Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 37-27 Win vs. Panthers
Giving their boisterous fans plenty to cheer about while celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their Super Bowl XLVIII winning squad, the Seattle Seahawks exploded with 25 second half points to earn a 37-27 win over the Carolina Panthers at Lumen Field.
Which players shined brightest in Seattle's first home victory of the season as the team improved to 2-1 in the standings? Here are my top five performers and other notable performances from a winning Week 3 effort:
Devon Witherspoon
Overall Grade: 89.0 (Coverage 88, Run Defense 92, Tackling 90)
Even with Riq Woolen sidelined by an injury, Andy Dalton wasn't scared to go after Witherspoon, targeting him a whopping 13 times in coverage. But while Carolina's veteran signal caller found success elsewhere, throwing at the top-five pick proved to be a mostly futile experience, as the aggressive defensive back allowed only five receptions for 31 yards and generated a pair of pass breakups. That number could have been even bigger if not for a debatable pass interference penalty that drew the ire of coach Pete Carroll during and after the game.
Additionally, Witherspoon demonstrated his physicality and tackling prowess as a run defender, finishing with a team-high 11 tackles and dishing out punishment on several big hits along the sideline. This included chasing down Miles Sanders for a one-yard gain and stuffing Laviska Shenault after the catch for no gain at the line of scrimmage in an impressive second start.
Jarran Reed
Overall Grade: 87.5 (Run Defense 86, Pass Rush 92, Tackling 88)
Continuing his career resurgence back in Seattle, Reed battled through a groin strain to turn in arguably the most dominant all-around effort in his eight year NFL career, stuffing the stat sheet with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pass deflection. On Carolina's opening drive, he produced three run stops, including halting Sanders for no gain to eventually hold the opposition to a field goal. Later in the first quarter, he teamed up with linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who came on an A-gap blitz, to meet Dalton in the backfield for a partial sack and force a Panthers punt.
Time and time again, Reed came through with critical pressures on Dalton and finished with three quarterback hits. Late in the second quarter, he smacked the veteran signal caller on a third down throw, forcing an incompletion that led to another Panthers field goal. Then in the fourth quarter, with the Seahawks up by nine, he rocketed his way into the backfield on a crucial fourth down conversion attempt to sack Dalton again, paying homage to Michael Bennett with a hip/thrust celebration after forcing the turnover on downs.
Boye Mafe
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Run Defense 82, Pass Rush 90, Tackling 86)
Back in the starting lineup after sitting out a week with a knee injury, Mafe also made life difficult for Dalton from the outset rushing off the edge. Thwarting a promising first drive for the Panthers after they advanced the ball deep into Seahawks territory, he shrugged off a chip block attempt by receiver Adam Thielen and took a straight beeline to the quarterback for an 11-yard sack on a 2nd and 5 play action pass, leading to a field goal a few plays later.
While Mafe had a quiet day by his standards defending the run and finished with only one tackle, he was a frequent disruptor in the pass rushing game, setting career-highs with seven pressures and three quarterback hits. Along with speeding Dalton up on multiple occasions flying off the edge, he forced a third quarter incompletion whacking the quarterback in the pocket on a check down throw to Sanders. For the day, he posted a splendid 15 percent pressure rate as one of the key cogs doing damage in the backfield harassing Dalton.
DK Metcalf
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 74)
Battling through a rib injury suffered one week earlier, Metcalf sparked Seattle's passing game early, racking up four receptions for 95 yards before halftime. After a punt on the first series, he reeled in a 20-yard catch from Geno Smith to push the Seahawks into Panthers territory for the first time, setting up a Jason Myers field goal. Striking with a big play again on the ensuing possession, Smith connected with Metcalf on a 34-yard hookup down to the opposing 15-yard line, again positioning Myers for a field goal.
Towards the tail end of the second quarter, Metcalf came through again with a pair of explosive receptions, snagging 19 and 20-yard catches to move the chains twice as the Seahawks advanced into the red zone again. Unfortunately, they couldn't cash in with a touchdown before the half and Myers split the uprights again. The fifth-year receiver only made one catch after halftime, but his contributions generating chunk plays in the passing game kept Seattle's scuffling offense afloat before the team found a rhythm in the second half and he posted his best receiving output since last December.
Ken Walker III
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Rushing 87, Receiving 90, Pass Blocking 75)
Rebounding nicely after being limited to 43 rushing yards by the Lions in Week 2, Walker nearly hit the 100-yard mark for the first time despite running behind an offensive line missing three starters. Early in the game, the electric back didn't have much to work with, but he found ways to create big plays with his elusiveness and ability to make defenders miss. Early in the second quarter, after juking and spinning his way through the teeth of the defense for a nine-yard run on the previous play, he left cornerback Troy Hill in the dust with a filthy jump cut before exploding outside towards the sideline and accelerating for a 36-yard run.
After halftime, Walker keyed the Seahawks second half surge as both a runner and receiver. Along with finding the end zone twice with red zone touchdown runs, he caught a trio of passes for 59 yards, including a 36-yard reception on a fade route lined up as the outside receiver in the third quarter. Moments later, he punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out to extend the lead to 22-13. Finishing with over 150 all-purpose yards, he forced five missed tackles and generated nearly 60 yards after contact, proving to be a force to reckon with out of the backfield.
Other Notable Performances
Throwing an ugly interception and hovering barely above a 50 percent completion rate in the first half, Smith bounced back nicely with a near-perfect effort in the final two quarters competing 12 out of 13 pass attempts with a touchdown to Jake Bobo, earning a steady 82.5 grade. Complementing Walker with plenty of pop behind his pads, Zach Charbonnet produced a trio of 10-plus yard rushes and eclipsed 30 yards after contact on just nine carries for an 82.0 overall score. Making two uncharacteristic drops, Tyler Lockett only reeled in three out of seven targets and received a season-low 73.5 grade. Along the offensive line, Anthony Bradford fared well in his first NFL start, giving up no pressures and delivering a key block on one of Walker's touchdown runs for a line-high 80.5 grade. At the tackle spots, Stone Forsythe (69.0) and Jake Curhan (72.0) took a step back in pass protection giving up six and five pressures respectively.
Powering up against a struggling Carolina interior offensive line, Mario Edwards just missed making the top five grades after racking up eight quarterback pressures and three hits on Dalton, earning an 84.0 grade. In the secondary, while he had a bad missed tackle on a touchdown by DJ Chark, Julian Love turned in his best game as a Seahawk thus far with two pass breakups and only two receptions allowed for 13 yards, earning an 81.5 grade. Flying all over the field making plays, linebacker Jordyn Brooks had a fine performance with eight tackles, a sack, and three pressures to receive an 80.0 grade. Filling in for an injured Tre Brown midway through the game, Mike Jackson allowed five receptions for 56 yards but also produced a pass breakup, earning a respectable 77.0 grade. In the slot, Artie Burns had a mixed effort with 10 receptions allowed, 63 yards allowed after the catch, and a pass breakup for a 72.5 grade.
