Boye Mafe Sets Franchise Record In Win Over Commanders

Originally posted on FanNation Seahawk Maven
By Jonathan Alfano | Last updated 11/12/23

After a relatively quiet rookie season, Boye Mafe has emerged as the Seattle Seahawks' biggest breakout star in 2023.

A second-round pick out of Minnesota, Mafe has been on an absolute heater this season. The 25-year-old leads the team with six sacks and nine QB hits while also having the second most tackles for loss with seven. Mafe was mainly a rotational player as a rookie, but now he's among the biggest stars on the Seahawks' defense.

As Mafe's impressive season continues, the rising star etched his name into the Seahawks' record books. With his sack against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Mafe set a franchise record by notching a sack in seven straight games. Michael Sinclair, the previous record holder, had six straight games with a sack between 1997 and 1998.

Beyond just the team record, Mafe is approaching NFL history as a whole. Only a handful of players have posted a sack in eight straight games, with Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones being the most recent to do so last year, per Stathead. Jones also holds the all-time sack streak record with 11 straight games in 2018.

"For me, it's just another accomplishment," Mafe told reporters after the game. "Biggest thing for me is just understanding that it's bigger than me. This is a testament to the things that we were working on in the offseason. It's a testament to a lot of guys who wanted to buy in and understand what we had to do this year. Especially [with] where we were last year and how we were getting better in certain situations. It's one of the things we want to strive to get better at and now it's coming to fruition."

Mafe's breakout season has fueled the rise of the Seahawks' pass rush as a whole. After ranking 28th in pass rush win rate last season, Seattle ranked ninth in the same stat heading into Sunday's game, according to ESPN. The pass rush's ascension even led to ESPN placing it among its most-improved units this season.

Mafe has been a delightful surprise for the Seahawks this season, and if he can keep improving at this rate, he will become even more of a household name in Seattle.

This article first appeared on FanNation Seahawk Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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