Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 33-13 Win vs. Texans
Securing their second straight win for the first time in 2021, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks bounced back from a first quarter deficit to defeat the hapless Texans 33-13 and improve their record to 5-8 on the season.
Revisiting Sunday's contest, which players shined the most in Seattle's latest victory? Here are my top five grades along with other Week 14 notable performances from NRG Stadium.
Tyler Lockett
Overall Grade: 89.0 (Receiving 95, Run Blocking 70*)
*Weighted for 18 run blocking snaps
Thanks to exquisite route running, body control, footwork, and ball tracking skills, Lockett just keeps racking up big numbers year in and year out and enjoyed one of his best games on Sunday. Scorching an aggressive, ball hawking Texans secondary all day long, the seventh-year receiver got off to a quick start by high-pointing the football over a defender for a 29-yard catch on Seattle’s opening drive. He followed up with a 24-yard snag on the next possession, somehow contorting his body in midair and getting both feet down inbounds. With the game knotted up at 10 inside two minutes to play, Lockett blew past his defender on the outside on a vertical route and after scrambling to his right, Wilson lofted a rainbow right into his breadbasket for a 55-yard touchdown. Adding another 29-yard reception in the fourth quarter, Lockett finished the afternoon with five catches for 142 yards and a touchdown, averaging north of 28 yards per reception as he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for a third consecutive season. Interestingly, his day could have been even better if not for a trio of overthrows by Wilson when the receiver came open downfield.
Al Woods
Overall Grade: 89.0 (Run Defense 95, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 82)
If the Texans would have cashed in with a touchdown to take the lead after Woods extended one of their drives with a roughing the snapper penalty on a field goal, the boneheaded decision may have impacted his final grade a bit more. But with Houston still being forced to settle for three points, the veteran defender can be forgiven after an otherwise dominant effort in the trenches. On the first play of the game, he shot into the backfield through the A gap to blow up running back Rex Burkhead for a one-yard loss.
A few plays after being flagged for excessive contact against the snapper, he bulldozed his way into the backfield again to blow up a 1st and goal run by Burkhead. Then late in the second quarter, with the Texans in the shadow of their own goal post, he narrowly missed out on a safety in the end zone and helped create a tackle for loss opportunity for teammate Poona Ford. Every time Houston tried to run the ball at him, the play seemed to end in disaster and he was borderline unblockable, playing a crucial role in Seattle holding the opposition to 63 rushing yards and a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. He also contributed as a pass rusher from the interior, splitting a sack with Rasheem Green early in the second quarter.
Rashaad Penny
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Rushing 96, Receiving 70, Pass Protection 85)
From an all-around game standpoint, Penny only caught one pass for one yard and didn’t factor into Seattle’s passing game as a receiver. But feasting on the NFL’s worst run defense, the fourth-year sparkplug turned in one of the finest games by a back in franchise history. Like Lockett, he started strong by ripping off nine and 13-yard runs on consecutive plays to kickstart the team’s first scoring drive, which ended with a 38-yard field goal by Jason Myers. On the ensuing possession, with Seattle still trailing by three, he exploded inside of a wham block by receiver Dee Eskridge, threw a stiff arm on safety Justin Reid to spring free, and found pay dirt for a 32-yard touchdown.
After being held in check in the third quarter, lightning struck twice as Penny bounced off of tackle Jake Curhan, slipped through a pair of tackles, and then rocketed past the rest of the defense for a 47-yard score to push the Seahawks lead to 20. Finishing with a career-best 137 rushing yards and averaging 7.06 yards after contact per carry according to TruMedia, he joined Steve Broussard as only the second back in team history with two 30-plus yard rushing touchdowns in a single game, igniting a ground game that has struggled finding traction most of the season.
