Falcons Nailed with Poor PFF Grades After Blowout Loss to Seahawks

The Atlanta Falcons got blown out by the Seattle Seahawks 37-9 in Week 14, effectively eliminating them from the playoffs for the eighth straight season. The game was tied 6-6 heading into halftime, until Seattle had a 31-point second half, kick-started (pun intended) by a Rashid Shaheed 100-yard kick return seconds into the third quarter.

As the Falcons got blown out, they had no players on either side of the ball graded with an 80.0 or higher and had seven players under a 50.0 score.

On an afternoon where Atlanta could not find the endzone, right guard Chris Lindstrom was the Falcons' highest graded player of the game, receiving a 77.8 score. Lindstrom’s third straight game as Atlanta’s highest graded offensive player. Left guard Matthew Bergeron (71.9), right tackle Elijah Wilkinson (70.2), center Ryan Neuzil (67.5) and running back Tyler Allgeier (66.9) round out Atlanta’s top five highest graded players on offense.

Although Lindstrom was the Falcons' highest graded player of the game, he still allowed two quarterback hits and one hurry. However, his 85.0 run blocking grade was the second highest of the game, trailing only Seahawks’ left tackle Charles Cross (87.2).

Bergeron was great in pass blocking, allowing zero pressures, zero hurries, zero quarterback hits and zero sacks. His 82.2 pass blocking grade was the third highest in the game and the highest of any member of the Falcons. Wilkinson allowed zero hurries but did allow two quarterback hits. His 74.9 run blocking grade was the second highest on the team.

Neuzil had his fourth straight game with zeros across the board in terms of pressure surrendered. His 67.1 run blocking grade was the third highest on the team. Allgeier had 34 yards on the ground (3.1 yards per carry) and added 33 through the air on two receptions. However, he was elite in pass blocking, receiving an 80.6 score, the second highest on the team.

For yet another week, the Falcons’ bottom five offensive grades come entirely from their pass-catching group, reinforcing the team’s need to prioritize upgrades there in 2026. Receiver David Sills earned the lowest score, a 43.7, with tight end Charlie Woerner not too far ahead at a 46.7. Receivers Darnell Mooney, Deven Thompkins and Dylan Drummond come in at 50.8, 51.6 and 52.2, respectively, or not so respectively if you think about it.

Sills, Woerner, Mooney, Thomkins and Drummond combined for 31 yards, with 21 of those coming from Drummond. Mooney had a touchdown called back because he did not “reestablish himself” after stepping out of bounds, and also dropped a potential garbage-time score late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, this is the Mooney we’ve been accustomed to seeing this season.

Atlanta did not fare much better on the defensive side of the ball. Edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie was the Falcons' highest graded defender for the second straight game, receiving a 76.6 score, and was the only defender to receive a score above 70.0. Linebacker Divine Deablo (68.5), nose tackle LaCale London (67.8), defensive tackle Kentavius Street (66.7) and cornerback Mike Hughes (66.7) round out Atlanta’s top five highest graded defenders.

Ebiketie registered three quarterback hurries and two total tackles. Deablo had six total tackles, two defensive stops and only surrendered three yards in coverage. His 70.7 coverage grade was the highest on the team and the third highest in the game.

In 27 total snaps, London had five total tackles and two defensive stops. Street added a sack, two total tackles and two defensive stops. Hughes had five total tackles and recorded his first interception since 2021 on a tipped ball. In coverage, he allowed just two receptions for 28 total yards. Quarterback Sam Darnold had a 56.9 passer rating when throwing the ball in Hughes’ direction.

Atlanta’s lowest graded defender, and the lowest graded player of the game, was interior defender Ruke Orhorhoro with a 29.7 score. Cornerback A.J. Terrell (31.5), safety Xavier Watts (42.9), linebacker Kaden Elliss (43.8) and linebacker Ronnie Harrison (44.2) round out the Falcons’ bottom five graded defenders.

Orhorho had one hurry, one tackle, one missed tackle and one defensive stop. His 40.0 run defense grade and 27.0 tackle grade were both the second lowest on the team. Terrell had the tough task of guarding the NFL’s leading receiver this week. He had him in the first half, but in the second half Jaxson Smith-Njigba exploded. Terrell ended up surrendering five receptions for 81 yards and, most importantly, two touchdowns. Terrell also had game lows in tackle grade (26.8) and run defense (28.0).

Watts had three total tackles and two defensive stops, but also missed a tackle. He had a 39.0 coverage grade, the second lowest on the team, and allowed two of his three targets to result in completions for 22 yards. Elliss had the lowest coverage grade on the team, a 31.0. He allowed three receptions for 34 yards. Harrison has been seeing more snaps instead of J.D. Bertrand. His 49.6 coverage grade was the fourth lowest on the team, and he had just one tackle.

Other notable grades include: linebacker Jalon Walker (55.2), edge rusher James Pearce Jr. (61.9), safety Jessie Bates (62.3), quarterback Kirk Cousins (62.7), running back Bijan Robinson (62.9) and tight end Kyle Pitts (63.5).

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