Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 28-16 Loss to 49ers
Losing their fifth game in six tries and falling further out of playoff contention with a 6-7 record, the Seattle Seahawks weren't able to build off an early lead and dropped a 28-16 rematch against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Despite losing their fifth straight game to a bitter NFC West rival and allowing over 500 yards to the 49ers, the Seahawks still had several players who stood out with quality outings on the road at Levis Stadium. Here are my weekly top five grades and other notable performances from Week 14.
Leonard Williams
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Run Defense 84, Tackling 87, Pass Rush 92)
While Seattle has won only once in six games since acquiring Williams from the New York Giants at the trade deadline, the veteran defensive tackle has been a consistent bright spot in the trenches and turned in another dominant outing against San Francisco. Holding serve against single blocks and double teams alike and consistently penetrating into the backfield, he produced a trio of run stops that netted two or fewer yards, including stuffing Christian McCaffrey on two different occasions on an afternoon where he otherwise ran wild.
Williams also wrought destruction as an interior pass rusher throughout Sunday's game, posting a game-high four quarterback hits and leading the Seahawks with four pressures. Midway through the second quarter, he beat right guard Aaron Banks with a powerful rip move inside and hit Brock Purdy as he threw, causing a wobbly incompletion. Shortly after halftime, he registered hits on Purdy on back-to-back plays, first nailing the quarterback on a short dump off pass and then devouring him on a successful stunt for a third down sack as Purdy tried to avoid a blitzing Bobby Wagner by climbing the pocket.
Tyler Lockett
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 88, Run Blocking 68*)
*Weighted for 13 run blocking reps
Producing one of his best performances of the season, the savvy Lockett demonstrated his route running prowess and quickness consistently finding openings in coverage against a stingy 49ers defense. On the Seahawks opening drive, he came open on a quick out route and Drew Lock hit him in stride with pressure in his face for a nine-yard gain to move the chains on 3rd and 6, setting up a touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on the ensuing play. With Lock escaping the pocket and allowing the receiver time to improvise his route, he would later add a 16-yard catch on 3rd and 8, moving the chains for both of the team's third down conversions in the contest.
On his way to 89 receiving yards, Lockett caught all six targets thrown his direction by Lock, exhibiting the efficiency that has long characterized his illustrious career. Averaging nearly 15 yards per catch, he hauled in a 20-yard reception to kick start a drive midway through the second quarter and later registered a 24-yard catch on a deep out route to erase a 1st and 19 situation after a holding penalty, finally coming through with some explosive plays after being quiet on that front by his standards for most of the season.
Jarran Reed
Overall Grade: 82.5 (Run Defense 80, Tackling 84, Pass Rush 80)
San Francisco found great success running the football outside with McCaffrey on Sunday, but when they tried running between the tackles, Reed proved quite difficult to block and made his presence felt. Starting with teaming up with Williams to throw down McCaffrey for a one-yard gain on the first play of the 49ers second possession, the veteran defensive tackle registered a trio of run stops netting three or fewer yards, consistently creating problems for the opposing interior offensive line with his power and ability to shed blocks at the point of attack.
Like Williams, Reed also made his mark going quarterback hunting, registering his sixth sack of the season. Working against center Jake Brendel in the second quarter, he executed a perfect swim move off the snap to leave the blocker lunging for air and collapsed the pocket quickly on Purdy, who was left as a sitting duck after a play fake out of shotgun. Along with adding a second pressure on Purdy, Reed's dirty work absorbing a pair of blockers on a stunt eventually opened up Williams for his sack as the two continued to form a formidable starting duo.
Charles Cross
Overall Grade: 81.0 (Pass Blocking 79, Run Blocking 83)
Facing one of the toughest defensive lines in the league for the second time in three weeks, Cross wasn't perfect against the 49ers, including giving up a sack and four pressures in pass protection. But considering the opponent, the second-year tackle won plenty of individual battles working against Nick Bosa and Chase Young, allowing Lock to stay relatively clean for most of the first three quarters. For the game, only one defender across from him managed to get to the quarterback for a hit, a sign of progress against a formidable opponent.
Where Cross interestingly made his greatest contributions on Sunday, however, was helping anchor the run game. The Seahawks were able to get the athletic blocker out into space a few times and he took advantage of those chances, including dishing out a key block to spring Zach Charbonnet for a 23-yard run on a toss sweep in the first quarter. While the middle of the offensive line was overwhelmed most of the game and allowed quick penetration to blow up several run plays before they could get started, Cross had a clean day in the run blocking department and continues to develop in that aspect of his game.
Zach Charbonnet
Overall Grade: 80.0 (Rushing 82, Receiving 78, Pass Protection 78*)
*Weighted for four pass protection reps.
Continuing to be a victim of circumstance, Charbonnet had three carries where he was ambushed in the backfield and lost at least three yards, which played a key role in Seattle's struggles staying on schedule and converting just two out of 11 third downs. But when the offensive line didn't transform into a turnstile and actually provided a bit of blocking for the rookie to work with, he generated two of the team's biggest plays on successive snaps while showcasing his diverse skill set. Setting up a Jason Myers field goal, he first made linebacker Dre Greenlaw miss in space and darted outside for a 23-yard run. He picked up 23 yards again on the next play, taking a pitch from Lock and using blocks by Cross and receiver Dareke Young to help spring him free down the sideline.
Overall, Charbonnet racked up 35 yards after contact, which attributed to roughly 80 percent of his yards on the ground behind shoddy blocking. The powerful back forced five missed tackles, leaving tacklers grasping for air and punishing defenders to fall forward for extra yardage when he had the chance to get to full speed. He also made a couple nice blocks in pass protection, including halting Greenwall on a blitz in the second half to give Lock enough room to roll out to his right and hit Lockett in stride for a first down.
Other Notable Performances
Metcalf got off to a torrid start catching a pair of passes for 52 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive, but he didn't catch any of his other three targets and registered a drop before being ejected late, leading to a 79.0 grade. Making his first start in nearly two years, Lock completed 71 percent of his passes and tossed a pair of touchdowns while flashing underrated pocket movement skills, only for a pair of interceptions to lower his score down to 76.0. Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson each pitched in 20-plus yard receptions, including the latter scoring a third quarter touchdown on a double fake screen, with each player receiving 77.0 and 75.0 grades respectively. In the trenches, Bradford endured arguably his worst game thus far, yielding five quarterback pressures and whiffing several times as a run blocker for a 63.0 grade. Abraham Lucas also had a stressful afternoon dealing with Bosa, Young, and Randy Gregory, yielding five pressures and a sack for a 67.0 score.
Just missing a top five grade for the first time this season, Dre'Mont Jones registered a sack and two pressures while playing respectable run defense for a 79.5 score. Safety Julian Love had the ultimate mixed bag performance, generating an interception and a forced fumble while also getting toasted by George Kittle for a 45-yard touchdown, netting him a 76.0 overall mark. Prior to exiting with an injury, Devon Witherspoon got off to a quick start with a pass breakup, receiving a 76.0 with limited snaps. None of Seattle's edge defenders fared well on Sunday, as Boye Mafe had just one pressure and three tackles and the duo of Derick Hall combined for one tackle and one pressure, with each scoring below a 70.0. In the secondary, Riq Woolen tied for a team-high with three missed tackles but only gave up 26 receiving yards for a 71.0 grade. Safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams had rough performances, with Diggs missing a tackle and allowing 40 receiving yards on two catches and Adams missing tackles and allowing a 54-yard touchdown to Deebo Samuel. The two veteran defenders earned 60.0 and 48.5 grades respectively.
