Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 20-10 Loss to Rams

Despite holding a lead early in the third quarter, the Seahawks weren't able to finish the deal on the road against the Rams on Tuesday night, falling 20-10 to their divisional rivals and securing their first losing season since 2011.

In defeat, despite all but eliminating themselves from playoff contention, several players shined for Seattle at SoFi Stadium. Here are my top five grades for Week 15 along with other notable performances.

Carlos Dunlap

Overall Grade: 90.0 (Pass Rush 94, Tackling 90, Run Defense 80)

With the Seahawks badly needing to turn up the heat on Matthew Stafford, Dunlap rebounded from what has been a disappointing season to deliver the goods. Capitalizing on a significant uptick in playing time compared to recent weeks, the 12-year veteran got off to quality start by ripping past reserve right tackle Bobby Evans and sacking Stafford at the 4:42 mark in the second quarter. The Rams eventually turned the ball over on downs. Then late in the third quarter, Dunlap got into the act again, this time beating his former teammate Andrew Whitworth with a rip move inside to get to the quarterback for an eight-yard sack. While the Rams ended up scoring a touchdown on that drive, he came through in the clutch with a third sack bull-rushing Evans into the pocket on 3rd and 7 to force a Johnny Hekker punt and send the ball back to Seattle's offense down seven with 5:25 to play. The vintage performance marked the third time in his career he recorded 3.0 sacks in a game.

Quandre Diggs

Overall Grade: 85.0 (Coverage 88, Tackling 85, Run Defense 82)

Earning his Pro Bowl starting nod and then some, Diggs has been Seattle's most consistent and reliable player on either side of the football this season and maintained his outstanding play on Tuesday. While he did allow an 18-yard reception to Van Jefferson on 3rd and 12 early in the Rams second possession, he more than made up for getting beat on that play by picking off his long-time teammate and friend moments later. With Stafford and his receiver Cooper Kupp clearly not on the same page, the quarterback threw an ugly duck to the middle of the field just short of the end zone, gift-wrapping an early Christmas gift for Diggs to intercept and send Los Angeles back to the sideline without any points. He finished the evening with seven combined tackles and his team-best fifth pick, continuing to bolster his value as he approaches free agency in March.

DeeJay Dallas

Overall Grade: 84.0 (Rushing 90, Pass Blocking 80, Receiving 78)

One of only three healthy backs active, Dallas didn't play much in the first half. But when starter Rashaad Penny briefly exited to the locker room with cramping issues, the second-year back brought juice to Seattle's ground game, igniting the offense with fantastic running on their lone touchdown drive early in the third quarter. The Rams seemed to have a defender or two waiting for Dallas every time he touched the football, but he put his juke stick into overdrive, making multiple tacklers miss and excelling at turning minimal gains into quality runs. He also ran with more power than he's exhibited up to this point, finishing multiple runs moving the pile and capping off the drive by impressively power spinning out of a tackle to fall into the end zone for six points. He wrapped up the night with a season-high 41 rushing yards and averaged a healthy 5.1 yards per carry while also making a couple nice blocks in pass protection.

Jordyn Brooks

Overall Grade: 82.5 (Run Defense 88, Tackling 78, Coverage 80)

For much of the season, Brooks has struggled to follow K.J. Wright's footsteps defending screens, as he's struggled to read and react to running back screens in particular. But in recent weeks, the sophomore has made marked improvements in this area of his game and Tuesday night, he perfectly deciphered a tailback screen to Sony Michel late in the third quarter, blasting the back immediately after the catch for minimal gain. On the play prior to that one, Brooks blew up Michel for no gain on a first down run, which was one of a whopping eight run stops made by the former first-round pick that netted two or fewer yards for the Rams. Earlier in the game, Brooks also made a spectacular play in coverage against Kupp on 4th and 2, knocking the ball out of his hands for a turnover on downs. While he did miss a pair of tackles and allowed a touchdown in coverage against Kupp, overall, Brooks turned in one of his better outings this season and continues to show improvements in all facets of his game.

Gerald Everett

Overall Grade: 81.0 (Receiving 86, Run Blocking 75, Pass Blocking 80)

Facing off against his former team for the first time after being sidelined in Week 5 due to COVID-19, Everett somewhat quietly turned in a quality game. Russell Wilson got him involved early, completing a pair of passes to him on the first two drives of the game, including connecting with him for a nine-yard completion to move the chains. After the two-minute warning, Everett starred in Seattle's first scoring drive of the game, making an 11-yard reception for a first down to advance his team closer to midfield. Moments later, Wilson's arm was hit as he tried to throw to DK Metcalf, but the dead duck landed in Everett's hands for a 34-yard catch deep in Rams territory. He didn't make any catches after halftime but still finished with a team-high 60 yards on four receptions.

Other Notable Performances

Though he allowed a trio of pressures, rookie tackle Jake Curhan mauled in the run game blocking for Penny and Dallas, receiving a 77.0 overall grade. Also scoring well at left tackle, Duane Brown didn't allow any pressures on Wilson to receive an 83.0 pass protection grade. Metcalf could have had a far bigger day statistically if not for several misfires from Wilson and he still had 52 yards on five receptions, receiving a 74.0 grade. Rookie wideout Dee Eskridge endured a challenging evening, failing to catch any of the four targets thrown his direction for a 50.0 Grade. Up front, guard Damien Lewis wasn't effective as a run blocker and yielded three pressures and a quarterback hit to earn a 58.0 overall mark. While it wasn't his worst game by any stretch of the imagination, Wilson's erratic accuracy and minimal impact as a runner contributed heavily to a 45.0 overall grade.

Defensively, Poona Ford had a strong outing with three run stops, including a tackle for loss, along with two quarterback pressures to earn a 78.0 mark. Myles Adams, making his regular season debut, also fared well with limited snaps producing a pressure and two tackles for a 76.0 grade. In the secondary, cornerback Sidney Jones missed a pair of tackles against the run and gave up a 32-yard reception, but he also held opposing receivers to under 45 total yards for the game, earning a respectable 71.0. Meanwhile, Bless Austin didn't allow any receptions in coverage, but he drew three big penalties in the game and only contributed one tackle for a 52.0 grade. Safety Ryan Neal turned in a decent performance in his second straight start with eight tackles and allowed a single reception for nine yards in coverage, receiving a 74.0 overall. Enduring one of his rougher games, linebacker Bobby Wagner finished with just seven tackles and left three on the field while also allowing a touchdown in coverage for a 51.0 grade.

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