Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 37-31 OT Win at Lions
Finding a way to finish the deal after blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead, Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks walked it off in overtime thanks to a six-yard touchdown catch from Tyler Lockett to earn a hard-fought 37-31 road win over the Detroit Lions.
On the way to their first victory of the season, several players starred on both sides of the football, helping the Seahawks overcome a halftime deficit and silence a roaring Ford Field crowd. Looking back at the thrilling contest, here are my top five grades for Week 2 along with other notable performances.
Geno Smith
Overall Grade: 88.5 (Passing 93, Rushing 84)
Quickly putting a poor performance by his standards in the season opener behind him, Smith came out on a mission on Sunday, marching the Seahawks down the field on the game's opening drive while completing all five of his passes for 58 yards before Ken Walker III punched it in from a yard out for a touchdown. After completing 16 out of 20 passes for 159 yards in the first two quarters, the veteran quarterback played his best football down the stretch.
Completing 10 out of 13 passes in the fourth quarter and overtime for 103 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Tyler Lockett, he posted a gaudy 138.8 passer rating and added 17 rushing yards on a pair of scrambles for good measure. Finishing with 328 passing yards, he hooked up with nine different receivers, spreading the wealth to wideouts, tight ends, and running backs. If not for an ugly sack taken late in the fourth quarter and a near-pick six in the second quarter at the goal line, he would have played a near-flawless game leading Seattle to victory.
Tyler Lockett
Overall Grade: 88.0 (Receiving 92, Run Blocking 70)
*Weighted for 17 run blocking snaps
In terms of receptions and yardage, Lockett didn't have one of his most prolific outings finishing with under 60 yards for the second straight week. However, the crafty veteran made his mark in critical situations from start to finish, turning six of his eight receptions into either first downs or touchdowns primarily doing his damage in the quick strike passing game.
As he has done to opponents for nearly a decade, Lockett leaked across the end zone on a crosser away from a bootleg by Smith, seeing in a beautiful throw lofted over his shoulder while managing to acrobatically keep both feet inbounds to give the Seahawks a 24-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. Then, with the game on the line and Seattle in the red zone in overtime, he came open on a quick out route, caught the football from a rolling out Smith, and extended his arms to reach the football to the inside corner of the pylon for the game-winning score.
Tre Brown
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Coverage 85, Pass Rush 90, Run Defense 86, Tackling 88)
Despite returning to the bench with first-round pick Devon Witherspoon thrust into the starting lineup in his place, Brown remained ready to play and turned in the best performance of his young NFL career after replacing an injured Riq Woolen on the right side in the first half. "Big Play Tre" first forced a fumble on the final play of the first half after a catch by Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The former Oklahoma standout continued to create game-changing plays in the second half, registering Seattle's first sack of the season on a cornerback blitz and returning a 40-yard pick-six against Jared Goff on the very next play to extend the lead to 31-21 with under 10 minutes left to play. Though he did give up a touchdown on a slant to Josh Reynolds towards the tail end of regulation to help Detroit tie the game, he easily stood out as the Seahawks best defender in Sunday's win with two turnovers, a sack, and a pass breakup.
Jake Curhan
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Pass Blocking 87, Run Blocking 83)
Silencing doubters after struggling in relief duty for Abraham Lucas at right tackle a week ago, Curhan held his own in pass protection against Lions star Aidan Hutchinson, preventing the former top-five pick from getting a single hit on Smith during the entire game. While he may have gotten away with a hold on Lockett's game-winning touchdown reception and coordinator Shane Waldron provided help for him at times from tight ends and running backs, he stayed in front of Hutchinson and his pass rushing cohorts most of the afternoon, allowing just three quarterback pressures in regulation and overtime on 41 pass blocking snaps. He also made a crucial block on a 4th and 1 run by Walker III in the third quarter in Seattle territory, creating push off the line of scrimmage for the back to plow forward behind for a three-yard gain and a new set of downs.
Will Dissly
Overall Grade: 83.0 (Receiving 88, Run Blocking 80, Pass Blocking 78)
For a second straight week, while Dissly finished fifth in receptions and receiving yards for the Seahawks, his contributions in the passing game keyed two touchdown drives and a field goal drive. Continuing to be Mr. Automatic when Smith throws his direction, he caught all three of his targets for 35 yards, picking up a pair of first downs and leading the team with 28 yards after the catch.
Leading the Seahawks with 28 yards after the catch, Will Dissly keeps finding ways to break tackles and do damage with the ball in his hands in the short-to-intermediate passing game.
Standing out as his most notable highlight of the day, the fifth-year tight end threw a nasty stiff arm to shrug off a defender shortly after catching a ball in the flats in the third quarter and turned the play into a 16-yard gain into the red zone. Playing the role of a sixth offensive lineman, Dissly also provided support for Curhan in pass protection against Hutchinson on several occasions with chip blocks while helping spring Walker and Ken Charbonnet on their two longest runs.
Other Notable Performances
Nearly equaling Curhan, Stone Forsythe exceeded expectations filling in for Charles Cross, yielding three pressures to earn an 82.5 overall grade. Showing off his toughness playing through a ribs injury, DK Metcalf reeled in several contested catches for a team-best 75 yards to earn an 82.0 score. In the interior, guards Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes combined to allow a single pressure on Smith and though both players had up-and-down showings in the run game, they each received season-best 80.0 grades. Stretching the field with a 31-yard catch in the first half, Noah Fant finished with Seattle's third-best receiving grade (87) and a solid 80.5 overall mark. Walker III made the most of limited running room on Sunday, forcing five missed tackles, generating 42 yards after contact, and turning his only catch into an 11-yard gain for a 78.5 overall grade.
Narrowly missing out a top-five grade, Uchenna Nwosu forced a key fumble early in the third quarter and found his footing as a rusher in the second half, turning the heat up on Goff to lead to Brown's pick six as one of three pressures to help receive an 82.0 score. In the interior, Dre'Mont Jones had a bit of a coming out party following a quiet debut, drawing a hold late in the first half after running over a blocker and later generating his first sack as a Seahawk for an 81.0 grade. Once again excelling against the run, Bobby Wagner produced a trio of tackles netting one or fewer yards bringing down Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, receiving an 80.5 mark. Turning in a mixed bag in his pro debut, Witherspoon got baited on a flea flicker for a 32-yard touchdown, but he also made a pass breakup on a fourth down stop and had tight coverage on Detroit's other missed fourth down opportunity, receiving a 75.0 score. Goff found success targeting safety Julian Love, who allowed seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown to Josh Reynolds and left a pair of tackles on the field for a 66.5 grade.