Jake Curhan
Overall Grade: 84.0 (Run Blocking 92, Pass Blocking 78)
Making his first career NFL start in place of an injured Brandon Shell at right tackle, Curhan had some occasional difficulties dealing with the speed and quickness of former Seahawks defensive end Jacob Martin off the edge and allowed a trio of pressures in pass protection. But for the most part, the undrafted rookie out of California held his own, doing a quality job helping keep Wilson upright and playing a part in the star quarterback not being sacked once the entire game. Where Curhan really stood out, however, was in the run game where he dominated at the point of attack from start to finish. Creating consistent push off the line of scrimmage on gap runs and routinely winning the positioning battle on zone runs, his presence was instrumental to Penny’s career day, even if the back did truck him on his second touchdown.
Bobby Wagner
Overall Grade: 84.0 (Run Defense 87, Tackling 90, Coverage 76)
Hitting double-digit tackles has been so routine for Wagner throughout his decade in the NFL that fans may take his greatness for granted. While he didn't record any sacks or interceptions, the perennial All-Pro enjoyed one of his finer games of the 2021 campaign against the Texans, racking up 15 tackles and making his presence felt in the backfield on numerous occasions. Stopping screens has been problematic for the Seahawks all year long, but at the 10:19 mark in the third quarter, he snuffed out a third down screen to Burkhead and rallied to the ball carrier for a two-yard loss.
Then early in the final quarter, after defensive end Kerry Hyder forced running back Royce Freeman to hesitate after taking a handoff from Davis Mills, Wagner shot through the B gap and devoured him for a four-yard loss, setting the home team behind the sticks and eventually leading to a punt. He gave up six receptions on six targets in coverage for 42 yards and didn't have a pass breakup, but the short passes Mills completed early weren't there in the second half thanks to better execution by the star defender.
Other Notable Performances
Wilson wasn’t quite as accurate as he was in Week 13, but still completed 17 out of 28 passes while averaging nearly 9.5 yards per attempt and throwing two touchdowns. Adding in his first down run, he received an 82.0 overall mark. Along the offensive line, guards Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson earned respectable 80.0 and 78.5 grades. Lewis excelled in pass protection, not giving up a single pressure in his return to the lineup after missing two games injured, while Jackson teamed up with Curhan on the right side to create big creases for Penny to work with in the run game. DK Metcalf and Wilson again struggled to get on the same page, as the star receiver only caught half of his eight targets for 43 yards and wasn’t able to hang on to a couple of possible first down receptions. Keeping in mind he lost a touchdown thanks to a holding penalty on Jackson, he earned a 74.0 grade. Will Dissly enjoyed arguably his best all-around game of the season, catching two passes for 38 yards and making several quality blocks in the run game for an 81.0 overall grade. Gerald Everett also earned favorable grades in the receiving and running department despite only receiving three touches, scoring a touchdown and producing 28 all-purpose yards while receiving a 75.0 mark.
Narrowly missing out on his first top five score of the season with an 82.5 overall grade, cornerback Ugo Amadi excelled from the slot, recording a pair of pass breakups and stuffing D’Onte Foreman in the backfield for a tackle for loss. On the outside, Sidney Jones continued his stellar performance allowing only two receptions for seven yards. Registering a pass breakup and seven tackles, including stopping tight end Brevin Jordan for no gain on a 3rd and 1 screen play, he received a 79.0 overall mark. Playing well alongside Woods, Ford had one of his better games of the season, racking up five tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pair of quarterback pressures for a 78.0 overall mark. Darrell Taylor turned in a fine game as a situational rusher, recording three pressures and a sack against Mills, and if not for a defensive holding penalty negating it, he would have had a pair of sacks. Thriving off the edge, he earned a 76.0 overall grade. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks rebounded to an extent from a rough start, finishing with 11 tackles, but he also struggled mightily in coverage allowing eight receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown to Jordan, earning him a 66.0 grade. Safety Quandre Diggs didn't allow any receptions in coverage and wasn't tested much, but two missed tackles hurt his overall grade (65.0) significantly.
