Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 19-9 Win vs. Cardinals
Finally turning the corner on defense, the Seahawks shut down Kyler Murray and the Cardinals to earn a hard-fought 19-9 win in an NFC West street fight at Lumen Field on Sunday, improving their record to 3-3 on the season.
Picking up a crucial division victory and playing their most complete game so far in the process, several players starred on both sides of the football. Here's a look at my top six grades and other notable performances from Week 6.
Poona Ford
Overall Grade: 90.0 (Run Defense 94, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 85)
Struggling to acclimate to a 3-4 defense as a two-gapping defensive end, Ford endured a tough start to his fifth NFL season. Looking to get the athletic interior defender back on track, the Seahawks finally cut him loose against the Cardinals, putting him in ideal situations as a penetrating one-gap tackle to maximize on his quickness and elite first step. Not surprisingly, the former Texas standout responded beautifully with his best performance of this season, stuffing the stat sheet with five tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass deflection. His two best plays came in the fourth quarter to help put the Cardinals away contributing as a rusher, starting with a sack on a twist stunt where he manhandled center Sean Harlow and discarded him to the turf before corralling Kyler Murray. On the very next play, realizing he wasn't going to collapse the pocket with a double team against him, he got his surprisingly long arms up into the passing lane and swatted away Murray's pass, eventually leading to a three-and-out and a punt. Arizona couldn't handle Ford's athleticism in the trenches and much to the delight of the "Poona Hive," he dominated start to finish.
Tariq Woolen
Overall Grade: 89.0 (Run Defense 84, Tackling 90, Coverage 94)
After registering an interception in each of the previous three games, Murray rarely challenged Woolen on Sunday, often ignoring his side of the field entirely while trying to progress through his reads. But with the outcome likely already decided and facing a pivotal 4th and 11 situation, the mobile quarterback decided to test the rookie cornerback on a go route to speedy receiver Hollywood Brown. Just as previous attempts to beat the 6-foot-4 defender vertically failed, so too did this one, as he effortlessly stayed step for step with Brown down the sideline before showing off his prior receiver background high-pointing the football for an easy pick. Continuing to surpass any reasonable expectations for a fifth-round pick, he became the first Seahawk since Brandon Browner in 2011 to intercept a pass in four straight games, held an opposing passer to under a 40.0 rating when targeting him, and added five tackles and a fumble recovery for good measure. Already a favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Woolen may even be playing his way into All-Pro consideration as a rookie.
Dee Eskridge
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 65*)
*Weighted for seven run blocking reps
With injuries halting his development for most of his first two NFL seasons, Eskridge has been an afterthought in Seattle's passing game up to this point. He had only three catches for 16 yards in the first five games and logged more than 20 offensive snaps just once, further limiting his opportunities. But with Arizona bracketing DK Metcalf and playing sticky coverage on Tyler Lockett, the former second-round pick picked a great time for an unexpected breakout to pick up the slack and provide a security blanket for Geno Smith. While his stat line consisting of three catches for 39 yards may not seem impressive, all three of his receptions moved the chains for a new set of downs and he flashed with the football in his hands, averaging a healthy six yards after the catch per reception and forcing two missed tackles. Aside from taking an NFL Blitz-worthy hit stick from safety Budda Baker at the tail end of one of those catches, it was a near-perfect afternoon and the Seahawks will be hoping it is a sign of things to come for the speedy wideout.
Coby Bryant
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Run Defense 83, Tackling 90, Coverage 85)
Becoming more comfortable in the slot by week, Bryant took a major step forward in a matchup pitting him against uber-athletic slot receiver Rondale Moore as well as Brown. Targeted seven times by Murray, the rookie out of Cincinnati yielded three catches that netted negative yardage and broke up a deep ball intended for Moore on a slot corner route. He also contributed as a run defender, racking up eight tackles and punching the football out of Murray's hands at the end of a long scramble for a critical third quarter turnover in the red zone. It marked the fourth time in five games where the opportunistic rookie has been able to force a fumble, making him the first rookie to accomplish such a feat since the statistic became officially tracked in 2000. While he benefited from a dropped pass by Moore and an errant throw by Murray to an open Brown on a crosser, he played sticky coverage overall, did a superb job wrapping up ball carriers with no missed tackles, and continued a historic start as a fumble forcing machine.
