Boye Mafe Stepped Up For Seahawks In Week 1

Seattle Seahawks third-year outside linebacker Boye Mafe was unblockable in Sunday's 26-20 Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos. Mafe recorded his first sack of the season and routinely placed pressure on rookie quarterback Bo Nix. He appears primed to record his first double-digit sack campaign this year.

Denver's offensive tackles had no answer for Mafe's overall speed and athleticism. He was credited with producing nine pressures via just 39 pass-rushing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Aidan Hutchinson and Micah Parsons were the only pass rushers who accumulated more pressures in Week 1 with 11 apiece. Mafe added seven hurries to his defensive totals.

Mafe initially beat Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles inside on his sack. Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon flushed Nix from the pocket on a well-timed blitz. Mafe chased the first-round quarterback out of bounds for a loss.

The clip was shared on social media by the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Mafe's old NCAA team, who paired it with a hilarious throwback clip of Mafe sacking Nix in college.

Mafe’s average separation from Nix was 4.01 yards, according to Next Gen Stats. It’s better than the league-average mark of 4.56 yards in Week 1. Mafe’s sack was a long-developing one that took 6.5 seconds, showcasing terrific effort.

Mafe was thrown into a massive Week 1 spot because Uchenna Nwosu is nursing a week-to-week knee injury. Seahawks general manager John Schneider didn't place Nwosu on IR, but indications are he'll miss another game or two. Mafe was Seattle's most-snapped pass rusher as a result, playing a healthy 60 snaps, which accounted for 87% of all defensive plays.

Dre'Mont Jones, who made the full-time move to EDGE this season, was Seattle's second-most snapped pass rusher at 40 snaps, 20 fewer than Mafe. Sophomore outside linebacker Derick Hall also recorded a sack via a rotational role that equated to 31 snaps. The production Seattle received from Mafe and their young pass rushers will ease concerns about getting Nwosu quickly back into the lineup.

Mafe posted 9.0 sacks during a breakout sophomore season last year. The No. 40 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Mafe is now receiving an opportunity to further develop under the tutelage of first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald was the defensive coordinator of a Baltimore Ravens defense in 2023 that became the first unit in NFL history to rank first in points allowed per contest (16.5), sacks (60), and takeaways (31, tied with the New York Giants). Aging pass rushers like Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy revived their careers by posting a combined 18.5 sacks in Macdonald's creative scheme last season. Mafe is relishing his opportunity to play in this player-friendly system that places stress on opposing backfields.

Mafe has been a budding superstar since his breakout sophomore campaign. With a brilliant defensive-minded coach like Macdonald now in the fold, the ascending pass rusher has every tool at his disposal to establish himself as a legitimate great this season. Sunday's performance proved Mafe's arrow continues trending in the right direction.