The Seattle Seahawks relied on a stout defensive performance to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 18-16 in Week 15. The Seahawks’ offense didn’t score a touchdown. It took six field goals from Jason Myers, including a game-winner, to beat Phillip Rivers and the Colts.
One of the Seahawks’ better performers was defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. The sophomore interior defender was consistently disruptive. Head coach Mike Macdonald took an opportunity to praise Murphy’s performance.
“He was absolutely dominant,” Macdonald said about Murphy’s showing. “Probably singlehandedly won us a football game on defense. He absolutely played lights out. I know I didn’t answer your question, but it’s worth mentioning.”
Pro Football Focus credited Murphy with zero quarterback pressures. The former Texas Longhorns standout did the majority of his work as a selfless player in the trenches. Colts superstar running back Jonathan Taylor was limited to 87 rushing yards on 25 carries, only averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Taylor’s longest rush gained just 11 yards.
Murphy was credited with three stops in the run game. As seen in Brady Henderson’s compilation posted above, Murphy was dominant in the trenches and around the line of scrimmage. Macdonald even credited the 2024 first-round pick for singlehandedly winning the game on defense.
