Rodgers tricked into pick by SeattleUpdated 19 hours ago

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — How good can Mike Macdonald be?

Good enough to trick a 41-year-old, three-time NFL MVP into a game-losing mistake.

The Seahawks’ rookie head coach, four years younger than the New York Jets’ star quarterback, made history for Leonard Williams Sunday.

And that made the Seahawks’ cold afternoon in the Meadowlands go from disastrous to divine.

Earlier this season, Macdonald dialed back his multiplicity and disguising within Seattle’s defense. That was because his Seahawks were struggling with mere basics, let alone his tricks. The team was in last place beneath the NFC West, giving up acres of yards and bushels of points.

Now, with the season in its stretch run, the defensive whiz is showing off the schemes that made Seattle hire the 37-year-old away from the Baltimore Ravens last winter as the NFL’s youngest head man.

And — presto! — the Seahawks (7-5) are in first place. They’ve won three straight games heading into a showdown rematch with the division-rival Arizona Cardinals (6-6) next weekend in the desert.

“We talk about December football, and this is when you want to be playing your best ball,” Macdonald said after Seattle’s largely inexplicable rally 26-21 past the bad New York Jets.

“I wouldn’t say this is our best game. But we won, and that’s all that matters.

“So it’s about stacking those wins. And you got to play a certain brand of ball to win in December.”

That brand is becoming more Macdonald’s style of confusing, disguising and moving defense.

Midway through the second quarter Sunday the lowly Jets (3-9) had just recovered a fumble on a kickoff return by Seattle’s Laviska Shenault. They had the ball inside the Seahawks 10-yard line. New York already led 21-7. It was 9 yards from seizing a three-score lead, and maybe the game.

On second down, Rodgers was not pressured. He had wide receiver Garret Wilson free behind cornerback Josh Jobe for a touchdown on the right side of the end zone. But Rodgers (21 for 39, 185 yards) overthrew Wilson by 2 yards incomplete.

On third down, Macdonald had Williams move from defensive end to nose tackle, over Jets center Joe Tippmann. At the snap, Williams charged one step into the line. Rodgers read Williams pass rushing, so the 20-year veteran who’s seen it all read Williams was out of the coverage plan, as usual.

Except he wasn’t.

Macdonald’s play call this time had Williams dropping into coverage after his feigned charge. Rodgers did not expect a 6-foot-5, 310-pound nose tackle to be in the way of his throw over the middle to Wilson breaking on an in route.

That’s how Macdonald fooled Rodgers on this game’s pivotal play.

“That’s pretty much what that drop’s meant to be,” Williams said after Seattle’s comeback win he sparked. “Our technique is to ‘rush to touch.’ So I rush the guard. As soon as I get hands on him (the quarterback) thinks I’m coming. Then at the last second I pop out.

“And the ball just happened to be in arm’s reach.”

Like a volleyballer, Williams tapped the unsuspecting Rodgers’ throw from where a linebacker normally covers, straight up in the air, to himself. Williams caught the rebound at the Seahawks 8-yard line. And he took off running the other way.

Took off like he never ran before.

“He ran like hell,” speedy Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen said, in admiration.

Williams got across the field to the Seattle sideline. His teammates were there cheering him on, as no Jet showed up to slow him down. When the defensive end they call “Big Cat” got to midfield, he needed a friend.

“I didn’t expect to get that far,” Williams said, smiling.

“I thought I was running fast. …But all my teammates were hyping me out, telling me I was movin’ on the sideline.

“I looked up to my left and right, and once I crossed the 50 I was actually looking to pitch it to somebody. But I saw ‘Spoon’ (cornerback Devon Witherspoon) and my whole defense, the cavalry, pretty much running down the field. They were all almost more excited for me to get that touchdown than myself.”