Darrell Taylor
Overall Grade: 85.5 (Run Defense 79, Tackling 88, Pass Rush 90)
Few players have faced harsher criticism in the first five weeks than Taylor, whose documented struggles as a run defender led to a demotion from the starting lineup in Week 4. Adjusting nicely to a situational pass rushing role, however, the third-year linebacker finally delivered with several splashy plays off the edge on Sunday. Inside two minutes to play in the first half, he blew by tackle Kelvin Beachum on a speed rush and quickly turned the corner on the blocker, knocking the ball out of Murray's hands on a strip sack. Then in the second half, he chased down Moore after he crossed field on a poorly executed screen, teaming up with Myles Adams to bring him down for a seven-yard loss on first down. Three plays later, Woolen put the dagger in the Cardinals with his back-breaking fourth down interception. Though he still was inconsistent setting the edge as a run defender, Taylor finished with three pressures, a sack, a quarterback hit, and a tackle for loss, playing the role of disruptor the Seahawks believed he would entering the season.
Bryan Mone
Overall Grade: 84.5 (Run Defense 86, Tackling 80, Pass Rush 88)
While the Seahawks would have loved to have veteran Al Woods available, Mone helped the team withstand his absence due to a knee injury by turning in arguably the finest outing of his NFL career. Feasting on a matchup against Harlow, who replaced injured starter Rodney Hudson at the pivot position, Mone seemed to create push into the backfield every single play. In one instance in the second quarter, he drove Harlow five yards off the ball in an instant with an abusive bull rush, causing the running back to trip over the center's ankle for a tackle for loss. On a separate play, his immediate penetration forced the back to bounce outside to his right, only for Quinton Jefferson to be waiting for him and Ford closing in to tackle him for a loss. Aside from being near unblockable in the run game, Mone also chipped in as a surprising contributor rushing the passer, amassing three pressures and a quarterback hit from the interior, making life easier for teammates to get to Murray in the process. Though the team will welcome a healthy Woods back with open arms, he once again proved he can shoulder the load when called upon.
Other Notable Performances
Making his first NFL start, Ken Walker III was nothing short of spectacular running the football, forcing a whopping 11 tackles and rushing for more than 70 yards after contact. A drop and missed pass protection pickup lowered his grade an extent, but he still finished with a respectable 82.0 mark. Geno Smith wasn't quite on par with his previous two performances, as he was fortunate three separate throws didn't turn into interceptions and he held onto the ball too long on a pair of sacks, but he still completed 64 percent of his passes and made some tremendous throws staring down blitzes to receive a 77.0 grade. Finishing with a team-high six receptions for 45 yards and blocking effectively in the run game, Noah Fant turned in another solid outing overall, receiving an 81.0 grade. In a vacuum, none of Seattle's offensive linemen played great on Sunday, but Phil Haynes allowed just one pressure in pass protection and performed well in the run game, earning a steady 79.0 score. Damien Lewis allowed two of the five sacks on Smith, but otherwise held up well and dished out a few key blocks to spring Walker in the run game, earning him a 73.0 grade. Rookie tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross endured difficult games in pass protection, combining to allow five pressures and two sacks between them and receiving 71.0 and 70.0 overall grades respectively.
Defensively, the Seahawks had no shortage of high grades that narrowly missed the top six. Contributing to a splendid group effort in the trenches, Jefferson and Shelby Harris each earned 83.0 overall grades with four pressures and a sack apiece. Opposite of Taylor, Nwosu gave up a big play in coverage in an unfair matchup against Moore and missed a tackle, but he also was highly disruptive with four pressures and a sack to score a respectable 80.0 overall. In the secondary, Mike Jackson allowed just two receptions for 14 yards and made five tackles, earning a 79.0 mark. As for the safeties, Quandre Diggs rebounded from an early missed tackle against Moore and locked down center field, nearly recording his first interception on a fourth down throw by Murray and earning a 78.0 mark. Two missed tackles and a pair of 20-plus yard completions allowed in coverage dipped Ryan Neal's overall grade (72.0), but he also deserves credit for a sack on a fire zone concept.
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