Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 21-13 Prime Time Loss to 49ers
Continuing their free fall out of playoff contention, the Seahawks made too many critical mistakes against a talented 49ers squad and suffered their third straight home defeat in a 21-13 loss at Lumen Field on Thursday Night Football.
While Seattle now finds itself at 7-7 and a game behind Washington for the final wild card spot with three games left to play, several players still shined on both sides of the football in prime time. Here's a look at my top five grades and other notable performances from a tough Week 15 defeat.
Ryan Neal
Overall Grade: 85.5 (Run Defense 88, Tackling 78, Coverage 90)
Considering the plethora of injuries Neal has been battling through in the second half of the season, it's remarkable how well the veteran safety continues to play at well below 100 percent health. While he did miss an open field tackle on Jordan Mason's 54-yard run that put the nail in the Seahawks coffin late in the fourth quarter, he played a near flawless game up to that point. On the 49ers opening series, he quickly wrapped up Christian McCaffrey at the catch point on third down and threw him to the ground a yard short of the marker, forcing an early three-and-out. Later in the half, after initially being beat by George Kittle, he recovered on the corner route and read the tight end's hands to make a last second play on the football for a pass breakup. Quietly putting together a strong outing while clearly playing through pain in the second half, he finished with six tackles and allowed only two receptions for 13 yards on four total targets in coverage.
Uchenna Nwosu
Overall Grade: 83.0 (Run Defense 86, Tackling 82, Pass Rush 78, Coverage 85)
Compared to previous performances, Nwosu didn't have his most dominant effort against a quality 49ers offensive line. Aside from a pressure that resulted in a sack for defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, he was a relative non-factor as a pass rusher, finishing with just two pressures on 14 pass rushing reps and spending quite a bit of time dropping back in coverage. However, the veteran defender set a firm edge all night long and made life tough for the speedy McCaffrey as he tried to find running room outside of the tackles to the perimeter, finishing with four tackles defending the run that netted two or fewer yards. Shortly before halftime, he sniffed out a screen to McCaffrey from the other side of the formation and brought him down for a two-yard loss, putting San Francisco behind the sticks and forcing a punt two plays later. Even on a night where his pass rushing contributions were minimal, he found other ways to impact the game with six tackles, two tackles for loss, and only one reception allowed on 10 coverage snaps.
Ken Walker III
Overall Grade: 82.0 (Rushing 78, Receiving 86, Pass Blocking 82*)
*Weighted for three pass blocking reps
Playing with plenty of pep in his step after sitting out a Week 14 loss to the Panthers, Walker provided more flashes of brilliance than his stat line of 47 rushing yards and 32 receiving yards would suggest. Though hindered by shaky blocking in front of him for most of the night, he used his elite speed and burst to his advantage bouncing outside and beating a pursuing defender to the sideline on a 15-yard carry early in the fourth quarter. After that promising drive sputtered without any points, he was on the receiving end of the longest play of the game for the Seahawks, catching a short dump off from Geno Smith with tons of green in front of him and racing 33 yards down to the 49ers 10-yard line to set up a Noah Fant touchdown reception. Along with providing a bit of fireworks in the run and passing game, Walker also made a nice blitz pickup on one of his three pass blocking opportunities, continuing to show signs of progress in the weakest aspect of his game coming out of Michigan State.
Myles Adams
Overall Grade: 81.0 (Run Defense 86, Tackling 80, Pass Rush 76)
Often the odd man out due to a numbers game in the trenches, Adams only had been active for seven of Seattle's first 14 games, providing minimal chances for him to contribute after a strong preseason in August. But with Al Woods already sidelined and Bryan Mone tearing his ACL in the first quarter, the Seahawks needed the former Rice standout to step up seeing action as a 3-tech defensive tackle as well as playing a few snaps at nose tackle. Answering the call, the athletic 300-pound defender made the most of his 17 snaps and was active throughout the night. Among his most notable plays, with under four minutes to go in the third quarter, he levied a hard shot at center Jake Brendell off the snap before sprinting outside to hunt down McCaffrey for a two-yard loss on a wide zone run. Later in the half, he teamed up with Cody Barton to tackle McCaffrey for no gain and added a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage. With Mone done for the rest of the year, he earned himself more opportunities in the final three games with an active performance.
Noah Fant
Overall Grade: 80.0 (Receiving 86, Run Blocking 74, Pass Blocking 58*)
*Weighted for two pass blocking reps
Statistically, Fant only caught five passes for 32 yards, finishing third on the team in both categories for the game. But the athletic tight end continues to make the most of his chances when targeted by Smith, as he caught all but one of his six targets on Thursday and half of his yardage was produced after the catch. The lone incompletion thrown his way came on the game's opening drive when Smith threw behind him and nearly got intercepted by linebacker Dre Greenlaw. But after that point, Fant caught a quick out route midway through the second quarter and turned upfield for a 12-yard gain to move the chains on a 2nd and 5 pass, setting up Jason Myers for a 38-yard field goal to put Seattle on the board. Then, with the game seemingly decided, he came open down the seam in the red zone and Smith delivered a strike to him for the Seahawks only touchdown on the night, cutting the deficit to eight points with under four minutes to play. Fant wasn't at his best as a blocker, getting knocked over on one of his two pass blocking snaps, but his receiving contributions were a rare bright spot on a night where the offense couldn't get much rolling.
Other Notable Performances
Narrowly missing out on the top five, Tyler Lockett had a decent, if unspectacular day with seven catches for 68 yards before leaving late with a broken bone in his hand, receiving an 80.0 grade. If not for a pair of penalties, including an obvious offensive pass interference call that negated a long reception, DK Metcalf may have earned a top five score. But with those mistakes considered, his seven receptions for 55 yards netted a 78.5 grade. Smith converted on some difficult throws while under constant duress and played better in the second half, but he was fortunate a pick six didn't count due to a questionable roughing the passer penalty and a critical intentional grounding penalty also lowered his grade to 76.0 overall. Along the offensive line, guard Damien Lewis was the only player to earn above a 70.0, as he surrendered two pressures and had the highest run blocking grade (75.0) to earn a 73.0 overall. Tackles Abraham Lucas (69.0) and Charles Cross (60.0) both struggled mightily in pass protection against Nick Bosa and company, combining to allow seven pressures and three sacks in a rough outing for both rookies.
Finishing with a team-high 10 tackles and allowing only one catch in coverage for 11 yards, Cody Barton wound up missing out on the top five due to a disappointing effort trying to tackle George Kittle on his second touchdown, receiving a 77.5 grade. In the interior, Jefferson provided the lone fireworks as a pass rusher with Seattle's only sack, earning a 77.0 mark. Filling in admirably for Jordyn Brooks in the fourth quarter, Tanner Muse racked up four tackles on just 19 defensive snaps for a 76.0 grade. In the secondary, despite having a quarterback hit on a blitz and not allowing any catches in coverage, safety Quandre Diggs dropped a crucial interception opportunity and also missed a tackle attempt on Kittle's 54-yard touchdown, lowering his grade to 71.0. Earning his lowest grade of the season (66.0), Tariq Woolen made a horrific mistake in coverage on Kittle's touchdown letting the tight end slip out wide open, failing to execute his deep third responsibility in Cover 3. Off the edge, Bruce Irvin and Darrell Taylor failed to generate a single pressure on 23 combined pass rush snaps, receiving 70.0 and 65.0 grades respectively.
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