Report Card: Top Performers From Seahawks 24-10 Loss to Chiefs
Continuing their second half free fall with a fifth loss in six games, Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks failed to take advantage of several potential scoring opportunities in the second half as the Kansas City Chiefs held on for a 24-10 home win on Christmas Eve.
While Seattle continued to struggle on offense and allowed too many chunk plays on defense in a lower scoring game than anticipated, several players shined on both sides of the football in defeat, including a trio of rookies. Here are my top five grades and other notable performances from Arrowhead Stadium in Week 16.
Tariq Woolen
Overall Grade: 88.0 (Coverage 92, Tackling 88, Run Defense 86)
Putting another bullet point on his resume for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Woolen respectfully wasn't tested often by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and still found a way to leave his imprint on the game. Late in the first quarter, with the Chiefs already up 7-0 and looking to bust the game open early, Mahomes took a shot downfield to receiver Justin Watson, who appeared to be wide open.
But as he has done several times this year, Woolen turned on the jets and displayed remarkable closing speed with long, effortless strides catching up to Watson, rising up and swatting away the pass down in the end zone. Kansas City punted two plays later, keeping Seattle within a score. After that point, Mahomes only challenged him one other time, completing a six-yard first down pass to tight end Travis Kelce.
Making a couple nice plays in the run game and blowing up blocks on a pair of screens, he showcased his rapidly improving all-around game for those who paid close attention despite only being targeted twice.
Kenneth Walker III
Overall Grade: 84.5 (Rushing 90, Receiving 65, Pass Blocking 80*)
*Weighted for one pass blocking rep
Showing no ill effects from a lingering ankle injury and back spasms that led to him not practicing last week, Walker rebounded from a difficult first half running behind putrid blocking to explode with nearly 80 rushing yards after halftime. On Seattle's second drive of the third quarter, the dynamic rookie exploded behind blocks by tackle Stone Forsythe and tight end Will Dissly for a 20-yard gain and followed up with another 11-yard gain on the very next play, quickly putting the team in scoring position.
Later in the quarter, Walker cut back against the grain on toss play to the right, sprinting across the field while outrunning multiple defenders to the left sideline for another 20-yard pickup past midfield. Unfortunately, in both instances, the Seahawks were left empty-handed with no points.
Overall, he amassed five rushes of nine yards or more in the final two quarters and successfully picked up a blitz on his lone pass blocking opportunity, finishing with 107 yards on 26 carries in an impressive all-around performance.
Boye Mafe
Overall Grade: 83.5 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 70)
For whatever reason, Mafe hasn't been able to earn extended opportunities playing less than 40 percent of Seattle's snaps in each of the past six games, but his stellar outing on Saturday should earn him more playing time. Logging just 20 snaps against the Chiefs, while he didn't generate any pressures in seven pass rushing opportunities, Mafe made his presence felt setting the edge and hustling to make plays along the line of scrimmage against the run.
Midway through the third quarter, the second-round pick out of Minnesota rocketed down the line after being left unblocked, corralling running back Jerick McKinnon in the backfield for a one-yard loss in backside pursuit.
Then on Seattle's final defensive possession, he shed a block from tackle Orlando Brown to promptly wrap up McKinnon for a one-yard gain, contributing on a final stop to give the ball back to the offense inside two minutes to play. He finished the afternoon with four tackles, including three that went for two yards or less, and no missed tackles on defense.
Quinton Jefferson
Overall Grade: 81.5 (Run Defense 80, Tackling 76, Pass Rush 88)
Similar to Mafe, Jefferson didn't see much action in regard to snap counts on Saturday. But the veteran defensive tackle capitalized on limited opportunities by harassing Mahomes with persistent interior pressure. Right off the bat, Jefferson powered through Kansas City's line on the second defensive play of the game with a bull rush, forcing the quarterback to bail the pocket to his right and uncork an errant throw down the right sideline.
Two plays later, the Chiefs were punting on a three and out. Fast forwarding to the third quarter, Jefferson against made his presence known, using a second effort after initially missing Mahomes to hit the quarterback and get a piece of the football while forcing a critical third down incompletion.
Though he didn't register a single tackle and rarely played on early downs, Jefferson used his underrated athleticism at 290 pounds to rack up three pressures, a quarterback hit, and a pass deflection on just 15 pass rushing snaps, generating a strong 20 percent pressure rate.
DK Metcalf
Overall Grade: 81.0 (Receiving 85, Run Blocking 58*)
*Weighted for 23 run blocking reps
Playing without his partner in crime Tyler Lockett, Metcalf drew even more attention from the Chiefs defense than he's accustomed to. But that didn't stop him from being the lone source of offense for the Seahawks in the first half, as he accounted for 71 of Geno Smith's 81 passing yards in the first two quarters on six receptions and picked up a pair of first downs.
This included a picturesque diving 35-yard reception on a go route to set up a Jason Myers field goal before halftime. That reception pushed him over the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his four-year NFL career, providing a rare high point with the offense sputtering. Metcalf didn't have a perfect game, as a holding penalty on Seattle's first offensive play wiped out an 18-yard run by Walker and he couldn't get both feet down in the back of the end zone on a potential touchdown moments before Myers' field goal made the score 17-3. Still, he finished with team-highs with seven receptions for 81 yards.
Other Notable Performances
While he wasn't at his best and threw a costly end zone interception, Geno Smith overcame poor pass protection for much of the game to still complete 62.5 percent of his passes and ended the game with a touchdown pass to Noah Fant, salvaging a 77.0 grade. Standing out compared to his peers in the trenches, left tackle Charles Cross helped spring Walker on a couple of his big runs in the second half and allowed two hurries in pass protection, receiving a steady 76.0 mark.
On the flip side, while battling elbow and knee injuries that forced him to leave early, Abraham Lucas endured his worst game of the season allowing a sack and three pressures, receiving a 61.0 grade overall. At the guard spots, Gabe Jackson turned in a strong game in pass protection, allowing no pressures while struggling to move defenders in the run game for a 71.0 grade. Damien Lewis gave up just one pressure for a 70.0 grade, while Phil Haynes surrendered a whopping five pressures on just 24 pass blocking snaps for a 58.0 score.
Catching three out of four targets for 45 yards, Colby Parkinson turned in the longest play from scrimmage on a 39-yard catch, boosting his grade to 74.0.
Despite not producing many statistics with one tackle in the game, safety Quandre Diggs didn't allow any catches in coverage and made a nice play covering Travis Kelce on a key third down stop, earning a 78.0 grade. At linebacker, Jordyn Brooks had a strong game defending against the run with eight tackles, but his grade (69.5) suffered from allowing a 52-yard catch to Kelce down the seam on the Chiefs final touchdown drive.
Off the edge, Uchenna Nwosu had a quiet game rushing the passer with a lone pressure for a 72.0 grade, while Darrell Taylor scored favorably (77.0) thanks to a clutch sack on Mahomes. As for Cody Barton, despite finishing with nine tackles and a quarterback pressure, his failure to get off a block on Kadarius Toney's touchdown catch and a pair of missed tackles provided a similar downgrade for his score (67.0).
In the secondary, Mike Jackson only allowed two catches for 16 yards, but one of them was a touchdown to McKinnon that included a bad missed tackle near the goal line, dropping his grade to 66.0. Slot cornerback Coby Bryant didn't yield a catch on two targets and registered a pair of tackles, earning a 73.0 score.
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