Seattle Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in Loss to Los Angeles Rams
Failing to finish after leading the game throughout the first three-plus quarters, the Seattle Seahawks squandered an opportunity to stay atop the NFC West in a gut-wrenching 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Though Seattle fell to 6-4 behind a lethargic second half performance on offense, several players still starred on both sides of the football in a game that the team should not have lost. Reporter Corbin Smith dishes out his top five grades and other notable performances from Sunday's defeat at Sofi Stadium.
Geno Smith
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Passing 87)
An elbow injury suffered on a big hit from Aaron Donald in the third quarter prevented Smith from turning in what could have been one of his best performances of the season. Starting out red-hot, he completed seven of eight passes for 50 yards on Seattle's opening drive, including a pair of difficult third down completions to move the chains to Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, before culminating the drive with an eight-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf. He completed 13 out of 18 passes for 150 yards and a 115.5 passer rating in the first two quarters, numbers that could have been even better if not for Smith-Njigba not getting his feet down inbounds on a beautiful deep ball and Metcalf having a first down pass bounce of his chest.
Before Smith exited midway through the third quarter, his stat line continued to be negatively impacted by his receivers, as Will Dissly dropped a first down throw on the opening possession of the third quarter. He did make a pair of errant throws later in the quarter that nearly were intercepted, but in his defense, he was under heavy duress at that point. After icing his elbow/tricep and missing three drives, he demonstrated impressive toughness returning for the final possession, delivering a pair of first down throws to Metcalf and Lockett to put Jason Myers in position to win the game on a field goal. He wrapped up with 22 completions for 233 yards and a touchdown in a strong effort in defeat.
Charles Cross
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Pass Blocking 92, Run Blocking 82)
The Seahawks weren't able to keep Smith clean in the second half with Donald wreaking havoc and blitzes getting home, but Cross wasn't part of the problem protecting the blind side. In fact, the second-year tackle played arguably his best all-around game as a pro, giving up zero pressures on 41 pass protection reps and keeping edge rushers such as Byron Young away from his quarterback. He thwarted speed rushes with his swift footwork and also set a firm anchor on several occasions against bull rush attempts, allowing Smith to unload the ball with great success in the first half and the closing drive of the game.
As a run blocker, Cross didn't get many opportunities with the Seahawks running most of the time behind the right side of the offensive line and only rushing the ball five times in the second half total. With that said, he made a nice block off the edge against Young to spring Ken Walker III on a six-yard run on the opening scoring drive and also delivered a quality second level block on linebacker Ernest Jones for Zach Charbonnet to pick up 11 yards on his longest run of the day early in the second quarter. Overall, he had a dominant performance that went unnoticed with the rest of the line enduring some issues in L.A.
Devon Witherspoon
Overall Grade: 85.5 (Run Defense 78, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 88, Coverage 86)
If not for a few questionable penalties, Witherspoon might have taken the top spot for the Seahawks once again. But the aggressive rookie cornerback did get flagged for executing a WWE-style suplex tackle early in the fourth quarter and whether the call was the right one or not, his defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone later in the quarter gave the Rams a new set of downs to score a touchdown two plays later. Taking those plays out of the equation, however, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner continued to light it up, starting with a sack on a slot blitz just two plays into the game. Working off Tyler Higbee's block, he corralled Matthew Stafford after he stepped up in the pocket for his third sack of the season.
Finishing third on the team with eight combined tackles, Witherspoon made a pair of third down stops that forced punts by the Rams, including tripping up Darrell Henderson on a running back screen for a minimal gain. He also registered a pass breakup in the third quarter, nearly hauling in an interception after jumping a route by Puka Nacua across the middle on third down to force yet another punt. Coming through with impact plays in all three phases, the top-five pick continues to live up to his billing as a game changing talent.
