Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in Win vs. Eagles
Bouncing back from a four-game skid in thrilling fashion, the Seattle Seahawks overcame a late deficit thanks to a 92-yard touchdown drive orchestrated by Drew Lock to send the Philadelphia Eagles home with a 20-17 loss on Monday Night Football.
Pulling off a potential season-saving upset in prime time, Seattle had no shortage of stars and unsung heroes who stepped up to beat the defending NFC champions and improve the team's playoff odds as a result. After reviewing All-22 film from Monday's tight contest at Lumen Field, here are my top five grades and other notable performances from Week 15.
Julian Love
Overall Grade: 91.0 (Run Defense 86, Tackling 90, Coverage 96)
Coming off a two-turnover performance against the 49ers, Love continued his playmaking rampage with a pair of sensational clutch interceptions in the fourth quarter off of Jalen Hurts, earning himself NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. With under 10 minutes to play in regulation, after teammate Quandre Diggs alerted him in coverage that the quarterback was taking a shot to Quez Watkins down the seam, he swung his hips open and ran stride for stride with the receiver before inadvertently blocking out the wideout for an interception in the end zone. Then with only 12 seconds remaining, showcasing elite instincts and closing speed, he shot out of his single-high zone responsibility to jump a deep ball to A.J. Brown and demonstrated toe drag swag along the sideline to call game with a highlight reel pick that would make prime Earl Thomas proud.
Away from his heroics tormenting Hurts with a pair of interceptions, Love made a substantial impact as a run defender through Monday's contest as well. Before Hurts dove into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown run on the game's opening series, the veteran defender came in hot off the edge at the goal line to stuff running back D'Andre Swift for no gain. Finishing with eight tackles, two of those plays resulted in three or fewer yards on the ground. In addition, he played sticky coverage on a late 3rd and 7 pass play after Hurts scrambled from sideline to sideline, helping force an incompletion to tight end Dallas Goedert and a punt on the ensuing play. From start to finish, he was simply spectacular in all facets to fuel the upset.
Ken Walker III
Overall Grade: 88.0 (Rushing 89, Receiving 87)
Between an injury that cost him two games and subpar blocking, Walker had been slowed down for the better part of two months and only had rushed for more than 50 yards once since the start of November. But the shifty, powerful back finally broke his slump in a major way, igniting the offense in the second half. Out of halftime, the backfield sparkplug touched the ball on five of the Seahawks nine plays on a 75-yard scoring drive, amassing 54 all-purpose yards. On one of his two receptions, he broke a tackle on a swing route and then made linebacker Shaquille Leonard miss in space, turning a minimal gain into a 15-yard catch and a first down.
Six plays later, Walker cut back against the grain on a zone run to the left and shot past safety Sidney Brown towards the sideline, following lead blocks from Colby Parkinson and Drew Lock for an exhilarating 23-yard touchdown. Away from that spectacular run, he also had a pair of 13-yard runs behind strong blocks on the right side of the offensive line, finishing the evening with three explosive carries while racking up 51 yards after contact and forcing a quintet of missed tackles, frequently turning nothing into significant gains. In the receiving game, he caught all three of his targets for 26 yards and a whopping 46 yards after the catch, managing to coax two more whiffed tackles in the process in an electric performance.
Leonard Williams
Overall Grade: 86.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 92, Pass Rush 78)
Continuing to do damage with his sharpened claws out in attack mode, "Big Cat" Williams dominated in the trenches from start to finish for the Seahawks on Monday night, regularly finding his way into the backfield. Just three plays into action, he shot through the B-gap unimpeded with tackle Lane Jackson barely able to get a fingertip on him on a reach block attempt, swallowing running back D'Andre Swift behind the line for a three-yard loss. Later in the half, he brought down Hurts for minimal two-yard gains on successive plays, only for the Seahawks to fail to capitalize on those efforts by allowing a first down conversion on the ensuing 4th and 4 play.
Following intermission, Williams kept wreaking havoc against a talented Eagles offensive line and flashing his elite instincts at the defensive tackle position. Executing a quality K.J. Wright impression, he promptly read a third quarter screen and blew up Swift immediately after the catch deep in the backfield for a six-yard loss. Down the stretch, the veteran came through with big plays to give Lock a chance for the game winning drive, stopping Swift for no gain on second down and chasing after Hurts to force a third down incompletion and punt. Overall, he finished with five tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback pressures while making several other plays that didn't show up in the box score to anchor the front line in a winning effort.
