Pro Football Focus Identifies Unlikely Hero For Seahawks In Opener

In a game where the Seattle Seahawks had to dig deep to find the win, it’s not a surprise that a few little-known players had to come through big.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) reacts after defeating the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pro Football Focus has released their grades from last night’s season opener between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. They shelled out great scores for the Seahawks that you might expect, like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Love. But more interesting this week would be the backups and reserves who came through in a 13-10 victory.

Drew Lock Delivers

Offensively, the surprise hero is fairly obvious, but no less worth celebrating. Drew Lock came off the bench cold after taking no practice reps all week and won a game against the defending AFC Champions. It wasn’t always pretty, but according to PFF, he played an excellent game. They graded him at 84.1, the second highest grade on the offense, behind only JSN.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) runs after a catch during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Once isolated from the issues the offense had with penalties, presnap alignment, and getting out of the huddle, Lock was great. It was the kind of performance that we needed to see, knowing now that he’s likely to be the starting quarterback for at least a couple games. Also graded high was Cooper Kupp (83.6), despite just two catches, a promising sign.

Mike Macdonald’s Defensive Back University Churns Em Out

When it became clear that Nehemiah Pritchett was going to be a big part of the game last night, the sentiment I saw from most people was dread and fear. He hadn’t had the best start to his career, but I was more comfortable with it than most. Pritchett was a player I really liked in college, and I believe that he was a suitable depth piece for this defense.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28) talks to media members at the San Jose Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nehemiah was second only to Julian Love in defensive grading this week, coming in at 80.7, as his multiple plays on the ball were richly rewarded. Also ranking high, however, was Rodney Thomas II, a bargain bin free agent signing who didn’t even make the initial 53 man roster and was ultimately placed on the practice squad. His 74.9 speaks to a strong effort.

The Not-So-Good

I’m inclined to give a lot of players, especially on offense, a pass for struggles last night. It was a difficult circumstance, and the squad rallied enough to win. But some bad scores last night included George Holani (45.3), Rashid Shaheed (48.6), and Anthony Bradford (50.5). Even Charles Cross (55.4) was fairly poorly received. Stuff to work on.

Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) runs during the third quarter against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the other side, Ernest Jones (who never does well on PFF) came in with a cold 45.1, and newly-extended Derick Hall was a 49.6. Drake Thomas, who I didn’t think played that poorly personally, was docked hard at 51.2. Byron Murphy, another player I don’t entirely trust PFF to evaluate, scored a flat 55. These guys can do better, and they’ll need to now.

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