They’ve faced their share of star wide receivers in recent weeks, and the Seattle Seahawks have a special plan for stopping them, something they are tipped to use against New England Patriots go-to wideout Stefon Diggs in Super Bowl LX.
It’s a prediction from Cody Alexander of MatchQuarters.com. He discussed how the Seahawks use Cover 6 defense and how it relates to Diggs.
As Alexander pointed out, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald “runs a ‘targeted’ version of the coverage, meaning he can move the Cover 2 side to or away from the Nickel. That allows him to get a backstop vs. Deep Crossers or a zone-double on the team’s star WR. For New England, that likely means targeting Diggs.”
Double coverage on Diggs will put the onus on fellow receiver Kayshon Boutte, who “is going to have to win some 1v1s against Woolen or Jobe,” according to Alexander.
The Seahawks won’t mind the game going through Boutte, despite his strong rapport with Pats quarterback Drake Maye. Making the star signal-caller play left-handed is the priority for Macdonald and his sophisticated, dominant defense.
Taking away seven-time 1,000-yard receiver Diggs is the logical starting point, but the Seahawks will need to rely on a defensive back who’s dealt with a pre-game injury scare to make it happen.
Nick Emmanwori Key to Stefon Diggs Plan
Rookie Nick Emmanwori’s recent confident declaration about his availability at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, February 8 is a huge boost to the Seahawks. Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde need the do-all safety to play a specific role as an equalizer against the staple of New England’s passing game.
As Diante Lee of The Ringer detailed, “If Emmanwori can play Sunday, he’ll be Seattle’s answer to stopping the most potent part of New England’s passing game: Maye’s throws to receivers in the slot. Against a Patriots offense that wants to throw the ball to tight end Hunter Henry and receiver Stefon Diggs—who had 83 combined targets in the slot in the regular season—Emmanwori’s play will probably be the deciding factor in how effective New England’s offense is through the air.”
Lee also pointed out how quick “underneath routes have been Diggs’s specialty, as he’s averaged under 5 air yards per target in New England’s offense this postseason. If he’s running routes against Emmanwori like Nacua did in the clip below, he’ll need perfect ball placement from Maye.”
Unfortunately, “perfect ball placement” is something the Patriots have produced at a high rate this season. So much so, “Stefon Diggs (58.8%) and Kayshon Boutte (56.3%) recorded the highest and second-highest catch rates in the NFL on tight window targets this season,” according to Next Gen Stats.
Disrupting the timing of these sudden and short throws will force Maye to throw into the true strength of a coverage he hates.
Seahawks Already Have Drake Maye Answer
The Seahawks already know how to cause Maye problems. Simply by using the elaborate Cover 6 zone structure others have played to frustrate the would-be NFL MVP.
Maye is saying the right things about dealing with the combination coverage, but he’s yet to put the theory into practice. There’s also the not-so small matter of few teams playing quarter, quarter-half as often or as well as the Seahawks.
Their expertise stems from Emmanwori’s versatility and athleticism. His talent for putting clamps on underneath receivers leaves a quarterback to chance his arm throwing into the two-deep part of Cover 6.
The Patriots might try and punish the Seahawks keeping two safeties deep by running out of heavy personnel. Using six offensive lineman has been a happy habit for the Pats, but the Seahawks have mastered the art of stopping the run with extra defensive backs on the field.
Numbers from ESPN’s Mina Kimes show Emmanwori and Co. rank “4 yds/carry (1st) 64% success rate (1st) 18.7% first downs/carry (1st) -0.07 EPA/play (1st),” when playing nickel or dime defense.
Stopping the Patriots from controlling the clock with power-based running and short throws is how the Seahawks raise this Lombardi Trophy. It will start with bracketing Diggs all over the field.
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