Seahawks LB Tyrel Dodson discusses run defense struggles

The Seattle Seahawks have consistently struggled to defend the run this season. Mike Macdonald’s defense has allowed 868 rushing yards, fifth-most in the league, through six contests. They’re also allowing 5.0 yards per carry, fourth-worst in the NFL.

Starting linebacker Tyrel Dodson was one of many offseason acquisitions tasked with helping Macdonald install his preferred defense. Dodson, paired with fellow free-agent signing Jerome Baker, have occasionally struggled at off-ball linebacker. The latter recently discussed why the defense is struggling to defend the run, using an interesting analogy to get his point across.

“If one brick is out of the wall, the whole wall is going to fall down,” Dodson said, referring to the run defense being a collective issue. “So everyone has to be on the same key of music, and then when it gets to the back end, we’ve got to make those plays. It starts with the linebackers, because when you think of the run game, you think of linebackers stopping it. Me and [Jerome Baker], we’re going to take full ownership of that. I’m going to fix it. We’re going to be a better defense.”

The Seahawks visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. The Falcons rank 21st in rushing, producing 113.7 ground yards per game. The metrics aren’t impressive, but Seattle must prove capable of slowing down running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.