The Seattle Seahawks suffered a tough loss in Week 5. The team went up against the undefeated 49ers and came up short, mostly due to a whopping four turnovers.
Turnovers are now a theme for the Seahawks. Ever since Sam Darnold returned in Week 3, the offense has just been sloppy and turnover prone. You can get away with that against mediocre teams, but it’s almost impossible to beat teams like the 49ers that way.
It wasn’t all bad for the Seahawks, though. The defense, for the most part, played well, holding the 49ers to 269 total yards and forcing three turnovers. There are plenty of reasons to think the Seahawks still have an elite defense, and one of the unit’s most important players is playing at an elite level right now.
Byron Murphy II Is ‘Playing Dominant Football’
In Week 5, Byron Murphy II did something no other player has done in 2026- sack Brock Purdy.
And Murphy didn’t just do it once- he took the quarterback down twice in the loss. Murphy collected six tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss in what was his best performance of the season.
Murphy just picked up his first sack of the season in Week 4, so he’s officially on a roll as a pass rusher. The big defensive lineman has always been a run defender first, but he ended with seven sacks last season, which was a very encouraging development.
After the Week 5 loss, head coach Mike Macdonald praised Murphy for his dominant showing.
“Byron’s playing dominant football right now,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “I think we’ve got to do a better job around him, so those plays come to life a little more and setting up some of the pass situations where we win early downs. Byron’s playing great.”
As Macdonald mentioned, the Seahawks’ pass rush has to do a better job around Murphy. The Seahawks have 14 total sacks, but only three of those have come from edge rushers. DeMarcus Lawrence has yet to record a sack, and Uchenna Nwosu has just one.
“I feel pretty good just being able to go out there and showcase my pass-rushing ability and for the coaches to believe in me, knowing, ‘OK, this guy can rush and we’re going to give him opportunities.’ Being able to go out there and put my best foot forward is pretty cool,” Murphy explained.
At this point, the Seahawks just need to get more out of their edge rushers, and stop turning the ball over on offense, and they’ll be in good shape.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
- How Far Did the Seahawks Fall in NFL Power Rankings After Losing to the 49ers?
- Erin Andrews Catches Attention in Interview With Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Brian Fleury’s First-Down Play Calls Made Seahawks Offense Too Predictable
- 49ers Announce Unfortunate Injury Update After Seahawks Game
