

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