Josh Jobe, CB Seattle Seahawks are playing with great confidence

RENTON, Wash. – Just two snaps into Sunday’s mandatory road battle against the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Josh Jobe allowed a rush to standout receiver Deebo Samuel on a curl route.

While this may sound like an elementary achievement, tough Samuel makes a living by turning such short passes into big gains, regularly breaking down receptions in bunches and gaining significant yards after the catch. In the past, a short break often resulted in a first down, if not a bigger one, making him a chronic thorn in the Seahawks’ side. Once the ball was in his hands, fans likely had PTSD flashbacks, remembering all the damage he had done over the years.

However, in this case, Jobe reacted quickly to the throw to Samuel, flying up to wrap around the powerful receiver as soon as the ball was in his hands. Before he could gain steam, the corner spun him around and safety Coby Bryant came on as a reinforcement and then forcefully pushed him out of bounds, setting the tone and making it clear that this wasn’t going to be the same as the previous six matchups in which San Francisco was forcing its NFC West rival into submission.

Before the Seahawks ended the season with a potentially salvage 20-17 victory, Jobe and the secondary allowed just one catch of more than 14 yards, stifling Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall for most of the afternoon in sticky coverage. Additionally, the 49ers gained just 50 yards after the catch, while Samuel gained just 15 yards.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald raved about the play of his cornerbacks, who have held two strong passing attacks in check for most of the past two games. With the same group playing together for the last three games, continuity has begun to lead to greater cohesion, creating a growing sense of confidence that has translated into skimpy results of late.

“I will confirm that continuity really helps with building reps from week to week,” Macdonald said. “I think schematically we are starting to discover what we are good at and know the answers to the puzzles we had to solve at the beginning of the week. You can do some of those reps throughout the week, and the guys will see that, so they’ll be able to play with confidence.”

How difficult they are for San Francisco’s receivers, according to NFL Next Gen Stats Seattle’s Samuel, Pearsall and Jennings were below league average in yards per route (2.97) which meant quarterback Brock Purdy had little time all afternoon. When he made full passes to his wingers, the secondary attacked the ball and rarely conceded tackles, limiting the extra yardage that had doomed them in previous matchups between the two teams.

“The guys did well up front, the guys react quickly,” added Macdonald, admitting that having to say goodbye to fresh legs on Sunday helped them. “Maintaining good visibility against the 49ers is not an easy task because of how they create space and how they deal with formations and personnel. That tells me we are playing at a high level and communicating well.”

At the center of the Seahawks’ defensive resurgence, Jobe has been a revelation, starting with Riq Woolen, transforming from an obscure practice squad player into a key member of Macdonald’s defense. He allowed just two catches for 17 yards on Sunday, and Purdy rarely challenged him due to good coverage and less than a yard between targets.

With four starts under his belt since replacing Tre Brown in the lineup, Jobe has been one of the NFL’s best corners over the past month. Among corners with at least 100 coverage snaps, he ranks second in passer rating (54.4), fourth in yards after the catch (20) and ninth in target percentage allowed (50 percent), and his forced fumble rate at 17 percent ranks 17th thanks to three breakups and an interception.

“Josh deserves a lot of credit,” Macdonald said of Jobe’s play. “I mean, this guy just has consecutive great days and we have a lot of confidence in him right now. I thought he played an amazing game.”

In addition to Jobe’s unexpected contributions, Devon Witherspoon has started to perform at the level expected from the No. 5 overall pick. After three pass breakups in the first nine games, he tied his season total against the 49ers, including deflecting a pass intended for Christian McCaffrey on a spin route up to allow fullback Johnathan Hankins to run under the ball for an interception.

One of Witherspoon’s break-ups also came during a blitz when he jumped into the box from the slot and raised his arm just in time to deflect a pass from Purdy, once again illustrating his versatility as a versatile playmaker from the cornerback position.

As for Woolen, although Jennings beat him several times on first down receptions, his four receptions allowed him for just 25 total yards and 6.3 yards per catch. He performed well in these situations, limiting opposing receivers to a total of nine yards after the catch, and Purdy didn’t have any opportunity to test him in the box with a magnet on the outside.

“Devon Witherspoon got one of the match balls, one of the five match balls after the game, but I think he played one of his best games of the season and Riq Woolen, I think, played one of his best football games of the year” – rated Macdonald. “The focus, the attention to detail, the pull to snap and just lock in on what we were asking them to do, those were really challenging things.”

Things don’t get any easier for the Seahawks over the next five weeks, including two games against the league-leading Cardinals, who have plenty of weapons at their disposal for Kyler Murray, headlined by rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. represent some serious passing game challenges for superstar Justin Jefferson to overcome.

However, unlike earlier in the season, Seattle found a good defensive position and Macdonald built on his team’s strengths, which makes me optimistic that the recent run can be maintained even against quality opposition. Starting to achieve lofty expectations, albeit with an unlikely starter in Jobe who has been key to the resurgence, the cornerback group could be the catalyst for a late playoff offense in the Pacific Northwest.

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