Grading Each Position After Seahawks Win vs. Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks should be feeling good after their 31-7 victory against the Arizona Cardinals inside State Farm Stadium.

The Seahawks showed why they are the defending Super Bowl champions in their blowout victory. Even without starting quarterback Sam Darnold, they were able to make the most of the moment and silence the Cardinals on both ends of the field. Here's a look at how each position group graded against Arizona.

Quarterback

Drew Lock started in place of Sam Darnold and played a nearly flawless game. Lock completed 19 passes on 26 attempts for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

For a backup quarterback, Lock did about everything you could ask of him. He looked calm in the pocket, made the right reads, and set the tone for the entire team. If we didn't know any better, we might not have guessed that the Seahawks were playing with a backup quarterback.

Running Back

Knowing the Seahawks were going to be without Darnold, the running back room took on a lot of responsibility against the Cardinals. They stepped up to the plate in a major way, running the ball 40 times for 162 yards.

Rookie Jadarian Price logged 52 yards but suffered a shoulder injury midway through, which allowed Emmanuel Wilson to take on a larger role than he did in Week 1. Wilson led the way with 92 yards on 21 carries, proving that he can take on a larger role down the line.

Price's fumble costs them an A grade, but other than that, they should be thrilled with their performance.

Wide Receiver

Jaxon Smith-Njigba were the MVPs for the Seahawks during this game. He dominated with nine catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns, which allowed him to dominate the game. The other receivers on the roster combined for five catches for 55 yards, so there was a sense of splitting up the responsibilities to some degree.

JSN was the center of the game plan, and the Cardinals had no answer for him, so it was smart to keep going to the best player on the field.

Tight End

The tight ends didn't play much of a role in the passing game, but they were strong blockers for the run game. AJ Barnard also managed to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a sneak, so they should get some credit for that in this report card.

The switch from Brian Fleury's offense to Clint Kubiak's requires more tight ends and stronger blocking responsibilities. They have managed to succeed in the first two weeks, and they should only be able to pick up some more steam throughout the year.

Offensive Line

Even though the offensive line was down a starter in Anthony Bradford, they managed to fill in the gaps with Christian Haynes. The trenches dominated the line of scrimmage both in the run game and in pass protection, allowing Lock to only be sacked once throughout the contest.

If the offensive line plays like this for the rest of the year, it is going to be very difficult to beat the Seahawks.

Defensive Line

The Seahawks' defensive line did a strong job pressuring Jacoby Brissett all game long. Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed each had a sack, which was two of the seven quarterback hits Brissett suffered throughout the game. They established their dominance on the line of scrimmage, and the Cardinals struggled all afternoon long to figure out how to gain an edge.

Linebackers

The linebackers continue to make an impact for the Seahawks, both in the middle and on the edge. Ernest Jones IV led the way with eight tackles and organized the unit extremely well. Drake Thomas and Uchenna Nwosu also had sound performances, giving the Seahawks' linebacker room a strong showing.

Secondary

The Seahawks allowed just 95 passing yards against the Cardinals. It's the first time since October 11, 1987, that the Cardinals failed to complete a single pass of 10 or more yards during the game.

In that contest, the Cardinals were still in St. Louis and were playing with replacement-level players. The fact that the Seahawks' defense was able to accomplish a feat like this explains why they are the league's best defense.

Final Takeaways

There are a lot of A's on this report card, and rightfully so. The Seahawks were incredibly dominant, and they deserve their flowers. Not every game is going to be like this because the opponents are going to improve over the course of the season.

If this game proved anything, it's that Seattle can play a complete game as well as any team in the league, and they are absolutely a threat to win the Super Bowl once again.

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