DK Metcalf
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 88, Run Blocking 58*)
For three quarters, Metcalf couldn't have been more of a non-factor, as he caught just one pass for eight yards before the final 15 minutes. But with the game and potentially the season on the line, the star receiver elevated his game when the Seahawks needed him most down the stretch, taking over on the eventual game-winning drive. With his team in the shadow of their own goal posts at the eight-yard line and needing to drive 92 yards to take the lead, he kick-started the process by snagging a slant route off his shoelaces for an 18-yard gain. Two plays later, he exhibited incredible hand-eye coordination taking a pass away from cornerback James Bradberry and somehow trapping the ball against his left leg for a first down reception.
Moving the Seahawks deep into Eagles territory inside a minute to play, Lock audibled Metcalf from a curl to a fade route and lofted a perfect 34-yard dime into the receiver's hands between two converging defenders. For his part, Metcalf did an excellent job seeing the ball over his shoulders into his hands and maintaining possession through the ground. Despite a slow start, with the majority of his production coming in crunch time, he led the team with 78 yards on five receptions and reeled in three out of four contested catch opportunities, delivering the way perceived top-10 receivers are expected in clutch moments.
Mike Jackson
Overall Grade: 84.0 (Run Defense 80, Tackling 90, Coverage 86)
Thrust back into the starting lineup to replace a slumping Riq Woolen, Jackson made the most of his opportunity with physical play against the run and sticky coverage against Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside. Targeted six times by Hurts, he allowed just two receptions for six yards and produced a pair of pass breakups, including a crucial deflection on Philadelphia's final drive knocking the ball away from Brown on first down. Even when he did give up receptions, he was ready to deliver the boom while giving up two yards after the catch, making sure the receiver knew he would have to pay a price with him in coverage.
Away from his deflections and exquisite coverage, Jackson helped blow up a pair of screens, most notably leveling Smith onto his backside on an attempted block before decking tight end Dallas Goedert for a three-yard loss in the third quarter. As a run defender, he only made one tackle and did allow Swift to get outside of his contain on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter, but he didn't make any other significant mistakes and finished without a missed tackle, a clear improvement given Woolen's issues failing to wrap up ball carriers this season. While coach Pete Carroll was non-committal about who would start in Tennessee, the former Miami standout earned another start with lockdown play on Monday.
Other Notable Performances
Easily playing his best game since returning from injury, tackle Abraham Lucas only allowed one pressure in pass protection and dished out multiple key blocks to spring Walker on big runs, receiving a season-best 83.0 grade. Though he only had 208 passing yards and most of that production came on the game-winning drive, Lock played crisp football under center completing 66 percent of his passes and most importantly didn't turn the ball over, earning an 82.0 score. Enjoying another strong outing, tackle Charles Cross was equally sharp in comparison to Lucas protecting Lock, yielding just one pressure to earn an 81.0 grade. Snagging the game-winning catch as well as a key third down throw that led to Seattle's first points, Jaxon Smith-Njigba had one of his strongest games as a rookie with 48 yards and four receptions on four targets for an 80.0 overall grade. Dropping a catchable third down throw in the third quarter and held under 30 receiving yards, Tyler Lockett wasn't much of a factor on Monday, receiving a 70.0 score. Up front, guard Anthony Bradford found success in the run game but had another tough outing dealing with Jalen Carter as a pass protector, allowing five pressures and a sack for a 69.0 score.
Playing one of his best games of the season, safety Quandre Diggs narrowly missed out on his first top-five score of 2023 with seven tackles and a pair of key run stops for an 81.0 overall grade. At the slot cornerback position, Artie Burns filled in for Devon Witherspoon admirably, recording a swatted pass and allowing just two catches for five yards to earn a 79.0 grade. Though he wasn't able to get any hits on Hurts, Boye Mafe had an active game with five quarterback pressures, a batted ball, and one run stop netting no yards for a 77.5 overall mark. Dre'Mont Jones created consistent pressure on Hurts, but none of those plays turned into hits and two illegal hands to the face penalties lowered his score to 73.0. At linebacker, Bobby Wagner racked up 12 tackles and only allowed one catch in coverage, but his numbers were inflated with just one non-quarterback sneak tackle netting five or fewer yards for a 72.0 score. As for Jordyn Brooks, he denied Swift on a deep ball in coverage and had seven combined tackles, but he missed two tackles to lower his grade to 71.0. Outside linebackers Darrell Taylor, Derick Hall, and Frank Clark didn't offer much off the edge, combining for two tackles and one pressure while each getting sub-70.0 grades.