DK Metcalf
Overall Grade: 84.0 (Receiving 86, Run Blocking 78*)
*Weighted for 10 run blocking reps
Although Metcalf did have a drop on a first down throw from Smith early in the second quarter, the miscue ultimately didn't hurt the team as they moved the chains a couple plays later. With the exception of that missed opportunity, the fifth-year receiver led the charge for Seattle's passing attack, spearheading the opening scoring drive with a pair of catches and finding the end zone for his third touchdown of the season. Later in the half, he came open on an inside vertical release and Smith hit him in stride for a 53-yard gain, showing burst that wasn't as evident while nursing a hip injury earlier in the season.
After halftime, Metcalf only caught two passes, but the second one proved to be a massive one as he reeled in a 21-yard pass from Smith in between three oncoming defenders, hanging onto the football on the post route while taking a big hit over the middle. The reception moved Seattle into opposing territory and the tail end of Jason Myers' field goal range, setting his team up for a chance to win. Finishing with over 90 yards receiving for a second straight game, he looks to be hitting his stride heading into the toughest stretch on the team's schedule.
Riq Woolen
Overall Grade: 82.0 (Run Defense 76, Tackling 78, Coverage 92)
Like Witherspoon, Woolen had a devastating penalty called against him on one of the Rams two fourth quarter scoring drives as he was nailed for illegal use of hands on a 3rd and 15 incompletion, extending the game-winning drive with a new set of downs. He also left a pair of tackles on the field, continuing to struggle with consistency bringing down ball carriers. With that said, made two tackles on third downs that led to punts and played locked down coverage all afternoon, allowing just two catches on four targets with his one blemish being a 32-yard reception by Nacua in the fourth quarter.
Among his highlighted contributions, Woolen used his elite speed to catch up with receiver Austin Trammell on a fourth quarter flea flicker, reeling in his second interception of the season on a slightly underthrown ball by Stafford. Later in the quarter, moments after his unfortunate penalty, he got his hand on a second down throw to Nacua for a pass breakup in the red zone, stopping the clock inside two minutes to play and saving the Seahawks time by not having to burn their third timeout. Stafford posted a 45.8 passer rating when targeting the second-year cornerback, who has started to play like his rookie self the past two weeks.
Other Noteworthy Performances
Gutting through a hamstring injury that caused him to miss practice all week, Lockett quietly had a productive game with five receptions for 51 yards, receiving an 81.0 grade. Smith-Njigba couldn't get both feet down on a potential 23-yard catch and also had a mix-up with Lock on a third quarter throw, but he still registered three catches for 40 yards and two first downs to earn a 79.0 score. Logging a season-high 15 carries, Charbonnet did the most he could with mostly sub-optimal blocking, racking up 31 of his 47 yards after contact and forcing two missed tackles for a 78.0 score. None of Seattle's tight ends fared well on Sunday, with Dissly dropping his only target, Colby Parkinson registering more holding penalties than receptions, and Fant being a non-factor, as all three players received grades under 68.0 overall. Guard play was problematic for the Seahawks with Damien Lewis surrendering three pressures and a quarterback hit and Phil Haynes giving up the hit that led to Smith's injury, as the two players received 71.0 and 68.5 grades respectively.
Dealing with an injury in the second half, Jarran Reed quietly turned in another quality performance with three tackles, a quarterback hit, and a pass deflection, earning an 80.0 overall mark. Boye Mafe's streak of recording a sack in seven straight games was snapped on Sunday and he didn't make a single tackle, but he led the team with four pressures and one of those led to Witherspoon's sack, netting him a respectable 79.0 grade. Allowing a touchdown in the second quarter hurt Tre Brown's score a bit, but he still had a strong game overall with a fourth down pass breakup in the end zone and a tackle for loss defending the run, receiving a 78.0 score. Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks had difficult afternoons in coverage, with Wagner allowing three catches for 45 yards and Brooks struggling to get off blocks on a pair of big screen plays, earning 73.0 and 70.0 grades respectively.
