Tom Brady Praises Seahawks' Defense Ahead of Divisional Round Game vs. 49ers

The 2025 Seattle Seahawks' defense might not have a nickname that's as menacing as the Legion of Boom, but Tom Brady is just as impressed with that unit compared to the one that helped Seattle win a Super Bowl in 2013. 

Brady raved about the Seahawks' defense on Thursday's "The Herd." He pointed out how strong the unit is at all three levels and the difficulty the San Francisco 49ers will have in trying to beat them in Saturday's divisional round matchup, which Brady will be on the call for on FOX.

"They close space as well as any defense in the league. As soon as the ball’s caught, boom, there’s guys on them," Brady said of the Seahawks' defense. "There’s linebackers hitting you. Erenst Jones has been phenomenal. Riq Woolen’s got tremendous speed. He covers up so much. [Devon] Witherspoon’s been phenomenal. Even [Nick] Emmanwori, the rookie, is insane. They’ve got this kind of swarming defense — wherever the ball goes, it’s like there’s these stud missiles that are flying in to hit the ballcarrier. It’s a fascinating defense."

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While Seattle's offense has put up some pretty big numbers this season, it's evident that the Seahawks' defense is the backbone of their team. Not only are they sixth in total defense and first in scoring defense, but the Seahawks are also among the tops in the league in a handful of other metrics. They're third in defensive success rate (39.25%) and sixth in takeaways. They're also third in run defense, allowing just 91.9 rushing yards per game. 

As Brady raved about the Seahawks' linebackers and secondary, though, he thinks what really makes the unit stand out is their defensive line. 

"They’ve got one of the most underrated defensive lines in the league. I think their interior defensive line is phenomenal," Brady said. "They’ve got four edge guys they rotate in that are kind of unique. They’ve got different traits and they challenge the tackles. There’s a reason they were the top-scoring defense in the league. They’ve just really suffocated these offenses by taking the space and making the field feel like it’s so much smaller. So, they haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in a season and a half or something like that."

Seattle didn't have anyone finish with more than seven sacks this season. However, it had four players ranked in the top-50 in sacks (Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, Byron Murphy II, DeMarcus Lawrence) and was tied for seventh in total sacks this season. The Seahawks were also seventh in pass rush win rate (41%) and third in run stop win rate (32%) in the regular season. 

So, when you combine that with the coverages the Seahawks' defense uses, Brady thinks that the 49ers' path to find success on offense will be very narrow. 

"Their pass defense is elite," Brady said. "Their coverage schemes are really tricky for the quarterback. You need to have a very diversified set of weapons on offense in order to move the ball, and they don’t give up a ton of big plays. So, you’re going to have to drive the ball down the field. The Niners are going to have to keep it a low-scoring game." 

Of course, the 49ers already know how good the Seahawks are on defense. Just two weeks ago, Seattle stymied San Francisco, allowing just 173 yards en route to a 13-3 victory to secure the NFC West title and the conference's No. 1 seed.

The 49ers responded to that loss well, though. They upset the Eagles in Philadelphia last week, 23-19, behind another strong day from Christian McCaffrey, who scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Brady is leaving the door open for the 49ers to pull off the upset, mentioning that they won at Seattle in Week 1. However, he thinks San Francisco might have to ride its defense in order to do so. 

"When Seattle was on defense, the last time the Niners played them, they had less than 50 plays," Brady said. "They lost the time of possession almost two-to-one. It’s really interesting to see this game because of how challenging it’s going to be for these 49ers to go in there as the underdog, coming off last week’s game and then still having to emotionally get up for an environment that’s really hostile to the opposing team. 

"The Niners can do it. They’ve been there before. They’ve played the Seahawks a lot. It’s not like there’s going to be some intimidation. It’s just that, do they have enough firepower? Can they find a way here through complementary football through what they’ve done defensively? I thought defensively last week they were just awesome."

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