Safety Coby Bryant finished the 69-yard pick-six of Kyler Murray in Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, but cornerback Devon Witherspoon was why play initially favored the Seattle Seahawks.
Trailing 7-3 with a 4th and 1 from Seattle’s 39-yard line, Murray snapped the ball under center and faked the handoff to running back James Conner.
Witherspoon, crashing in from the edge, quickly recognized Murray pulling the ball to keep it himself and spun around in the backfield to pursue the Cardinals quarterback, who was now rolling out to the right.
With a friendly angle and his elite athleticism, Witherspoon closed the gap between him and Murray quickly, forcing Arizona’s mobile passer to make a tough pass into traffic. The pass sailed over wide receiver Michael Wilson’s head and into the waiting arms of Bryant, who made one cut, found a lane and took off.
But Witherspoon’s job wasn’t done. He taunted Murray on the sideline, then started sprinting down the field alongside Bryant and laid a block that took two Cardinals players out of pursuit. Then he taunted those two players and was flagged.
“It was definitely taunting,” Witherspoon said postgame. “I ain’t shying away from that. It was definitely that.”
To impact one play so immensely and not get any credit in the box score is the type of player Witherspoon has become for the 2024 Seahawks. He’s still putting numbers on the stat sheet, but his effect creating big plays for other Seattle defenders can only be tracked via watching him play football.
Bryant, of course, had to be in a position to make the play. The third-year cornerback-turned-safety has shown incredible instincts at his new position, and that’s why he’s remained the starter even with Rayshawn Jenkins returning from injured reserve.
Witherspoon finished with five total tackles versus Arizona. If that was all you looked at, it’d seem his effort was mediocre.
“He could be in any system, any scheme, and it’s got to be infectious, right?” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Monday. “How could you not want to play that way when your teammate’s doing it all the time? It’s fun, man. It’s fun to go out there and play with guys like that.”
Macdonald was asked if he knew why Witherspoon has the motor and energy he does. His answer perfectly described the uniqueness of the 2023 No. 5 overall pick’s impact.
“No, I wish,” Macdonald responded. “Then we would hardwire it into everybody else.”
The Seahawks defense is enjoying a resurgence post-bye that has completely altered the trajectory of the team’s season — vaulting the team back to first place in the NFC West.
They’re allowing almost 70 fewer rush yards per game than their first eight games of the season and held an NFC West opponent to their lowest point total since the 2016 season (6-6 OT tie versus Cardinals).
Witherspoon is one of the catalysts behind that recent success, among others. Macdonald’s defense is hitting its stride and, if they can play that well every week, could become one of the harder teams to beat in the entire league.
Seattle can sweep the season series versus Arizona in Week 14, but first, they must be sure to not underestimate the 3-8 New York Jets on the road this Sunday.
