Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks Overtime Loss to Titans
After building a 15-point halftime advantage behind three second quarter touchdowns on Sunday, the Seahawks couldn't get out of their own way during a second half meltdown, eventually allowing the Titans to come back and capture a 33-30 comeback victory in overtime at Lumen Field.
Which players stood out as the biggest stars in Seattle's disappointing Week 2 defeat? Here are my top five grades from Sunday's home opener along with other notable performances.
Tyler Lockett
Overall Grade: 92.0 (Receiving 97, Run Blocking 68*)
*Weighted for 11 run blocking reps
Lockett may not know who Willie Mays is - or at least hasn't seen his highlights - but he continues to emulate the baseball legend with his elite ball tracking skills. One week after making a remarkable touchdown grab in Indianapolis on a throw purposefully lofted behind him, the star wideout adjusted to a deep ball by Wilson and managed to slide underneath it for a 51-yard reception to set up Seattle's first field goal. Two possessions later, after making a downfield grab between two Titans defenders, he slammed the brakes and slipped through Elijah Molden's tackle attempt on his way to a 63-yard touchdown. He finished the game with eight receptions for 178 yards and averaged 22 yards per reception, smashing Steve Largent's previous franchise record of 215 receiving yards in the first two games. At 180 pounds soaking wet, the fact he missed a few run blocks can be forgiven.
Al Woods
Overall Grade: 89.0 (Run Defense 93, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 87)
For anyone who questioned how much the 34-year old Woods had left in his gas tank after sitting out last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the massive veteran has emphatically put those concerns to rest through two games. The 330-pound defensive tackle racked up seven combined tackles, including five solos and a tackle for loss, making life tough for Derrick Henry when he tried to run between the tackles on Sunday. He also pitched in as a pass rusher on multiple occasions, generating a trio of pressures and coming up with a critical sack in the fourth quarter. With the Titans driving and facing 2nd and 10 from Seattle's 38-yard line, Woods overwhelmed the left guard with a bull rush and drove him back into Ryan Tannehill's lap, corralling the quarterback for an eight-yard loss. Two plays later, the Seahawks forced a turnover on downs to maintain a seven-point advantage.
Duane Brown
Overall Grade: 88.0 (Run Blocking 84, Pass Protection 92)
The Seahawks had their share of issues protecting Russell Wilson on Sunday, but the majority of the pressure came from the interior. As for Brown, he has yet to surrender a pressure through two games, hasn't been penalized, and was the only offensive linemen who consistently created movement off the line of scrimmage in the run game against the Titans. The 36-year old veteran isn't showing any signs of slowing down, mirroring well against opposing pass rushers such as Bud Dupree and not allowing them to turn the corner against him on speed rushes. He hasn't exhibited any rust after missing all of training camp while holding in for a restructured contract and Seattle remains in outstanding shape with him protecting the blind side.
Poona Ford
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 92, Pass Rush 80)
Rebounding from a mediocre season opener by his standards, Ford set the tone early, penetrating the backfield as if he was shot out of a cannon to bring down Henry on the Titans first two offensive plays, including blowing him up for a two-yard loss. If you blinked, you may have missed both run stops. The rising fourth-year defender played a pivotal role in holding Henry to under three yards per carry in the first half and while he was taken out of the game to an extent by Tennessee running more off tackle in the final two quarters and overtime, he still finished with four tackles and his elite quickness gave the opposing line fits all afternoon. Like Woods, though he didn't get a sack, Ford also contributed as a pass rusher, generating a pair of pressures and a quarterback hit on Tannehill.
Kerry Hyder
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Run Defense 82, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 84)
Most of the afternoon, Seattle's edge rush was held in check, allowing Tannehill ample time in the pocket to find open receivers. But Hyder quietly had a stellar all-around game, pitching in four tackles, two run stops on Henry for two or less yards, a trio of pressures, and a fumble recovery that led to Chris Carson's first touchdown in the second quarter. After Woods sacked Tannehill in the fourth quarter, the former Texas Tech standout made back-to-back quarterback hits to help create a turnover on downs. On the first one, though Tannehill managed to complete the pass to Julio Jones, he slanted inside and literally ran over the center before blasting the quarterback. On the ensuing fourth down, as Tannehill tried to scramble out of the pocket, Hyder dragged him down and forced an incompletion to give the ball back to Wilson and the offense.
Other Notable Performances
Though Bobby Wagner finished with a sack and a franchise-record 20 tackles, several of those came after receptions, as he allowed nine receptions on 10 targets for 81 yards in coverage. While some of that was linked to defensive game plan, those coverage numbers knocked him out of the top five with an 82.0 overall grade. Cornerback D.J. Reed also narrowly missed out on the top five with a quality outing working primarily against A.J. Brown, allowing two receptions for 21 yards on four targets. He was on Brown like glue while forcing an incomplete pass in the red zone in the first quarter and though he was hit with a taunting penalty, he was right with Brown on a misfired deep ball in the fourth quarter as well, earning himself an 81.0 overall grade. A roughing the passer penalty hurt Robert Nkemdiche's overall grade, but he did some nice things in the trenches as a run defender and finished with seven total tackles to receive a 78.5 mark.
If these grades were based on first half numbers alone, Wilson would have easily been in the top five. However, his 4-for-9 finish as a passer down the stretch and a horrible near-safety in overtime led to his grade dropping to 81.0. Clearly hampered by an injury late in the contest and missing some catches he normally may have made, DK Metcalf drew two holding penalties and only caught six out of the 11 targets sent his way by Wilson for 53 yards, finishing with a 74.0 overall grade. Along the offensive line, Damien Lewis didn't allow any pressures in pass protection and received an 83.0 grade in that category, which offset an underwhelming performance from him as a run blocker. Kyle Fuller struggled throughout the afternoon, allowing three pressures and a sack in pass protection and failing to make much of an impact as a run blocker, receiving a 53.0 overall grade.
