Seahawks Defense, Goff's Blitz Mastery Headline Week 8 Film Study
Film study from Week 7 points to three developing storylines across the NFL: Seattle's defense smothered former teammate Kenneth Walker III and the Kansas City Chiefs in a measuring-stick win, Detroit's Jared Goff now prepares for Minnesota's league-leading blitz rate, and New York's J.J. McCarthy has given the Giants' offense a jolt since taking over at quarterback.
Seattle entered its Week 7 prime-time matchup against Kansas City facing Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the NFL's leading rusher, who was averaging 133 yards per game and forcing missed tackles at a high rate through five games. Head coach Mike Macdonald's defense, built around five- and six-defensive-back packages regardless of personnel grouping, held Walker to 36 rushing yards and ended his streak of 11 straight games with at least 50 yards rushing. According to Next Gen Stats, Seattle played five or more defensive backs on every snap and used a stacked-box rate of just 7.1%, relying on tackling discipline and speed to the edge rather than loading the box to contain him. The Chiefs managed only 4.3 yards per play in the loss. bet on netball
In Minnesota, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has built the NFL's most aggressive pressure scheme, entering Week 8 with the league's highest blitz rate and coming off a game in which the Vikings blitzed on 85.2% of snaps - the highest single-game rate recorded in the Next Gen Stats era. That pressure overwhelmed Daniel Jones and the Colts in Minnesota's Week 7 win, limiting Jones to 13-of-22 passing for 108 yards and an interception. Detroit's Jared Goff presents a different test: the former No. 1 overall pick posts a higher completion percentage, passer rating and yards per attempt when blitzed than when facing standard coverage this season, numbers that suggest he is comfortable operating against exotic pressure looks, including Minnesota's "mug" front alignments designed to disguise rush and coverage assignments.
In New York, J.J. McCarthy - a first-round pick by Minnesota in 2024 who struggled before being replaced - has revived the Giants' offense since taking over, posting five completions of at least 20 yards in a partial Week 6 appearance and five more in Week 7, a two-week total trailing only Caleb Williams league-wide. He is working under head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who previously developed Mitch Trubisky into a playoff-caliber starter in Chicago. Detroit visits Minnesota in Week 8's marquee matchup, while the Giants look to build on McCarthy's early momentum as they push to hold the NFC East.
