Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald gave a game ball to offensive line coach John Benton after yesterday’s 31-7 shellacking of the Arizona Cardinals. Benton’s creativity and his unit’s persistence won the battle of the afternoon up front, allowing the team to run the ball down the opposition’s throat on the road.
The end zone and All-22 angles of the Seahawks’ Week 2 win came out on NFL Pro this morning, giving us much better views of total coverage snaps from end-to-end and easier angles to see blocking and box action. Cardinals nose tackle Roy Lopez and Seahawks center Jalen Sundell had one of the best battles of any matchup on the field, but that was tough to see until getting another angle.
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Sundell, along with either Christian Haynes or Beau Stephens as the right guard, consistently double-teamed Lopez after he put up one of the best defensive line performances in the league in Week 1. When facing the double team, Lopez deployed the Byron Murphy II tactic of putting a knee in the ground to hold the line of scrimmage in a uniquely difficult way to counter. The Seahawks noticed this, though, and knew if they continued to run the ball, he’d eventually get gassed. They ended with 36:33 time of possession and 67 offensive plays to the Cardinals’ 47.
Despite a rotating right guard situation, the Seahawks found creative ways to keep doing the dirty work and put their branding on the win in Arizona. John Benton has spearheaded that since arriving in Seattle. There’s even an argument to be made that the offensive line embodied Macdonald’s boa constrictor analogy just as much as the defense. This rare gesture—a game ball going to a position coach—fits their brand to a tee. They’ll have their next chance to get creative in the ground game in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Why Mike Macdonald thanked OL coach John Benton with a game ball
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