Report Card: Seahawks' Top Performers in Win vs. Jets
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Staving off playoff elimination and snapping a three-game losing streak, the Seattle Seahawks handled business against the New York Jets in a convincing 23-6 home win on Sunday, giving themselves a shot at clinching the NFC's final wild card in Week 18.
Which players shined on both sides of the football in Seattle's season-saving victory over Gang Green? Here are my five top grades and other notable performances from Lumen Field in Week 17.
DE Darrell Taylor
Overall Grade: 90.0 (Pass Rush 96, Tackling 92, Run Defense 80, Coverage 85*)
*Weighted for one coverage snap
Playing with a renewed sense of confidence after a slow start to the season, the Jets didn't have any answers for containing the speedy Taylor off the edge as he enthusiastically took on the role of game wrecker hunting quarterback Mike White. Midway through the second quarter, he shot out of a cannon past right tackle George Fant with a perfectly timed jump at the snap, flying around the corner for a split sack to force New York to settle for a 44-yard field goal.
Later in the second quarter, he used a quick, effective hesitation step to beat former teammate Duane Brown from wide-9 alignment and chased down White for a strip sack to close out the half. Capping off an utterly dominant performance, he played with maximum effort pursuing and wrestling the quarterback to the ground on the final play of the game, finishing with a career-high 2.5 sacks, a whopping eight quarterback pressures, and a swatted pass on 34 pass rushing reps.
RB DeeJay Dallas
Overall Grade: 88.0 (Rushing 86, Receiving 92, Pass Blocking 80*)
*Weighted for four pass blocking reps
Rightfully called Seattle's MVP for the game by coach Pete Carroll on Monday, Dallas continued to prove his value as a do-it-all reserve on offense complementing Ken Walker III against the Jets. Showing off his receiving chops, he turned on the accelerators after catching a crafty shovel pass from Geno Smith late in the first quarter and found nothing but green in front of him for a 41-yard gain down to the Jets seven-yard line, setting up a Tyler Mabry touchdown catch two plays later.
Running like a stack of bricks on wheels, 31 of his 43 rushing yards came after contact as he forced four missed tackles by New York defenders, including emulating former teammate Chris Carson on a power spin out of a tackle on a 17-yard run in the second half. Averaging over six yards per carry and leading the team with 55 receiving yards on two receptions, Dallas made impact plays out of the backfield all afternoon and added a dose of brutal physicality to Seattle's ground game.
RB Ken Walker III
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Rushing 90, Receiving 86, Pass Blocking 78*)
*Weighted for one pass blocking rep
While Dallas shined in a secondary role, Walker continued his exceptional rookie season by turning in arguably his most impressive performance against a top-five Jets defense. Starting Sunday's game with a bang, the dynamic runner cut back on an inside zone run behind blocks from tight ends Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson, exploding through a massive crease and quickly sprinting down the sideline for a 60-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. Fueled by that long run, Walker nearly hit the 100-yard mark at halftime while averaging nearly eight yards per carry.
Though his production dipped a bit in the second half as a runner, he put his elusiveness and tackle breaking ability on display on his lone reception, making a defender miss in space with a spin move to turn a minimal gain into nine yards and a first down. Running with better decisiveness between the tackles with the exception of a failed fourth down run, he racked up 133 rushing yards on a workmanlike 23 carries to pace the Seahawks offense.
DE Quinton Jefferson
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Pass Rush 88, Tackling 88, Run Defense 82)
When edge rushers find success pressuring quarterbacks, success for interior rushers often follows and with Taylor wreaking havoc against the Jets tackles, Jefferson also feasted from the inside. Following up a decent outing against the Chiefs one week earlier, the veteran defensive tackle joined forces with Taylor to help bring down White on a pivotal third down split sack in the second quarter.
Later in the contest, with Seattle in complete control up three scores early in the fourth quarter, he deployed a power spin to slip past his blocker and made his way to White again, this time getting credited with a full sack. On the ensuing fourth down play, he beat his blocker with a quick first step coupled with a rip move and hit White as he threw, forcing an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs. Flashing his non-pass rushing chops, he also exhibited outstanding effort tracking down a screen to team up with cornerback Mike Jackson for a tackle for loss.
TE Colby Parkinson
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 80)
Stepping up with teammate Will Dissly sidelined for the rest of the season, Parkinson enjoyed the best all-around game of his three-year NFL career on Sunday, making an impact in unexpected ways. Not known for his blocking prowess, he helped spring Walker on his 60-yard run with a key block sealing a linebacker outside on the first play from scrimmage.
But his best block came on a designed quarterback keeper by Geno Smith as he pancaked defensive end Carl Lawson into the Lumen Field turf to help his teammate pick up a first down. Parkinson wasn't just doing the dirty work as a blocker, however. He scored the first points of the game battling through physical coverage from safety Lamarcus Joyner to come open on a corner route and catch a 12-yard touchdown from Smith less than 90 seconds into regulation. He would later add a key first down reception on 3rd and 1, finishing with a career-high five catches for 36 yards while leaving his imprint on the contest in a number of ways.
Other Notable Performances
Narrowly missing out on a top five spot of his own, Noah Fant made several key blocks in the run game and also caught a 29-yard reception, earning an 83.5 grade. Only playing three offensive snaps, Tyler Mabry made the most of his opportunity with a seven-yard touchdown and an 82.0 grade. Under center, Geno Smith had a few questionable throws get away from him, but he didn't turn the ball over and threw two touchdowns against a stingy defense, receiving an 81.0 overall mark.
In the trenches, Damien Lewis stood out as a rare bright spot in pass protection, allowing only a single pressure to top the offensive line with a 76.0 score. Both Charles Cross and Stone Forsythe struggled keeping pass rushers away from Smith, allowing eight combined pressures, though Cross did levy a pair of key run blocks in the game to salvage a 70.0 grade.
Receiver DK Metcalf endured one of the toughest games of his career, dropping a perfectly thrown go ball from Smith and finishing with just one catch for three yards to receive a 55.0 grade. On the flip side, Laquon Treadwell earned the highest score (77.0) among receivers with two key third down conversions.
If not for a missed tackle that led to a big run in the first half, safety Quandre Diggs may have snuck into the top five (83.0 grade) thanks to a fantastic interception against White that led to a Jason Myers field goal. Continuing to improve each week, defensive tackle Myles Adams also made a push for a top spot (82.0 grade), registering several impressive run stops, including splitting a double team to stuff Ty Johnson on a counter.
Filling in admirably for Jordyn Brooks at middle linebacker, Tanner Muse narrowly missed out on a pick six and allowed just one catch for four yards on three targets in coverage, earning an 81.0 overall mark. Next to him, Cody Barton scored similarly (80.5) after blowing up a pair of screens and recording a pair of tackles in the backfield. Disruptive from the interior without the sack numbers of Jefferson, Poona Ford recorded five pressures, using a strong pass rushing day to receive a 79.0 score.
Cornerback Tariq Woolen registered a pass breakup and allowed only 42 yards on five receptions, but three missed tackles dropped his grade to 71.0 overall, while Mike Jackson also missed a pair of tackles while picking off his first pass of the season for a 76.0 score.
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