Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams creates unique problems for the Seattle Seahawks’ Game Plan

On By Littum

RENTON, Wash. – Formerly on the Baltimore Ravens’ staff, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald understands how difficult it can be to defend a dual-threat quarterback after practicing against and watching Lamar Jackson burn opponents with his arms and legs over the years.

Those experiences on the practice field served Macdonald well as defensive coordinator in Baltimore the previous two seasons as well as in his first season at the helm in Seattle so far, as his defense recently held a Kyler Murray-led Arizona offense to 24 total points in a pair NFC West wins. Even in the loss to Buffalo earlier this season, MVP candidate Josh Allen had just 25 rushing yards on seven carries while the defense kept his rushing ability in check.

In general, Macdonald talked Monday about how quarterbacks with the ability to do damage as runners affects the game-planning process, including the strain mobile signal callers can have on the connection between the pass rush up front and coverage on the back end. .

“I think you have to approach it with (an) all 11 mentality,” Macdonald explained. “So it’s always important how you combine the pass rush with the coverage with how you’re going to pass from what angle, what pass rush lanes you’re going to fill up and how you account for all the different pass rush lanes, and that’s not just the six-man drop back pass or five out, you have to account for that in the play-action game as well.It’s definitely at the top of your mind when you’re running a game plan.

As the Seahawks prepare to face the Bears on Thursday Night Football, however, Macdonald and his defense will have a different type of mobile threat to worry about in the form of dynamic rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who has been playing some of his best football in recent year. weeks despite his team not winning since October.

Up until this point, Murray would stand out as the most challenging dual-threat quarterback Seattle has defended through the first 15 games. Drafted first overall out of USC in April, Williams offers some similarities as he can cause problems on designed quarterback runs, such as read options or as a scrambler who rolls out of the pocket on boot leg and sprint action plays similar to Murray can.

But at 6-1, 215 pounds, Williams offers the size element that Murray doesn’t, opening up the playbook for different types of concepts such as quarterback power. He also has more of a sandlot style, improvising when plays break down, often extending plays well beyond three or four seconds on drop backs, forcing rushers to chase after him as well as defensive backs and linebackers to try to cover receivers and tight ends for an extended period of time.

This tendency to try to turn a rock into gold as an improviser has downsides, as Williams has been sacked an NFL-high 59 times when pressured despite being second only to Jackson in average time to throw on these games (4.14 seconds). Per Pro Football Focus, he also ranks second among qualified quarterbacks in sack percentage (28.4 percent) behind only Will Levis of the Titans, so it’s clear he’s taken too many big losses during his rookie season.

At the same time, just as he did at the college level before winning the Heisman Trophy, Williams has often been a magician behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. According to PFF charts, he has scrambled on undrafted runs 43 times, second most in the league, and turned those opportunities into 340 rushing yards and 7.9 yards per carry. carry. He also has rushed for at least 10 yards on 20 carries this year, the fourth-most among quarterbacks.

Williams has also been more effective on deep balls that travel more than 20 yards lately, and is second only to Jackson with seven Big Time Throws since Week 13, turning four of nine completions into touchdowns without interceptions. Many of those passes were completed after the young quarterback hustled around to buy extra time, as he had the fourth-longest average time to throw on 24 such attempts.

Over his last nine games, Williams has thrown no picks regardless of passing distance, a streak Macdonald hopes the Seahawks will be able to break by keeping him in the pocket and confusing him with pre-snap coverage disguises.

“It’s impressive,” Macdonald said of Williams’ improved turnover-reducing game. “This game is going to be mostly about takeaways and how the ball is affected. We have to force situations where they have to throw the ball, but he has done a great job.”

With their playoff lives hanging in the balance, the Seahawks will have to use a balance of aggressively rushing Williams while also avoiding getting too far upfield and giving him escape routes as a runner. Teams have had success getting to him this season with four-man rushes, but blitzing has been riskier as he has thrown seven touchdowns and just one interception as he faced additional pressure from the second level.

When Williams inevitably breaks out of the pocket and starts playing the ball in the backfield, linebackers Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight must be ready to defend sideline to sideline while the secondary is tasked with sticking with their receiver longer than usual to take away the big plays . that he has joined more frequently in recent weeks.

If they are able to check those boxes, at least most of the time, the Seahawks should be in good position to snap a two-game winning streak. But limiting Williams will be easier said than done, and even given the Bears’ current nine-game losing streak, his unique talents alone give the home side a fighting chance to put a dagger in Macdonald’s prime-time squad and implement the right thing. the game plan will be crucial to avoid such a disaster.