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Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 25-24 Loss to Bears

Failing to maintain a 10-point lead in two different instances in the second half, Seattle faltered late in yet another demoralizing loss to Chicago, falling to 5-10 on the season. Reporter Corbin Smith dishes out his top five grades and other notable performances from a disappointing Week 16 showing at Lumen Field.
Corbin K. Smith|
Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 25-24 Loss to Bears
Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 25-24 Loss to Bears

Unable to fend off a late rally by the Bears, the Seahawks suffered their 10th loss of the season in a 25-24 defeat at Lumen Field on Sunday, officially eliminating themselves from playoff contention.

While the latest fourth quarter meltdown ensured Seattle would end the season with double-digit losses for the first time since 2009, several players still shined in defeat. Here's a look at my top five grades and other notable performances from Week 16.

Rashaad Penny

Overall Grade: 92.0 (Rushing 94, Receiving 60*)

*Weighted for one target

Easily Seattle's biggest star of the afternoon, Penny dashed through the snow at Lumen Field and tore up the Bears on the ground to the tune of 135 rushing yards on just 16 carries. Continuing to showcase his elite burst and explosiveness, he ripped off three runs of 25 or more yards, including a pair of 32-yard runs in the second half. He now has five such runs in the past four games, tying him for second in the NFL behind Colts star Jonathan Taylor this season despite a much smaller workload. While his speed and quickness were on display and he decisively hit the hole throughout the game, his newfound physicality and a suddenly potent stiff arm also played a crucial role in his success, as he forced eight missed tackles, or half a tackle per rush. After another dominant performance, he has now rushed for 346 yards in Seattle's past four games, the third-highest total among backs in the league during that span.

Carlos Dunlap

Overall Grade: 88.0 (Pass Rush 94, Tackling 90, Run Defense 82)

Capping off the best two-game stretch of his illustrious career, Dunlap feasted on former Seahawks starting tackle Germain Ifedi as well as third-string left tackle Larry Borom all game long. On two different occasions, he nearly create game-changing turnovers on strip sacks. Late in the second quarter, he beat Ifedi around the edge on a speed rush and hit Nick Foles' arm as he threw. Initially, officials ruled the play a fumble with a Seahawks recovery, but it was correctly overturned. Then immediately after the two-minute warning in the second half, with the Bears threatening, the veteran rusher fought off his block and chased down Foles in backside pursuit to sack him and force a fumble. Unfortunately, Ifedi recovered and Chicago scored the game-winning touchdown a few plays later. Sandwiched between those two plays, Dunlap registered two additional quarterback hits and a sack, finishing the day with six total pressures, four quarterback hits, and a pair of sacks.

Gerald Everett

Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 80)

While Everett's first season with the Seahawks has been a disappointment due to a number of factors, the fifth-year tight end has played his best football in recent weeks. After leading the team in receiving yards in Tuesday's loss to the Rams, he again made his presence felt as a pass catching option for Russell Wilson, particularly on third down. He reeled in two clutch nine-yard receptions on third down to move the chains on Seattle's second scoring drive. Shortly before the end of the half, Wilson dumped the ball off to a wide-open Everett and he sprinted down the sideline before stepping out of bounds on a 26-yard catch to set up Jason Myers' 36-yard field goal. After Chicago cut the lead to 17-14 midway through the third quarter, Wilson promptly drove his team down the field and hooked up with Everett again, rolling out to his right on a bootleg and hitting his tight end in stride on a corner route for a 24-yard touchdown. Chipping in with a few quality run blocks, he finished another strong outing with four catches for a team-high 68 yards and a score.

Jordyn Brooks

Overall Grade: 83.0 (Run Defense 82, Tackling 85, Coverage 84)

While his efforts may have gone unnoticed thanks to Seattle's defense coughing up 18 points in the second half, Brooks can't be blamed for the collapse. The second-year linebacker continues to ball in all facets, including displayed improved recognition against screens. At the 6:39 mark in the first quarter, he and defensive tackle Myles Adams sniffed out a running back screen to David Montgomery, bottling him up for no gain on the play. Later on the same drive after the Bears had advanced the ball inside the Seahawks five-yard line, the former first-round pick turned in a pair of spectacular plays to cap off a goal line stand. First, on 3rd and Goal, Foles stepped up in the pocket and tried to find Damiere Byrd in the end zone, but Brooks got a piece of the football for a pass breakup. On the ensuing play, he snuffed out a quick pass to Montgomery and smacked him two yards short of the goal line for a turnover on downs. While he did allow six receptions for 42 yards, he finished second on the team with 10 combined tackles, produced two pass breakups, and would have had a quarterback hit if not for a questionable pass interference penalty on cornerback Ugo Amadi.

Rasheem Green

Overall Grade: 82.0 (Run Defense 76, Tackling 82, Pass Rush 88)

Like Penny, Green has picked the perfect time to elevate his game heading towards the conclusion of his rookie contract. Playing more than 20 snaps against the run, he didn't register a single tackle and missed out on an opportunity for a tackle for loss. But while his run defense remains an area needing improvement, his pass rushing has taken a major step forward in 2021. After registering a sack on Tuesday, Green generated his first career multi-sack game against the Bears, first getting to Foles with an effective bull rush early in the third quarter. Then in the final quarter, after Chicago marched inside Seattle's 10-yard line, he came through in the clutch on 2nd and Goal ripping past the right guard from his 3-tech position and devouring Foles for a six-yard loss. The Bears consequently were forced to settle for three points and the Seahawks remained up seven at the time. Turning in the finest performance of his career, he racked up a whopping five quarterback hits, six pressures, and a pair of sacks serving as a disruptive force at multiple alignments for Seattle's defensive front.

Other Notable Performances

Though he was once again largely ignored by Wilson for most of the game, DK Metcalf made the most of his minimal opportunities, catching a 41-yard touchdown to open the scoring and earning an 80.0 overall grade. Up front, tackles Duane Brown and Jake Curhan dominated in the run blocking department opening up lanes for Penny. Brown allowed three pressures, while Curhan surrendered two pressures and a quarterback hit, but both players scored well overall with 79.0 and 77.0 overall grades. Ethan Pocic enjoyed his best game of the year without yielding any pressures and laying a few quality run blocks, receiving a 78.0 score. Throwing two touchdown passes certainly helped Wilson's grade, but failing to complete 60 percent of his passes, throwing for under 50 yards in the second half, and taking an ill-advised sack late in the fourth quarter dropped his final score to 65.0.

Just missing his third top-five score of the season, Poona Ford turned in a quality game with five tackles and two quarterback pressures, receiving an 81.0 overall score. Alongside him, Al Woods also performed well once again, registering five tackles and a tackle for loss for a 79.0 overall mark. In the secondary, Quandre Diggs wasn't tested much, allowing one reception for five yards and contributing five tackles for a 78.0 overall grade. Sidney Jones wasn't quite as sharp as he had been in recent weeks with a pair of missed tackles, but he still allowed just three catches for 27 yards and had a pass breakup, receiving a 76.0 grade. Across from him, John Reid allowed a 15-yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham late in the fourth quarter, but also registered two pass breakups and five tackles for a 73.0 mark. Ugo Amadi endured a nightmarish afternoon in the slot allowing a trio of catches for 47 yards and missing three tackles for a 45.0 grade. In the middle, Bobby Wagner had a second straight difficult game, missing a pair of tackles while also being exposed in coverage giving up six catches for 62 yards and three first downs, receiving a 58.0 grade.

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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