Mike Macdonald, Sean McVay Match Wits as Seahawks, Rams Embrace Heavy Football

The king of three-receiver sets, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has fallen in love with tight ends — for now.

The Rams are deploying three tight end sets frequently over their last three games. After using three tight-end sets for just eight plays through the first six weeks of the season, the Rams have used them at least 40% of the time over the last three games, scoring a league-high 11 total touchdowns in that formation. 

McVay knows a thing or two about the versatility of the position, having served as the tight ends coach for the Washington Commanders, working with good friend Kyle Shanahan, who served as the offensive coordinator. But the Rams now have four talented and productive tight ends in graybeard Tyler Higbee, former Seahawk Colby Parkinson, third-year pro Davis Allen and rookie Terrance Ferguson. 

McVay used the quartet effectively in a win over the San Francisco 49ers last week, running three tight end formations on 44.8% of the snaps and averaging 6.7 yards per play. Allen and Parkinson both scored touchdowns, and the Rams averaged 4.7 yards per rush, taking advantage of an inexperienced and lean San Francisco front seven playing without frontline starters in Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams. 

“The only reason you can do it is because you have four players that are capable of doing it,” McVay said during a press conference this week when asked about using heavy formations. “Then you have a coach who does a great job with that group. They’re smart. They’re conscientious and they can play all the spots. It’s awesome.” 

While the Rams have been effective using heavier formations this season, and the Seattle Seahawks will certainly have to spend more time this week game planning for it, McVay’s bread and butter remains using three-receiver sets creatively to dictate mismatches. The Rams have been in three-receiver sets 68.6% of the time this season, which is sixth-most in the NFL. And they are averaging 6.5 yards per play (tied for third in the NFL) with 16 total touchdowns (tied for seventh) in that grouping. 

What makes the Rams so effective in that set is rugged receiver Puka Nacua. Like Cooper Kupp provided in that role before him, Nacua is a physical blocker near the formation in the running game. It can also line up as a receiver out wide, giving McVay flexibility on early downs. 

Puka Nacua’s willingness to block paired with his talent as a receiver allows the Rams to be flexible with their receiver sets. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

Macdonald’s Seahawks have used defensive groupings with five defensive backs on a league-high 85.7% of their defensive plays, holding teams to 4.8 yards per play (tied for third in the NFL). So, matchups to watch on Sunday are not only heavy formations, but also how McVay will use three-receiver sets to find weaknesses in Macdonald’s stout defense. 

“They definitely want to be ahead of things,” Kupp, now a member of the Seahawks, told reporters this week about the two coaches as he prepares to take on his old team for the first time on Sunday. “They want to be in the forefront. They’re not going to be stealing a bunch of plays and things from other people. They want to be the one that people are coming to and trying to steal their stuff. I think it’s a great thing. 

“It’s a really cool thing when you’ve got defenses and offenses that are acting that same way. Just like we like to do here offensively, we want to be ahead of the curve and be able to adapt and move. It makes it fun. It makes that chess game really come alive. It’s going to be fun to see that happen.”

One of the reasons the Seahawks moved on from Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider hired Macdonald was the simplicity and versatility of his defensive scheme. So far, Schneider’s decision has proved effective. McVay said he has a lot of respect for what Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde put together on game day.

“I can see an intent of understanding how to disrupt what the offense is trying to get done, whether that’s on 50/50 downs, whether that’s in heavier pass down situations,” McVay said. “There’s a coordination. There’s a collaboration between all three levels. There’s getting guys in favorable opportunities in situations that accentuate their skill set. All the things that I hold in high regard that dictate and elicit a tough defense to go against, and a well-coached and well-coordinated outfit.” 

The Seahawks have also leaned into heavy formations this season under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and they’ve done so with good results. The Seahawks have used two-tight-end sets on 28.8% of their snaps and Seattle has averaged a league-high 8.4 yards per play in those personnel groupings, per Next Gen Stats. 

Seattle’s two tight ends, A.J. Barner and rookie Elijah Arroyo, bring versatility to run the football or gash defenses with their athleticism at that position. And Barner has the bonus of being able to run the tush push as a quarterback. 

Tight ends AJ Barner (88) and Elijah Arroyo (18) have helped Sam Darnold in the Seahawks’ passing game this season. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

Along with that, like the Rams, Seattle has also been effective in three-receiver sets, averaging 6.4 yards per play, which is sixth in the league. 

A key to Seattle’s success has been Sam Darnold’s flawless execution in the play-action passing game. Darnold is 40 of 60 for 889 yards, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions for a 135.4 passer rating on play-action passes, according to Next Gen Stats.

Seattle needs Sam Darnold to play well, particularly after struggling against L.A.’s defense as a member of the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC Wild Card loss to the Rams last season.

“This is the best I’ve seen him play. He’s playing great football,” Macdonald said about Darnold. “He’s decisive. They put him in great situations. He diagnoses the defenses at a really high level, handles the protections at a really high level. And they’re really explosive in the passing game.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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