Welcome to the 'Dark Side': How Seattle's D birthed signature nickname

SAN JOSE, CA. – The origin of the "Dark Side" defense name can be traced to the back of Team Bus 3.

That's where Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams, defensive tackle Jarran Reed, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebacker Ernest Jones came up with a moniker that would differentiate themselves from the "Legion of Boom," a dominant defensive unit that powered the franchise to a Super Bowl 48 victory.

"It was like halfway through the season, and we were getting a lot of comparisons to the 'Legion of Boom.' I think around that time we were like, I think it's about time for us to have our own name," Williams said. "That's when we kind of came up with the 'Dark Side' defense.”

The name is influenced by "Big Dark" in the Pacific Northwest, a nickname for the long, gloomy and rainy winter season in the region – something the team wants to reflect in its on-field product.

"Mike (Macdonald) always talks about people coming to the Pacific Northwest. It's a place where not many people want to play in that cold, rugged type of weather. Our style nobody wants to play," Williams explained. "We talked about after the first three games of the season, it's pretty much dark in Seattle for the rest of the year."

While it’s a new generation of players on the Dark Side defense, they do share similarities with the famed and feared Legion of Boom. Led by Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, the "LOB" allowed the fewest points in the NFL for four straight seasons from 2012-2015. The unit is the only team in the Super Bowl era to accomplish that feat.

Similarly, the Dark Side defense gave up the fewest points in the NFL this season, hoping to continue to mirror those great stop units of years past.

There are differences between the two, largely in scheme and personnel.

The Legion of Boom was led by an elite secondary and primarily operated out of cover 3. The Dark Side defense lines up a lot in nickel and features a stout front four with playmakers in the secondary.

The results speak for themselves. This era of the Seahawks defense is leaning into the nickname.

"I think it's just a mentality we adopted," Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall told USA TODAY Sports. "I feel like every single chance we go out there and get a third-down or fourth-down stop, that's our motto (and) that's what we live by.”

The Seahawks owned the NFL's best third-down defense during the regular season. The defense ranked in the top seven in both pass rush win rate and run stop win rate this season, per ESPN Analytics. The unit’s only given up 300-plus yards in five games this season, including the playoffs.

"I think just the way that we play. We play together, the style of play that we bring. We go out there, we run, we hit, we go sack the quarterback and we get turnovers. I think the stats speak for itself," Jones said. "But just the way we go out there and attack the game. We want to turn the lights out on all these offenses, so I think that's what we live by."

The only question left for the Seahawks’ Dark Side defense is if they can turn the lights out on the New England Patriots on Sunday. If they can, they’ll be crowned Super Bowl 60 champions, which will give the Dark Side defense another thing in common with the Legion of Boom.

Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is confident in that happening.

"Welcome to the 'Dark Side.' You got to go through us to get to the light," Nwosu told USA TODAY Sports. "It's tough to get through us."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.